1944: Double Indemnity - The Definitive Film Noir?

Get a 30 day free trial of MUBI by visiting: MUBI is supported by Creative Europe – a MEDIA Programme of the European Union Film Noir is one of the most distinctive genres in all of cinema, but paradoxically it’s hard to pin down exactly what Noir is. This trend that emerged in the early 1940s to reflects the fear, confusion and of a decade at war. This essay explores exactly what Noir is, by looking at one of the most important films in the genre, Double Indemnity, and tries to pin down its defining elements, the femme fatale, the anti-hero, the Dutch angles and shadows.