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English 299B: Film as Narrative Art

English 299B: Film as Narrative Art. Mr. Kelley. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944).

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English 299B: Film as Narrative Art

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  1. English 299B:Film as Narrative Art Mr. Kelley

  2. Double Indemnity(Billy Wilder, 1944)

  3. It was raining that night, so I didn’t go out. I lit a fire and sat there, trying to figure out where I was at. I knew where I was at, of course. I was standing right on the deep end, looking over the edge, and I kept telling myself to get out of there, and get quick, and never come back.

  4. But that was what I kept telling myself. What I was doing was peeping over that edge, and all the time I was trying to pull away from it, there was something in me that kept edging a little closer, trying to get a better look. James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

  5. Points to Consider • What is the function of the image of the “crippled man” during the credit sequence? • Consider narrative structure in the film. What function does Walter’s use of the Dictaphone serve? • Consider point of view in the film. With whom is the audience made to identify?

  6. What does Walter want? What does he fear? • Describe Walter’s relationships with Phyllis and with Keyes. • Consider the use of “doubling,” in which one character “doubles” as, or parallels, another.

  7. What is the film’s attitude toward women? Toward marriage, children, love, hate? • Consider the visual style. Is it appropriate to the thematic concerns of the film?

  8. What is the vision of American society offered in the film? • Consider the tradition of film noir. What themes, images, patterns, or styles does Double Indemnity share with other films in this tradition? • Does the film share thematic concerns or styles with any of the other films seen this semester?

  9. Selected Filmography of Billy Wilder • Lost Weekend (1945) • Sunset Boulevard (1950) • Stalag 17 (1953) • Witness for the Prosecution (1957) • Some Like It Hot (1959) • The Apartment (1960)

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