On every level -- writing, direction, acting -- Double Indemnity (1944) is a triumph and stands as one of the greatest achievements in Billy Wilder's career. Adapted from the James M. Cain novel by director Wilder and novelist Raymond Chandler, it tells the story of an insurance salesman, played by Fred MacMurray, who is lured into a murder-for-insurance plot by Barbara Stanwyck, in an archetypal femme fatale role. From its grim story to its dark, atmospheric lighting, Double Indemnity is a definitive example of World War II-era film noir. Wilder's approach is everywhere evident: in the brutal cynicism the film displays, the moral complexity, and in the empathy we feel for the killers. The film received almost unanimous critical success, garnering seven Academy Award nominations. More than fifty years later, most critics agree that this classic is one of the best films of all time. The collaboration between Wilder and Raymond Chandler produced a masterful script and some of the most memorable dialogue ever spoken in a movie. This facsimile edition of Double Indemnity contains Wilder and Chandler's original -- and quite different -- ending, published here for the first time. Jeffrey Meyers's introduction contextualizes the screenplay, providing hilarious anecdotes about the turbulent collaboration, as well as background information about Wilder and the film's casting and production.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
University of California Press
ISBN-10
0520218485
ISBN-13
9780520218482
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1718872
Product Key Features
Book Title
Double Indemnity : the Complete Screenplay
Author
Raymond Chandler, Billy Wilder
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Film / General, Film / Screenwriting, Film / History & Criticism
Publication Year
2000
Genre
Performing Arts
Number of Pages
139 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
9in
Item Height
0.4in
Item Width
6in
Item Weight
6.4 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Pn1997.D6553w55 2000
Copyright Date
2010
Target Audience
Trade
Lccn
00-025044
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