In the penultimate scene of Double Indemnity Wilder, the
director uses different techniques to convey the characters and the
relationships that they have. One of the ways he has done this is by using
lighting. Because this film in a noir thriller it relies on dark rooms and
harsh lighting that beam the characters and objects around them onto the walls
portraying danger and uncertainty. At the beginning of this scene, Walter, the
male, is seen to be opening the door and walking into the room towards Phyllis.
Although the camera angle does not show door, it does show the wall beside it
and on this wall is the bold shadow of Walter and the movement of the door
opening. This tells the audience that someone has opened the door and that also
that someone is portrayed to have power because of the scale of their shadow on
the wall. As this male walks into the room, half of his face is covered by a
shadow. The effects of this that the audience now know that this individual is
dangerous and has a past. Along with portraying that the character could be
dangerous, it also connotes the intentions of this character because in noir
films when characters are seen to have shadows covering them it portrays evil
intentions. The effects of this would be that the audience start not to trust
this character and are uncertain about what he will do next.
Although at the start of this scene the male is seen to have
power over the female, the audience is then made to feel that maybe Phyllis is
the one in charge. The audience is made to think this because of the use of the
femme fatale. This is a woman who is mysterious and seductive and who’s charms
ensnare her lovers in bonds of desire, this often leading them in to dangerous
and deadly situations. It is also known that during this time the men had just
got back from fighting in ww2, during this war the women had to take over the
roles of the men, for example women now had to work in the factories instead of
the men when before they weren’t expected to work. But, after the war, the men
wanted to return to their normal jobs and expected the women would do the same
but the women wanted to carry on because they enjoyed working. This lead to
women being more respected in the work place and also helped to gain them the
same rights as men. It is clearly shown here because of the contrast in
costume, on one hand Phyllis is wearing a white dress and on the other hand
Walter is wearing a black suit. The effects of this are that the audience is
made to feel sorry for Phyllis because white is seen as a pure colour. They are
also made to feel this way because of the way that Walter is moving round the
room. Phyllis is sat in a chair in the middle of the room and Walter is seen to
be circling the chair like a vulture, also connoting that he has evil intentions.
It also creates tension and shows clearly the relationship of the two
characters.
Wilder, the director, has also used the ‘hero with a past’ to
good measure here. A hero with a past is most commonly used in thrillers to
create tension and make the future story of the protagonist seem more
realistic. Like the femme fatale, a hero with a past links into ww2, it does so
because while the men went off to war, they experienced terrifying sights and
have stories that will stay with them their entire life, but when they got back
they were seen as heroes and brave men,
therefore creating the hero with a past. Because of their past, the men
found it hard to make rational decisions, leading them to be seduced by the
femme fatale and stuck in their web of lies and deceit. The effects of using
the hero with a past are that the audience are made to feel drawn to him
because they feel sorry for him because of what he has gone through. But they
are also made to feel that he has something up his sleeve, and has been
planning something the whole time because the skills he has learnt from the
army. The effects of this would be that the audience would be made to feel
nervous when he is in the scene. 
Wilder has also used diegetic sound increase the tension and
show power. Power is shown by Walter because as he walks round the room,
circling Phyllis sitting who is sitting down, he starts to shut the doors to
the next room which are allowing the music to come through to where they are.
After all the doors are shut, he then turns around to face her but when this
happens she shoots him in the chest. Because Walter turned off the music he is
saying to Phyllis that he is in control of this conversation but we know that
Phyllis is the femme fatale, we know that she won’t want to be in a situation
where Walter is in charge. This builds the tension along with the silence in
the room
which makes the gun shot sound loude and more dramatic for the
audience.
The use of a high camera angle at the end of this scene also
demonstrates the fact that Phyllis is vulnerable and also connotes that Walter
has power at the end of the scene. After being shot, Walter walks towards
Phyllis, when he reaches her she falls into his arms and let’s go of the gun.
He then shoots her twice and places her on the sofa to the right of them.
During this ordeal the camera is only showing Phyllis reactions to what is
going on. The effects of this would be that the audience begin to feel sorry
for Phyllis’ character. In contrast to this the audience would also begin to
fear Walters’s character because of how calm he is after shooting Phyllis from
point blank.
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