The Duke On "Double Indemnity"
Published March 03, 2005
And look at these womenfolk, Keyes, would you just look at them? Whilst these fellas were away, the women had to pick up tools and keep the damn country runnin. These ladies realized they can do these things just as well as a man can, and they kinda like the green they get for it, too.
A man doesn't know his place anymore, Keyes. Masculinity? Well just what the hell is that, anyhow, when it all boils down?
So this motherfucker runnin round in Double Indemnity, he exists in this bizarre, nightmarish distortion of America, Keyes. The womenfolk aren't to be trusted anymore. A man's plans end up falling feckless at his feet begging for a bullet just for to ease the pain of falling so damn far at such a rate.
A man does desperate things. Maybe he arranges for to have a woman's husband killed so as he and the little lady can collect the green and go skinny-dippin in the rivers of opportunity. But those rivers are cold as all hell, Keyes, and you don't watch, next thing you know a giant blob-beast of some kind is gonna swallow half your fucking guts.
I know you saw Creepshow 2, Keyes. I know you know how inhospitable those rivers can be.
It's just gone 4.30, Keyes. I'm figuring you'll just be waking up about now. What's goin on in that useless head of yours, anyhow? Maybe you're thinking about how you shit yourself in the taxi on the way home last night. Maybe you're wishing you'd just done it, just jumped off of that balcony when you had the chance. You were thinking back, Keyes, thinking to that bit in It when John Ritter was looking over just such a balcony, and he had a motherfucking Oscar, Keyes. What do you have? You got nothing. Worse than nothing, cause one time you had something, and you know what something feels like.
So I'm thinkin about this Double Indemnity carry-on, thinkin about all the theories flung in its direction over time.
I had a gas with a fella in a bar one night, Keyes, this fella by the name of Chandler. He was sippin at his whiskey, I was mullin over this dame I'd just left home on 42nd. One thing led to another and before long the topic had turned to film theory. I talked about Kirsten Dunst, he talked about Almodovar, I told him to shove Almodovar up his asshole and leave room for whatever other crap he was gonna fling out his face.
The Duke (Aaron McMullan to his parents and the clergy) is a Northern Irish writer, performer and insomniac currently residing in London. He is the creator of Mondo Irlando, wherein his scribblings and hollerings can be found. He is currently working towards the completion of his first novel, and his debut "punk / country / folk / whatever" album has recently been released by Ex Libris Records . You can also pop by His MySpace Page and maybe have a coffee and a biscuit.
- The Duke On "Double Indemnity"
- Published: March 03, 2005
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- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Thriller, Video: Suspense and Mystery, Video: Crime, Video: Classics
- Writer: Duke De Mondo
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- Duke De Mondo's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Glad to see your going through the classics, Duke. And with the style a mofo like me can only dream of.
ROTFL!
Jesus...(wipes tears from eyes...) you're the master, Duke. I love you, man.
Not in a motherfucking faggotly-assed way, either...
As you can tell from the link, this movie is out of print. In fact, I called the video store just the other day and they told me the same thing -- that the only way to get a copy is to buy it used. I prefer to wait for a fabulous re-issue package; one is definitely in order. This movie just defines film noir, and I love seeing Barbara Stanwyck shopping in her sunglasses; it just looks so weird.
If there is indeed a reissue, I wonder if the original ending is still in existence and would be added as an extra to the package. The original ending featured Edward G. Robinson watching Fred MacMurray's execution.
hey folks
glad you found this critique de cinema to be enlightening and so on. First off, with regards the DVD, at this page right here;
http://www.mondoirlando.com/double_indemnity.html
on my own site, i link to the REGION 2 DVD, which i thought was already out, but turns out it's not, it's being released this april. Hopefully it'll have an abundance of extras, the lieks of that alternate ending discussed up above, for example. Even if it's got nothing, though, it'll still be a must-own.
HW, i didn't know the sordid details of Chandler's part in it all (although i knew he co-wrote). there's something really rather disgusting about that whole set-up.
I bought my copy of the out of print Double Indemnity on evay for (gulp) $45.00. I don't feel any remorse. Even when it becomes worthless after an inevitable reissue.
I will not go into the greatness of "Double Indemnity" nor Duke's unique examination of said film. I will say that "Creepshow 2" is an excellent horror film, and the final segment dealing with the hitchhiker is one of the best such segments ever put on film. I am a member of the "Creepshow 2" cult, and we recite lines from that segment. The power of Lois Chiles reigns supreme. You folks may wax poetic about Barbara's sunglassed stroll through a 40s supermarket. I say partake in the power of Lois Chiles' greatness. Drink from her cup. Fred MacMurray you say? BAH! Give me the undead hitchhiker any day of the week.
matt, i know how these things go. Sometimes a man needs to fork out for whats worth forking out for. ie, i recently purchased several hard-to-find Kirsten Dunst pictures from off of such an auction site. Some may fling scorn at us, scornfully. Sod them. We know some things are worth more than money, limbs and so on.
dbcooper, i am awed by your reverence for this most wonderful of sequels. And what of Tom Savini's performance? flinging that cape around him like there's no tomorow. Do you have the wonderful Anchor Bay dvd? i presume it's available in the US, it's just been issued here in the United UK. Wonderful.
Don't fuck with Wood'n Head, i would advise.
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This has always been one of my favorite
Billy Wilder directed movies,"Stalag 17"
being the all time fave.You can't beat
those German bastards when it comes to
the visual aesthetics.
You were fully in appreciation of this
film's dialogue and I don't blame you at
all. It was done largely by Mr. Raymond
Chandler who was on a major drunk at the
time of writing this. He had full help
from the studio to pull this off. Being
fully aware of big Ray's penchant for
drink, the studio watched out for him &
shuttled him back and forth from home to
studio in a limo. He wrote great stuff
while drunk and the studio execs knew
this.Rather than trying to stop him they
found it easier to put him on a sort of
"controlled" drunk so he could knock
this screenplay off.It worked like mad,
although giving Chandler(a raving lush)
his booze was about like giving Krispy
Kreme doughnuts to diabetics. Chandler
also has an un-credited,non-spoken cameo
in the film.
One of the many great things that make
this film really stand out to me is the
out of character casting of MacMurray as
a slimeball and Barbara Stanwyck as the
femme fatale. Both pull off their parts
with ease and aplomb. Genius film.