How does Wilder convey the characters and their relationships in the penultimate scene of Double Indemnity?

Throughout this scene Wilder uses different camera techniques that help to convey the typical Film Noir genre. The first example in this scene is when the male character first enters the room. As he comes through the door he is placed in a dark area on the far side of the room. This prevents the audience from being able to see the characters face. This suggests a lack of identity within the character and adds a bit of tension to the scene. A lack of identity may also suggest a sense of mystery within the character and suggests that he is unpredictable and can do something out of the ordinary. This builds tension as the character may do something hostile later in the scene and the audience don’t know what it will be. Building tension at the beginning of the scene is Wilders way of setting the rest of the scene. The continuous build of tension will keep the viewer on their seat throughout the entire scene. This is common with movies of the Film Noir genre.

 

The composition of the scene is also important in conveying the characters and their attitude. After the male character enters the room, he takes a seat on the arm chair above the woman. The male is made to look more dominant as he is sitting in a higher position than the woman. This suggests a more powerful figure and shows a difference of class between the man and the woman. This also links to the stereotypical view of men being superior to woman at the time and how women were believed to be below men. This helps to build more tension in the scene as the more dominant character is likely to cause some kind of damage to the people below him.

 

In this scene, Wilder has also used the typical character traits of the time to create tension and represent the characters in different ways. For example, the woman is shown as the common Feme Fatal of the Film Noir era. The Feme Fatal is known for causing trouble in the movie and causing the main protagonist to end up in some kind of trouble. This creates suspense within the scene as it suggests to the audience that she is likely to cause trouble during the course of the scene. This shows the audience that either character can cause trouble and may do so later on in the scene.

 

The lighting used throughout the scene also helps to convey the mood of the characters and their relationships with one another. There is a very low amount of lighting used in this scene. A low amount of light helps to show the dark ways of the characters involved in this scene. The male character has less light than he woman for most of the scene. When the man stands behind the woman’s chair, his face is half covered by the darkened area of the room. This exaggerates the lack of identity hanging over the character and helps to convey his dark ways. The lack of light shows the man to be the villainous character of the scene as he is shown as hidden and mysterious. On the other hand, the woman is shown by a much larger amount of light throughout the scene. This shows the audience who the character is and what she looks like. There are no hidden features of the woman and there is no mystery to her figure. This suggests a sense of purity and innocence towards the character. This makes the audience believe that she is not hostile or harmful in any way. The woman’s costume also shows the innocence of the character. The dress she is wearing is white all over. The colour white helps to emphasise the characters innocence as it is the colour of peace and care. The lighting at the end of the scene once again shows the attitude of the characters. After the male has been shot and is closer to the woman, the room is split into two different effects of lighting. The woman’s side of the room is lighten up from the light of the window, but the man’s side of the room is still dark. This shows the opposition between the man and woman that continues to the end of the scene.