Lust and Trust in & Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) is a classic example of film noir that explores man's primitive desire for women and money and the excessive lengths one will go to in order to obtain both. Wilder proves that there is no such thing as the "perfect crime," and displays the devastating guilt and mistrust that hides behind what seems to be a flawless plan. The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) employs many of the same methods, characters, and imagery, yet has a strikingly different tone and theme than Double Indemnity. John Huston's film depicts a much more independent anti-hero; one will not trust and will not let himself fall victim to his own desires.

The two films revolve around the issue of trust, both as a narrative device and as a way to define the lead character. What separates the films is that The Maltese Falcon's Sam Spade is unable to trust, thus isolating himself from betrayal or disloyalty. Double Indemnity's Walter Neff is too easy to trust, and the success of his plan relies on Phyllis, the femme fatale. This faith that Neff has in Phyllis is ultimately what leads to his downfall. She was deceiving him from the start and he slowly figures this out despite himself. Neff and Phyllis are partners in crime, "fifty-fifty, straight down the line," thus the only way for them both to be successful is if they remain true to each other. Phyllis has other ideas, of course, to remain true to herself and frame Neff. In this respect she is a more similar anti-hero to Spade than Neff. Phyllis and Spade represent a moral lesson that is typical of film noir. That is, one must watch out for only oneself and trust no one. Spade operates by this code, and he is rewarded for it. Phyllis's end is more tragic, yet she was the one who remained in control throughout most of the story.

Film theorists maintain that a noir film is a film about death. Double Indemnity validates this comment from the very start, as it opens with a dying Walter Neff, thus letting the audience know that a happy ending is impossible. This technique, also utilized by Wilder in Sunset Boulevard, lets the audience know from the first frame that this film is indeed about murder. Neff tells the story through flashback by tape-recording his voice for his boss. Neff is an average insurance salesman who finds trouble at the home of Phyllis, Barbara Stanwyck in her prime as the wife of the man Neff is attempting to sell car insurance to. From the moment these two meet sparks fly as the witty dialogue presents the chemistry between the two. As soon as Phyllis has sunk her claws into Neff she asks him about a life insurance policy for her husband. Walter eventually sees through her plan to kill him off and collect the money yet initially he cannot resist Phyllis's charm. Together they conduct what seems to be the perfect crime, which they pull off with careful precision. It is in the aftermath of the crime where things begin to fall apart as Phyllis's true intentions are learned and Walter realizes that he has been taken advantage of by this devious woman.

In the case of Walter, he suffers because of a character fault; trust. This is a fault that Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon does not have, as he is different type of noir hero. Spade's "me versus the world" attitude is all over the screen in, but especially in the scene where he first meets Cairo. Spade disrupts Cairo's plan to stick him up and instead soon has him at gunpoint. Spade then explains how it is useless to search his office and he makes a deal with Cairo. Cairo then asks for his gun back. This is a pivotal moment and Spade's decision reveals a lot about his character. He gives the gun back, which would initially appear to be a sign of trust. When Cairo immediately sticks him up again and proceeds to search the place, we as the audience first may think that Spade just showed a weakness by trusting and now he is paying for that trust. This is not the case, however, as Spade just laughs and says, "Go ahead, I won't stop you." This proves that Spade thought it all out beforehand, for he surely knew that he would get stuck up again, and Spade would not just give him the gun back if there was any possibility of Cairo finding the falcon.

This scene is important because it shows how Spade uses the issue of trust to manipulate situations to his advantage. He does this again at the end of the film with the femme fatale, Bridget. Instead of falling for her seduction he gives her up to the police, remaining the ultimate loner. Arguably the two greatest temptations for man are women and money. Spade chooses the money, and Huston puts in the final temptation of the woman to remind us that Spade cannot trust anyone, despite the fact that he may have genuine feelings for her.

Walter Neff is more motivated by the woman than the money, evident in the fact that before she came along he had no real desire for money, for he already had a steady job and a stable life. He let his lust get the best of his trust, something that Sam Spade would never do. Neff is a likeable protagonist yet lacks the power to resist Phyllis and her devious plan to get rich. Everyone in the film plays victim to Phyllis who manipulates every situation and portrays the classic femme fatale. She is the focus of every scene and Wilder does this by always giving her something that will make her stand out. When she is first introduced it is the anklet that draws attention to her, later in the film iced tea, glasses, and other props are used to accentuate her presence.

The scenes between her and Walter that take place in her living room employ several other noir motifs. The Venetian blinds fill the room with horizontal shadows, combining with the vertical shadows to produce a restrictive and claustrophobic atmosphere. Even through we do get a sense that the room and house is quite big, it always feels uncomfortable and confining. The first time we see Phyllis she is wrapped in a towel fresh out of the shower. She then changes into a white dress; thus the first two images of her connote innocence and purity. At the end of the film in the final confrontation, Phyllis is wearing black. In a sense the black widow has now emerged from her disguise, ready to take the life of her victim. The sense of social justice is upheld in the sense that Neff kills Phyllis, thus although he must tragically die, at least she was punished for her evil actions.

The Maltese Falcon also employs noir techniques such as Venetian blinds and lighting that produces constrictive mise-en-scene. One striking scene comes during the climax when all the characters are in the same room deciding what to do with Wilmer. Huston gives us tight close-ups off all the characters in succession, and the effect is powerful and tense. Here we see all the different characters and all their different motivations and schemes that they have planned.

Throughout Double Indemnity we follow the excitement of attempting to obtain it all and the guilt and suspicion that lies behind every crime. Nothing is perfect, and through the manipulation of Phyllis, Walter Neff plays the perfect victim. As the true crime unfolds and Keys figures out the truth, Neff and Phyllis continue to fall apart and in the end they kill each other, the perfect ending for what was supposed to be the perfect crime. The Maltese Falcon ends with the femme fatale locked away and the detective a little bit richer and wiser. Sam Spade remains true to himself only, and comes out the better because of it.