Define Of Books Double Indemnity
| Title | : | Double Indemnity |
| Author | : | James M. Cain |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 115 pages |
| Published | : | May 14th 1989 by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard (first published 1936) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Mystery. Noir. Crime. Classics. Thriller |
James M. Cain
Paperback | Pages: 115 pages Rating: 4.11 | 18129 Users | 1066 Reviews
Chronicle In Pursuance Of Books Double Indemnity
“I had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman.”One of the great Noir lines of all time. Cain wrote it. Raymond Chandler used it in the movie. I could stop my review right here because that line sums up the movie perfectly.
But I can't. I love writing about books.
Walter Huff met a woman. A married woman, a woman Huff would be willing to turn himself inside out if that would insure her love. Her name is Phyllis and she has a thought, not even a plan, just a thought of what she would like to do about her husband.
Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck
Much has been made of Phyllis being a femme fatale, maybe even one of the most viperous examples in history. It has been a while since I've seen the movie and maybe Stanwyck does portray Phyllis much more deviously manipulative than what I found the book Phyllis to be. Now I'm not saying she is an angel I'm just saying she ran into a guy that even surprised himself with what he was willing to do with the hope of getting the girl.
Huff has made a career out of reading people and when he meets Phyllis she asks him a handful of suggestive questions and the guy is already formulating a full blown plan for insurance fraud. He has been in the insurance game for a long time and he knows about every angle ever thought up by anyone to try and pull one over on an insurance company. He is uniquely qualified to formulate the perfect scam.
I don't like insurance. Life insurance they are betting I live. I'm betting I die. It is kind of crazy if you give it much thought. Car insurance they are betting I don't get in an accident. I'm betting that I do. The industry has convinced us to bet against ourselves and pay for the privilege. And yet, even though I'm aware of the situation, I pay thousands of dollars of insurance premiums every year to insure one disaster doesn't sink the ship. Walter Huff would love stopping by to see me.
Huff is so intent on the details of this insurance rip-off that he never learns much about Phyllis. He doesn't even really seem to care about why she would be interested in killing her husband. She is the bunny and he is the greyhound running around the track. There is no hesitation about Huff. He leaps at the chance to help Phyllis get the insurance money. I'm not sure what was more important to him pulling off the perfect swindle (my vote)or winning the girl.
James M. Cain
Crisp, wonderful writing with pitch perfect dialogue. My recommendation is read the book and then watch the movie, a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. At least 18 films have been made from James M. Cain novels and stories. Besides this novel he wrote two other novels that are not only considered noir fiction classics, but also translated well to film, The Postman Always Rings Twiceand Mildred Pierce. In college I took a film and novel class and Mildred Pierce was one of the books/movies on the syllabus. One of the most enjoyable classes I ever took. I love the combination of two different art forms. I generally like the book better because there is usually more depth to the characters and more subplots can be incorporated into the flow of the novel. Film is restricted by length, but when they get it right they really get it right. I try, as best I can, to judge books and movies from books on separate scales. Even a movie that butchers the original source material can be a great movie. In the case of James M. Cain because he wrote such great dialogue Hollywood did not have to deviate far from his original intentions. Highly recommended!
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Identify Books Concering Double Indemnity
| Original Title: | Double Indemnity |
| ISBN: | 0679723226 (ISBN13: 9780679723226) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Walter Huff, Phyllis Nirdlinger, Barton Keyes |
Rating Of Books Double Indemnity
Ratings: 4.11 From 18129 Users | 1066 ReviewsArticle Of Books Double Indemnity
This is one of those books that wound up the victim of its own success. That is to say, I've seen the Billy Wilder movie, and I thought it was better -- it certainly had a much better ending anyway; this one is melodramatic to the point of being nonsensical -- and I also saw Body Heat, which is basically the same story except everything is more sexy and violent and there's a lot of that nudity you only find in movies from the '80s, and also it was filmed during the brief window of time whenI had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman.One of the great Noir lines of all time. Cain wrote it. Raymond Chandler used it in the movie. I could stop my review right here because that line sums up the movie perfectly.But I can't. I love writing about books.Walter Huff met a woman. A married woman, a woman Huff would be willing to turn himself inside out if that would insure her love. Her name is Phyllis and she has a thought, not even a plan,
I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try to write as the character would write, and I never forget that the average man, from the fields, the streets, the bars, the offices, and even the gutters of his country, has acquired a vividness of speech that goes beyond anything I could invent, and that if I stick to this heritage, this logos of the American countryside, I shall attain a maximum of effectiveness with very
I recently watched the multi-Oscar nominated Billy Wilder film classic from 1944 which remains one of my favourite films of all time ( Wilder scripted with Raymond Chandler). So had to read again on impulse over one night while the rain was lashing down outside, I settled down to be once again captured by Cain's moody masterpiece.This is simply put, quintessential noir. Dark, menacing, seductive and taut as wire, this short novel from James M. Cain really packs a nasty punch.Insurance
Double as good! BOOK TO FILM I watched the film adaptation of Double Indemnity and I loved it!I think that the look of the actress Barbara Stanwyck is the very definition of a femme fatale. I am aware of other great examples like Rita Hayworth in Gilda, Lana Turner in The Postman always rings twice or Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep to name a few, but when the term of femme fatale comes to mind, the image of Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity is my first thought.When I watched for the first
A day in the life of an insurance salesman, who looks for some extra bucks and meets a woman who wants to make more than just a few bucks. He thinks he knows all the tricks and has a plan, will it work? Hard boiled noir style thriller really keeps you wanting to see how the plan unfolds. "All right, I'm an agent. I'm a croupier in that game. I know all their tricks, I lie awake nights thinking up tricks, so I'll be ready for them when they come at me. And then one night I think up a trick, and
What is it with this James Cain? First, I tried reading The Postman Always Rings Twice to prepare for my civil service exam, but it was all about murder and didnt have anything at all about postal regulations. Then I read Double Indemnity to try and become an insurance agent and once again, its nothing but a guy getting busy with another man's wife and then plotting to kill him. At least this one actually had some stuff about the insurance industry, and I did learn a bit about fraud. Still, it
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