American Politics & Pop Culture

An interesting idea that did not completely occur to me until reading "Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight" is the racial messages that are present in film noir. Unlike other films of the time, film noir focused on the "dark side" of the city and urban environment. In the 1940's, many whites had migrated from the cities to the suburbs, leaving the cities filled with minorities, which in turn fueled the stereotypes and racism present in that time. In Double Indemnity, the setting is also an urban environment. This allows the filmmakers to contrast the "white" environment with the more urban "black" environment. Avila points out that "morally corrupt white folks who inhabit the noir city...often are viewed alongside black service workers...suggesting their ease within the city's black underworld." Due to racism, Neff's interaction with blacks in the city, in a sense, "compromise his whiteness." Blacks were viewed as inferior and much more prone to criminal activity, so it is not surprising that the filmmakers use this interaction along with the dark lighting to portray corruptness.

In my opinion, in film noir like Double Indemnity this use of dark lighting and interaction with blacks serves as an aid to the civil rights movement. While Neff's character is an evil murderer who loses everything in the end, he is also the lead role and the story is told from his point of view, showing that he was still human like every one of us. This type of film allows the viewer to relate to an otherwise repulsive character, and in turn, because of his association with minorities, lessens the stereotypes of minorities as less human.