Fred MacMurray Movie Recommendation #2
Double Indemnity (1944)- 1 hr 50 mins
Insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) meets and falls for the married Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck). He soon finds himself a willing accomplice to a murder plot. Neff has Mr. Dietrichson unknowingly sign a double indemnity policy prior to the murder. Neff's boss (Edward G. Robinson), however, may be onto them.
Billy Wilder's film realization of Double Indemnity was met with great success. With a story by James M. Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce) and a screenplay co-written by Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye, The Lady in the Lake), it’s no wonder why. The film also has a phenomenal cast. Fred MacMurray is the "lynchpin" of the story, although his performance in the film is frequently underrated relative to Stanwyck and Robinson. Stanwyck gives a great performance as the classic femme fatale and Robinson stars in one of the best character roles of that decade. Stanwyck’s character is “flashy” and Robinson’s is intriguing. In contrast, MacMurray had the difficult task of acting “in lust” while simultaneously portraying the more significant relationship with his boss as the one that, in the end, mattered to him most. MacMurray successfully portrayed love to two very different people in two very different ways. It was the performance that would change the direction of his career, one that you should not miss.
The film garnered 7 Oscar nominations to its credit and earned its indisputable place in film noir history.
Availability: Amazon, Googleplay, DVD, and Blu-ray.
Purchase DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Indemnity-Fred-MacMurray/dp/B0087ZG7OI/ref=asc_df_B0087ZG7OI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312152579167&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9019110419630859794&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003967&hvtargid=pla-568748036786&psc=1
Purchase Blu-ray: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Indemnity-Blu-ray-Fred-MacMurray/dp/B07G1XX2QN/ref=tmm_blu_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Shadow of a Doubt (1942)