{"product_id":"double-indemnity-by-richard-schickel-9781805750215","title":"Double Indemnity","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRichard Schickel’s study of Billy Wilder’s 1944 noir classic \u003ci\u003eDouble Indemnity\u003c\/i\u003e traces in fascinating detail the genesis and realisation of the film: its literary origins in James M. Cain’s hard-boiled crime novel, the difficult relations between Wilder and his scriptwriter Raymond Chandler, the casting of a reluctant Fred MacMurray, and the late decision to cut the expensively filmed execution sequence from the final release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSchickel places \u003ci\u003eDouble Indemnity\u003c\/i\u003e in the context of early 1940s Hollywood and the emergence of a new kind of crime thriller that later became known as film noir. The film was a cornerstone of the genre: its script creates two unforgettable criminal characters, the cynically manipulative femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) and the likeable but amoral Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray). Billy Wilder’s direction enmeshes them in dramatic chiaroscuro, as bright California sunlight casts Venetian-blind shadows across dusty rooms and harsh lamplight slices through the night.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn his afterword to this new edition, James Naremore pays tribute to Schickel’s analysis of \u003ci\u003eDouble Indemnity\u003c\/i\u003e and its contexts, and considers debates surrounding the film’s conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PTY Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47495642317036,"sku":"9781805750215","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781805750215-double-indemnity.jpg?v=1775794948","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/double-indemnity-by-richard-schickel-9781805750215","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}