What can I possibly write about Double
Indemnity that hasn’t been written already?
For the two of you who read this and haven’t seen the
film, it is far and away the best example of film noir ever
shot, and arguably one of the greatest films ever made. Double
Indemnity combined a taut, dark story with outstanding
acting and direction in a truly original way.
 The
story involves an insurance salesman and a seductive housewife,
plotting to cash in on her husband’s accidental death
policy by arranging his not-so-accidental demise. In the words
of one historian, it’s the story of an adulterer and
a fornicator plotting to commit murder. Subject matter doesn’t
get much darker than that, especially within the strict moral
guidelines of the censors of the day. In short, this was not
the sort of film anyone expected to come along in 1944, when
standard fare was WWI movies, westerns and romantic comedies.
That in itself is not enough, though, to make this movie a
classic. What puts it over the top is a combination of great
acting, a taut script and cinematography that, at the time,
was truly groundbreaking. The term “film noir”
is a reference not only to the dark subject matter, but also
to the dark lighting that permeates the film. John F. Seitz,
cinematographer on the film, captured shadows in ways that
were truly unique.
Shadows of Venetian blinds across the actors, dust motes in
the air, scenes where the actors are half cast in pitch black,
these were things that helped bring the darkness of the script
into physical being on the screen.
Fred MacMurray, cast against type as the insurance salesman,
is a standout as an amoral man who, in many ways, you can’t
help but root for. Barbara Stanwyck portrays the femme fatale
so well that her performance launched a thousand copycats.
Then there's Edward G. Robinson playing Keyes, MacMurray’s
boss and friend who just can’t leave well enough alone
as he investigates the claim. All of these performances are
excellent and, amazingly, none of the performers initially
wanted to be in the film.
This brings us to Billy Wilder, the man who directed the film
and co-wrote the script (along with Raymond Chandler). It
was Wilder who convinced each actor to take  these
“out of character” roles. It was Wilder whose
ingenuity got his vision on the screen despite the censors.
Without Wilder, there would be no Double Indemnity.
It’s a must see, and not just as a study in film history.
It’s plainly and simply a great film that bears repeated
viewings. It was nominated for seven academy awards in
the year of its release and, though it didn’t win
a single one, I’ll bet you would be hard pressed
to tell me the plots or even the titles of the movies that
did. If you’ve
never seen Double Indemnity, stop reading
this right now and get your ass to the video store.
Presentation
This is not the first release of this film
on DVD. In fact, I’ve read more than one complaint about
the fact that Universal made this a two-disc set in an effort
to cash in one more time on a classic. I would have to agree
with those complaints, but we’ll get into that in the
bonus features.
 As
for the main feature, I don’t remember it ever looking
better. I studied this film in college and I can easily say
this transfer blows what I saw out of the water. The blacks
are rich and the grays shimmer.
The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 mono and sounds fine.
Bonus Features
Here’s where this set both excels and pisses me off.
First up, the short feature Shadows of Suspense is
a fantastic look at the film and its place in film history.
Many of the stories surrounding the making of Double
Indemnity are examined and, while it features plenty
of talking heads, the short running time and liberal use of
scenes from the movie help it move along briskly.
 Next, there are two commentaries. The first is a commentary
by Richard Schickel, a film historian who does a passable
enough job talking you through the film. He spends a lot of
time discussing the script and its comparisons to the novel.
This is good stuff, though much of it is also covered in the
featurette.
The second is a commentary by historian/screenwriter Lem
Dobbs and film historian Nick Redman. This commentary
is peppered with first person stories from Dobbs, who had
the pleasure of interacting with Wilder among others. This
commentary is pretty entertaining and my favorite of the two.
Rounding out disc one is the trailer for the film.
It’s time to discuss disc two. At this point, I would
like to address Universal Films directly.
Dear
Sirs,
It has now come to everyone’s attention that you are
bent on sucking every last dollar from film fans in any
way you possibly can. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
I take heart in the fact that one day you will lay rotting,
clutching bills you will never be able to spend. You can’t
take it with you, assholes, so stop bleeding us dry.
Affectionately yours,
Cary Christopher
 The
only thing on disc two is a 1973 television remake of the movie starring Richard Crenna and Samantha Eggar. Had
this never seen the light of day ever again, no one would
give a damn. It’s not a terrible effort, but it
adds absolutely nothing to this set unless you view it as
an example of how much more effective the story is in Wilder
and Seitz’s hands. Thus, this was a blatant
attempt to make this a two-disc set in order to charge you,
the fan, a few dollars more for it.
Bottom Line
Aside from the second disc, which is clearly an
effort on Universal’s part to push this into a two-disc
release, this is a must own for film fans. Watching
the film and listening to the commentaries is akin to taking
a class on how to write and direct an effective thriller. Double
Indemnity is highly, highly recommended.
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