Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Post Eight: Film Noir
Question: In your mind, are there any heroes in Double Indemnity? If so, who?
Finding a character in Double Indemnity to characterize as a hero is a struggle, because of the nature of the film. The film features two main characters, Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson, that both become involved with murder. The entirety of the plot of this film revolves around the planning of the murder of Phyllis' husband and the cover up of the murder. On a surface examination of the plot, one could say that there are no heroes in this film. However, on a deeper examination of the plot, one could say that while the central characters are do not appear to be heroic, the intention of their actions was heroic.
Phyllis' character could be called heroic as she risked incarceration in order to free herself from what she deemed an abusive relationship, as in the film she complained to Walter that her husband never paid attention to her, would not let her shop, and would drink far too much. In society, a woman is often regarded as courageous or heroic when she is able to separate herself such relationships and seek out the aid of others, typically a woman's shelter, the police, or other familial/friendly support. Since, Phyllis' plan to separate herself involved murder, the heroic intention of her actions was diminished by the general disapproving of murder. Overall, "the end didn't justify the means," causing Phyllis to not be regarded as a hero.
Walter's character could be called heroic as it follows the ageold heroic action of saving the damsel in distress. In this case, Walter attempts to rescue Phyllis from her husband by conceiving the plan to murder him and then collect the insurance money from the life policy. While Walter's intention to save the woman he had fallen in love with seemed like a noble and heroic action, the evil method in which he freed Phyllis from her marriage overshadowed his pure intentions, causing him to lack a heroic character trait.
Additionally, an analysis of the key characteristics of Double Indemnity that make in a Film Noir, indicate that there should be no heroes in the film. The darker lighting used in Film Noir represents a darker side of humanity, as darker colors are typically associated with evil. This is further exemplified by the film makers decision to have all of the meetings between Walter and Phyllis occur during the dark evening, during which the two conspire to plan the murder. Furthermore, the dark lighting indicates that there should be no positive ending to the plot of the film. Overall, the twisted plot and the production of the film hindered the films ability to have any heroic characters.
Word count: 456
Finding a character in Double Indemnity to characterize as a hero is a struggle, because of the nature of the film. The film features two main characters, Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson, that both become involved with murder. The entirety of the plot of this film revolves around the planning of the murder of Phyllis' husband and the cover up of the murder. On a surface examination of the plot, one could say that there are no heroes in this film. However, on a deeper examination of the plot, one could say that while the central characters are do not appear to be heroic, the intention of their actions was heroic.
Phyllis' character could be called heroic as she risked incarceration in order to free herself from what she deemed an abusive relationship, as in the film she complained to Walter that her husband never paid attention to her, would not let her shop, and would drink far too much. In society, a woman is often regarded as courageous or heroic when she is able to separate herself such relationships and seek out the aid of others, typically a woman's shelter, the police, or other familial/friendly support. Since, Phyllis' plan to separate herself involved murder, the heroic intention of her actions was diminished by the general disapproving of murder. Overall, "the end didn't justify the means," causing Phyllis to not be regarded as a hero.
Walter's character could be called heroic as it follows the ageold heroic action of saving the damsel in distress. In this case, Walter attempts to rescue Phyllis from her husband by conceiving the plan to murder him and then collect the insurance money from the life policy. While Walter's intention to save the woman he had fallen in love with seemed like a noble and heroic action, the evil method in which he freed Phyllis from her marriage overshadowed his pure intentions, causing him to lack a heroic character trait.
Additionally, an analysis of the key characteristics of Double Indemnity that make in a Film Noir, indicate that there should be no heroes in the film. The darker lighting used in Film Noir represents a darker side of humanity, as darker colors are typically associated with evil. This is further exemplified by the film makers decision to have all of the meetings between Walter and Phyllis occur during the dark evening, during which the two conspire to plan the murder. Furthermore, the dark lighting indicates that there should be no positive ending to the plot of the film. Overall, the twisted plot and the production of the film hindered the films ability to have any heroic characters.
Word count: 456
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