The desperation in the voice of the protagonist as he says that phrase makes it clear that, from that moment on, things are only going to get worse. This is the moment Walter realizes that everything he has done will come back and chase him. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it’s true, so help me. “ Walter: Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. This dialogue perfectly represents the double nature of the femme fatale: on the one hand, she admits being heartless and only looking out for her best interests, but on the other hand she attempts to act naïve one last time so that Walter believes her, unsuccessfully. I never thought that could happen to me.Īs this is almost the end of the movie, the truth is uncovered and the catastrophic film noir ending takes place when Walter shoots Phyllis. Until a minute ago, when I couldn’t fire that second shot. Phyllis: No, I never loved you, Walter, not you or anybody else. We see how Phyllis perfectly represents this stereotype and uses her intelligence in order to achieve a specific goal. One of the characteristics of the femme fatale is being clever and manipulative, which is tricking people into doing what she wants them to do, no matter the consequences. From the start, we see how the woman flirts with the protagonist but then shows she is in control of the whole situation.
This is one of the very first dialogues that appear in the movie between Phyllis and Walter. Phyllis Dietrichson: Suppose you try putting it on my husband’s shoulder.
Walter Neff: Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder. Phyllis Dietrichson: Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles. Phyllis Dietrichson: Suppose I let you off with a warning this time. Walter Neff: Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket. Walter Neff: How fast was I going, officer? Phyllis Dietrichson: There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Though I find many things worth mentioning, the most brilliant aspects of the film to me are the dialogues and their relation to the stereotype of the femme fatale : This atmosphere of tenebrosity created by Billy Wilder can be perceived in every aspect of the film, from the music to the performances. Innovative representations for plots are using in this movie, however, it shows traditional results for Dietrichson and Neff.‘The flame of sin’ in Italian, ‘Insurance for a death’ in French and ‘Blood Pact’ in Spanish: the names given to double indemnity in different countries are several, but what all of them have in common is a very close relationship to crime and evil. “Double Indemnity” does not show the outcome of Neff clearly, although audiences know that he was shot by Dietrichson and the crime he did was known by his colleague. Additionally, “This movie uses this method for transforming the threat into a secret to foreshadow their tragic results”(Hanson Helen, O’Rawe Catherine). In another words, Walter is in the light, meanwhile, Dietrichson is in darkness. This innovative way is used to highlight their different standpoints, in fact, the movie shows Dietrichson always manipulates the progress of the crime and controls Neff’s affection for her plan. Take one representational method as an example, “In this plot which shows the conversation between Dietrichson and Neff, audiences just can hear Dietrichson’s voices and all of her gestures and facial expressions are hidden by the shadow, at the same time, Walter appearance can be seen clearly”(Hanson Helen, O’Rawe Catherine). Hanson Helen and O’Rawe Catherine analyze many plots of this movie and list them in their book named “The Femme Fatale: Images, Histories, Contexts”. In “Double Indemnity”, to depict the characteristics of the femme fatale named Dietrichson in different plots, the combination of various representational ways is necessary.