Double Indemnity Character Analysis

1 There are two sides to every story. The characters in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity attempt to hide their true feelings to avoid dangerous consequences. Phyllis, for instance, comes across as innocent and somewhat languorous but as the plot unfolds, the viewer sees the cunning and ruthlessness inside of her with a touch of weakness. Through the choices these characters make and the actions they perform, their inner emotions are revealed, whether or not they want them to be seen.

Before we even learn the doomed tale of Walter or even physically meet him, we can get an idea that there is some sort of guilt involved from the opening sequence alone. We are taken to downtown Los Angeles and notice the erratic driving of a car from a long shot.

As Phyllis tells her sob story to Neff on his sofa, the light from the lamp is on one side of her face while a shadow takes on the other side. This “two-face” effect hints that she is not to be trusted. Seeing Lola dressed in white and Phyllis in black as they play backgammon further establishes their roles as the innocent “good girl” and the deceitful “femme fatale”, respectively. The frame in which Neff and Phyllis are watching Mr Dietrichson signing his so-called “car insurance” also provides examples of exposed trickery. The closed form of the shot tells the true motive just in that one frame: the positions of the three creates a physical love triangle, and the back-to-camera of Neff raises suspicions as to what he’ll plan next as Mr Dietrichson is truly signing his death

Under the persona of the abused and unhappy housewife, she manages to have Walter wrapped around her finger with no difficulty until the end. The snappy dialogue from her serves as bait for Neff’s attention as shown in the “There’s a speed limit in this state” bit. After she lets Neff in on her plot, we see him pacing back and forth in the dark of his apartment replaying it in his mind. He is debating his moral conflict until Phyllis comes in to “return his hat” and he turns the lights on; this is representing him giving in to the alluring woman. Meeting Neff at the grocery store to discuss the plan to kill her husband, Phyllis pretends to be nervous and afraid to carry out in order to confirm that Neff will fully commit to the murder. Driving her husband to the train station (and his inevitable death), a close-up and dominant contrast are put on her emotionless face as she has Mr Dietrichson believe that she will actually miss him when he leaves. Even when Walter has her figured out, Phyllis believes she has one more trick up her sleeve when she shoots him once but no more than that to try to convince him that she is remorseful.

Double Indemnity is one of the most perfect examples of film noir, in that the main characters commit the worst deeds that they could possibly do. However, that is not to say that there has been no underlying sentiment of guilt, vulnerability, treachery, and manipulation in the atmosphere. One may even argue