Perfect murder?
Today, in film and television, crime writers are still trying to answer the question, is there such a thing as a perfect murder. This age old question has captivated audiences for decades as characters across genres and for a host of reasons try to commit just such an act. Today's shows are wrapped in forensic sciences and what can/can not be proven. Yet, what it really comes down to is human nature. It's always the human element (guilt, revenge, love, trust) that catches them in the end. From Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-tale heart" whose murderer continues to hear the heart beat of his victim after killing him to Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth crying "Out damn spot" as she tries to get the blood stains from her hand, the best stories capture the human element of the crimes.
This week, the film explores this age-old phenomenon in the film noir classic, Double Indemnity. This Hollywood remake of the Raymond Chandler classic has all the elements of your standard noir film. There is the beautiful, bewitching, and not quite what she seems lady in distress and the man who gets seduced by her. Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) finds an initially unwitting accomplice in insurance sales man Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) when she convinces him to help her kill her husband. Falling for the beauty and seeing a way to cash in doubly on the man's life insurance policy, Neff agrees to the crime. The problem comes when, racked with guilt, the love fades and the two begin to distrust each other.
Plagued by doubt and the inquisitive insurance investigator, a wonderfully crafted tale ensues. Stanwyck and MacMurray give one of the best performances of their careers is this tale of deceit and suspicion.Using the lighting and shooting styles of what we now call noir, Double Indemnity shows audiences this story with some of the most visually stunning and captivating shots in the genre.
Join us this Monday evening for a film treat.
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