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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781558807785
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 1558807780
Label: MCA/Universal Home Video
Manufacturer: MCA/Universal Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MCA/Universal Home Video
Release Date: March 01, 1992
Running Time: 107 minutes
Sales Rank: 8071
Studio: MCA/Universal Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: September 06, 1944
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
Director Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard) and writer Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep) adapted James M. Cain's hard-boiled novel into this wildly thrilling story of insurance man Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), who schemes the perfect murder with the beautiful dame Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck): kill Dietrichson's husband and make off with the insurance money. But, of course, in these plots things never quite go as planned, and Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) is the wily insurance investigator who must sort things out. From the opening scene you know Neff is doomed, as the story is told in flashback; yet, to the film's credit, this doesn't diminish any of the tension of the movie. This early film noir flick is wonderfully campy by today's standards, and the dialogue is snappy ('I thought you were smarter than the rest, Walter. But I was wrong. You're not smarter, just a little taller'), filled with lots of 'dame's and 'baby's. Stanwyck is the ultimate femme fatale, and MacMurray, despite a career largely defined by roles as a softy (notably in the TV series My Three Sons and the movie The Shaggy Dog), is convincingly cast against type as the hapless, love-struck sap. --Jenny Brown
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - ONE OF THE GREATS
The combination of Billy Wilder ( directing ), and Raymond Chandler ( screenplay ) should have insured any movie 'classic' status, but the addition of an excellent cast nailed the lid down. The chemistry between Stanwyck ( who pretty much set the standard here for femme fatales ), and Fred MacMurray ( in, arguably, his best role ) was incendiary. Add Edward G. Robinson, and the mix is positively lethal.
For all the pretty packaging of this product the 'extras' pretty much suck. Still, ... Read More
Rating:  - I disagree
-The movie looks great
-Those who say the remaster is bad are wrong
-Buy the movie
Rating: - Double tour de force
In this classic *film noir*, the infamous Hollywood production code of the 30s-40s, which prohibited explicit erotic language and images, actually makes things more interesting. Take, for instance, the delicious exchange of double-entendres about a *speed limit* during the first encounter between Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.
The main theme of the movie, of course, is the classic *femme fatale* motif, which denotes the dream produced by a male-dominated society (America in the ... Read More
Rating:  - Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity is my first experience in traditional film noir and i quite enjoyed it. The film stood out to me in a number of ways, mostly the unique story and the look of the film. Double Indemnity's story was unique largely because the protagonist in many ways didn't seem to be a good person. It was one of those movies where its hard to completely identify with any of the characters yet it still remains interesting. I really liked the typical noir look that the movie had. I think the film is a ... Read More
Rating: - The best
Great movie. Excellent value. Arrived quickly. No problems. Have ordered many items and have never been disappointed. Thank you.
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