This is a really cool shot in my opinion, as it is full of information. We see Phyllis's face during the act of Neff killing Mr. Dietrichson. This shot is very interesting because they did not show the act of the murder happening, but we could tell it was happening through sound and through Phyllis's face. It is remarkable that the actress, Barbara Stanwyck, with the addition of sounds of struggle, is able to convey the act of murder. At the same time, Stanwyck confirms that Phyllis is in fact the femme fatale, as she is not sad when Mr. Dietrichson is killed, but has a smirk on her face. In addition, the shot of Phyllis's face is clearly fading in to another shot, that being of the train station were we see their plan go down, furthermore packing this shot with meaning. It is also important to recognize the use of darkness in this shot. It is almost as if the dark plays a role in the movie, especially in this shot. Darkness in film is a constant reminder to the viewer that something ominous is afoot, and the director is able to capitalize on this with this two in one shot.
Nice comments about the darkness and the role it plays, Ben.
ReplyDeleteCan you say more about the role of the train station? Other than her face, this is the key mise-en-scene aspect of this shot. Could the train station tie into the "straight down the line" theme?
Great shot choice. I liked how you showed how something can occur offscreen but what is shown in the shot enforce what we cannot see. Darkness is also extremely evident in the movie and many of the scenes in Double Indemnity take place at night or at least in dark places. It does seem to play a major role.
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