Double Indemnity/A,B

Universal/1948/107m/FS 1.33

     Welcome to classic territory. One of the defining films of "noir," Double Indemnity has a clever script and beautiful dialogue from Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. The set-up is terrific. Hot housewife Phyllis Dietrichson wants to get rid of her older, dull husband. Insurance salesman Walter Neff gets tangled in her web swept up by desire and greed and ultimately finds out that execution of the perfect crime has a way of finding obstacles. Coincidence gives insurance investigator a big helping hand in leading him to sniff out
     The actors swim through the murky waters of deceit with concisely perfect strokes. Fred MacMurray gives Walter Neff a coating lascivious slime while Barbara Stanwyck breathes sexual innuendo into every uttered sentence. Edward G. Robinson. It's all a grandly choreographed dance of deceit embellished by the fabulous Miklos Rozsa score and captured in the dark and moody high key photography of John Seitz. literally defining all "noir" to come.    

MacMurray and Stanwyck, an irresistible combination.ŠUniversal

This is a clean transfer and compression job from Image/Universal that appears to be a duplicate of the laser elements. There are few if any blemishes. Contrast levels are adequate and all important shadow detail is consistently revealing. The mono soundtrack is a bit thin, but dialogue is crisp.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HOT LINKS

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