Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, U.S.A, 1944, 107 minutes)

Before the movie last night, I said that film noir had its visual roots in German Expressionist cinema, and that the popularity of the genre's murky look and seamy narratives were, to some extent, a reflection of a general darkening of the American mood during the last years of World War II and after. I also mentioned that the nature of this particular story, adapted by director Billy Wilder and crime writer Raymond Chandler from the novella by another crime writer, James M. Cain, pushed the moral boundaries established by the Hollywood Production Code and put off several actors, including Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, who had to be convinced to take a chance with their established reputations in the roles of the adulterous murderers, Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson. For this week's post, choose one of the images below and discuss how the visual elements combine to reflect some seemingly essential aspect of film noir. Naturally, these elements would include the qualities of the photography and mise en scène, but think, too, about the narrative context of the image you choose, the nature of the characters, the costumes, and the character blocking. Looking forward to your comments!