Double Indemnity

The film Double Indemnity, was directed Billy Wilder in 1944. The film is about an insurance rep that lets him be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigator's suspicions. In addition the film title Double Indemnity means 'a clause in an insurance policy that provides for double the face value of the policy in the case of accidental death', but this is a common theme throughout the film in is mention frequently.

The Film begins with a male character walking away from the audience, and is represented in the middle of the screen, suggesting that he is the centre of attention. In addition, the audience are shown him walking away in a silhouette effect which creates suspicion to who he is. The film titles are also shown during this point, for example the titles are all displayed in white bold capital letters with a shadow, to enforce the title such as 'Double Indemnity' which is very noticeable, and fade in and fade out effect has been used. Additionally also the dark lighting creates a hidden and secretive mood, which strongly relates to the character as he is dressed in a long dark coat which is often related with spies and secretive people.

As the silhouette goes, the next shot shoes a car speeding down, driving past 'Los Angeles Railway Maintenance Dept.'. By the director showing this it gives the audience some idea where it is being set, however it doesn’t reveal too much and still keeps the audience watching it. Additionally, we wonder who is driving the car and where it is going. We question this because the car is driving very fast and swerving around and in between cars, which can suggest that who ever driving could either be in a rush or escaping from somewhere. Evidence of this is when the car drives straight through the red light, which can show they are desperate and isn’t paying attention around other things. As the car speeds up and more is revealed, the tempo and speed of the music increase and fits in well with the pace of the car.

Furthermore, as the character gets out the car, as an audience we immediately question whether that is the same man used in the silhouette. We suggest this because the same hat and black clothing, but also a significant thing is the way he is walking. for example in the titles the man was walking with crutches, but when he walks out the car is walking with a limp and looks injured. This makes us think that he is the same man but just without he's crutches and lets we know a bit better about character.