May 6, 2010

Double Indemnity

The Top 63 Marathon, part 7



Data
Title: Double Indemnity
Year: 1944
Length: 107 minutes
Director: Billy Wilder
Writers: Billy Wilder & Raymond Chandler, based on the novel by James M. Cain
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Music: Miklós Rózsa
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Stanwyck), Best Score, Best Cinematography (black-and-white) and Best Sound Recording; currently #58 on the IMDb's Top 250



My reaction
Synopsis: murder for insurance money
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix) yesterday
Concept: Good.
Story: Good. Predictable, but solidly written.
Characters: Bad.
Dialog: Bad. Wonderfully, wonderfully bad.
Pacing: Good.
Cinematography: Great.
Special effects/design: Bad.
Acting: Good.
Music: Great.
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good). I guess it was groundbreaking, but it's aged into cornball kitsch. I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be a comedy. It's very entertaining, though, whatever its context.
Objective Rating: 2.6/4 (Good).

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