Sunday, 1 June 2025

Double Indemnity (1944 Billy Wilder)

Yes, no matter who wrote what (Billy or Raymond Chandler) - and let's not forget those choice lines of dialogue were probably co-written - you can pretty much be sure that the clever construction is all Billy's, for example the demise of the first Mrs Dietrichson, which isn't revealed until an hour and a quarter in, and the stuff with her step-daughter (Jean Heather).

I was noticing in the Hollywood Bowl sequence quite how well the classical (Beethoven or someone) goes with the dialogue.

Mrs D is like a Venus Fly-Trap.

But when Edward G gets going, in those long takes, it's poetry in motion.




Oscar nominated for Picture, Director, Screenplay, music and sound recording, and Actress.

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