Title: From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir
By: Alain
Silver and James Ursini
Publisher:
Running Press – Turner Classic Movies
ISBN:
978-07624-8493-5 (hardcover)
ISBN:
978-0-7624-8495-9 (ebook)
The new book by Alain Silver and James Ursini is a detailed
account of how the classic film noir Double
Indemnity came to be. The authors take a look at the real-life crime that
influenced James M. Cain’s novel on which the film is based. The thesis of the
book is that Double Indemnity is the definitive film noir and its influence is still felt
today.
Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about Double Indemnity and film noir, the
authors begin their book with the case of Ruth May Snyder and Henry Judd Gray.
Snyder and Gray came up with a plot to murder her husband. They tried to make
it look like robbery and murder but weren’t as slick as Phyllis Dietrichson and
Walter Neff.
Once the authors start talking about the development of Double Indemnity, the book really moves
along. The consensus was that Cain’s dialogue in the novel sounded stilted and
phony when read aloud. That’s where Raymond Chandler came in. Chandler’s novels
were known for their snappy, realistic dialogue. Chandler worked with director
Billy Wilder on the script. A contentious relationship at best but somehow it
all worked out in the end.
The casting was interesting. Dick Powell campaigned hard to
play Neff, but this was before his dramatic turn in Murder, My Sweet (1944). Powell was a musical comedy star during
the 1930s at Warner Bros. and wasn’t seriously consider by Wilder. Fred
MacMurray was known for light comedy and musicals as well, but Wilder saw
something. Casting MacMurray against type turned out to be a brilliant move. He’s
convincing and believable as Neff. For Phyllis Dietrichson, it doesn’t look
like Wilder wanted anyone but Barbara Stanwyck.
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| Billy Wilder (right in front of policemen) directs Stanwyck and MacMurray in the supermarket scene. |
When Ball of Fire (1941) starring Gary Cooper and Stanwyck went into production, Wilder, still a screenwriter, decided he wanted to direct so he shadowed director Howard Hawks. Wilder and Charles Brackett wrote the screenplay for Ball of Fire. He was impressed with Stanwyck’s performance and the rest is history.
There has always been a fascination with why Wilder had
Stanwyck wear that cheap blonde wig. The truth is the wig was the same one worn
by Marlene Dietrich in Manpower
(1941). Wilder wanted Stanwyck to look cheap but he ultimately admitted it was
a mistake. He decided this after a few weeks of filming but he decided he
couldn’t scrap what was already printed and start from scratch so he just kept
going. Paramount file executive Buddy DeSylva said, “We paid for Barbara
Stanwyck, and we got George Washington.”
One bit of information that I had never heard before was
that Mona Freeman was originally cast as Lola Dietrichson. When Wilder saw her
on film, she looked twelve years old. She was eventually replaced with Jean
Heather. Heather also had a role in Going
My Way, the film that beat Double
Indemnity for Best Picture. Its director Leo McCarey also beat Wilder in
the Best Director category.
 |
| The gas chamber scene that was filmed but cut from the final film |
Dressing Stanwyck—done by the legendary Edith Head—to look cheap was expensive. Some of Stanwyck’s outfits cost $7000 in today’s dollars. Stanwyck’s bath towel and pair of slippers cost $40 in 1943 or $700 today.
The book delves into the films Double Indemnity has influenced during the peak noir era and more
contemporary or neo-noir films like Body
Heat (1981).
And you can’t ignore the foreboding score by Miklos Rozsa.
The feeling of dread is apparent from the opening credits and is carried
through to the very last frame.
If you’re a fan of Double
Indemnity and/or film noir, this book is a must.
Some quick facts:
- Fred MacMurray worked 61 days
- Barbara Stanwyck worked 35 days
- Edward G. Robinson worked 37 days
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