Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950)
While I’m not that well versed in it, I do love film noir. And these have long been two of my favorites. And they share several significant features. For example, they both start at the “end.” They’re both—more or less—narrated by their doomed protagonists. And they’re both directed by Billy Wilder.
That said, Sunset Boulevard feels more modern, even though it was made just a half-decade or so after Double Indemnity. It opens on a shot of a curb with the words “Sunset Boulevard” printed on it. The camera then points down at the street and dollies backward while the credits roll and dramatic music plays. This is a far cry from the typical title cards used for the credit sequences in most films to this point. When the camera finally stops, it tilts up to reveal police cars racing down the street. We then see them arrive at a mansion on Sunset Boulevard to find a man floating face-down, dead in the pool. And then we get the startling and unforgettable image of the man from a low angle, underwater, looking up at him.
The female roles in the two films are quite different, too. Barbara Stanwyck’s character in Double Indemnity could be properly classified as a femme fatale, as she lures Fred MacMurray’s unsuspecting insurance man into a plot to kill her husband. Swanson’s Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard is more of a tragic figure. I also watched Hail, Caeser! this week (fitting, I know), and I loved it. Partly because Brolin as studio fixer Eddie Mannix is excellent, but mostly because I’m a sucker for post-war Hollywood. And that’s probably part of why I like Sunset Boulevard so much. Some consider Hollywood too self-congratulatory (I’m one of them), but this film manages to both celebrate and criticize Tinseltown—or at least offer an exploration of the darker side of Hollywood stardom.
Swanson’s performance is over-the-top, but in all the right ways. Almost every one of her lines is thrilling. And I think her performance is made even more thrilling when you consider the many ways Swanson’s career (and life) mirror that of the fictional Norma Desmond. That’s one of the great ways this film plays out meta-fictionally. The peek into the Paramount back lot is another. And the fact that several actors and directors, including Cecil B. DeMille (who actually directed Gloria Swanson in several pictures during her silent film days) play themselves in this film…
If you couldn’t already tell, I’d probably say that Sunset Boulevard is my favorite of these two. But, as I noted in the second line of this reflection, they are both among my favorite film noir. And I enjoyed them both more during these viewings than I have during any previous. I’d even actually forgotten how poignant the relationship between Neff (MacMurray) and the claims manager Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) is in Double Indemnity. Sort of casts the whole film in a different light. The conclusion now feels pretty heartbreaking.
Any fellow noir-ers out there this week? Thoughts on these two?
While I’m not that well versed in it, I do love film noir. And these have long been two of my favorites. And they share several significant features. For example, they both start at the “end.” They’re both—more or less—narrated by their doomed protagonists. And they’re both directed by Billy Wilder.
That said, Sunset Boulevard feels more modern, even though it was made just a half-decade or so after Double Indemnity. It opens on a shot of a curb with the words “Sunset Boulevard” printed on it. The camera then points down at the street and dollies backward while the credits roll and dramatic music plays. This is a far cry from the typical title cards used for the credit sequences in most films to this point. When the camera finally stops, it tilts up to reveal police cars racing down the street. We then see them arrive at a mansion on Sunset Boulevard to find a man floating face-down, dead in the pool. And then we get the startling and unforgettable image of the man from a low angle, underwater, looking up at him.
The female roles in the two films are quite different, too. Barbara Stanwyck’s character in Double Indemnity could be properly classified as a femme fatale, as she lures Fred MacMurray’s unsuspecting insurance man into a plot to kill her husband. Swanson’s Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard is more of a tragic figure. I also watched Hail, Caeser! this week (fitting, I know), and I loved it. Partly because Brolin as studio fixer Eddie Mannix is excellent, but mostly because I’m a sucker for post-war Hollywood. And that’s probably part of why I like Sunset Boulevard so much. Some consider Hollywood too self-congratulatory (I’m one of them), but this film manages to both celebrate and criticize Tinseltown—or at least offer an exploration of the darker side of Hollywood stardom.
Swanson’s performance is over-the-top, but in all the right ways. Almost every one of her lines is thrilling. And I think her performance is made even more thrilling when you consider the many ways Swanson’s career (and life) mirror that of the fictional Norma Desmond. That’s one of the great ways this film plays out meta-fictionally. The peek into the Paramount back lot is another. And the fact that several actors and directors, including Cecil B. DeMille (who actually directed Gloria Swanson in several pictures during her silent film days) play themselves in this film…
If you couldn’t already tell, I’d probably say that Sunset Boulevard is my favorite of these two. But, as I noted in the second line of this reflection, they are both among my favorite film noir. And I enjoyed them both more during these viewings than I have during any previous. I’d even actually forgotten how poignant the relationship between Neff (MacMurray) and the claims manager Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) is in Double Indemnity. Sort of casts the whole film in a different light. The conclusion now feels pretty heartbreaking.
Any fellow noir-ers out there this week? Thoughts on these two?
Sunset is basically flawless. I think Double is overrated but I haven't seen it in several years so I'd be interested to watch it again. Is Maltese Falcon on this iteration of the list? I love that one even more than Sunset, though you're right in that Sunset is kind of a special animal in the world of noir, so perhaps it's unfair to even compare traditional detective pot-boilers to it. There are so many great ones though.
ReplyDeleteSo so many great ones. And yes, Maltese Falcon is on this list. Was actually going to do a Bogie week this week, but I decided to bump up Mockingbird because of Harper Lee's death. Will probably do Falcon next week.
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