Double Indemnity

The book, by James M. Cain, like the movie, is close to perfection. If I were teaching a course on adapting novels into screenplays, I would use this book and the Billy Wilder film. There are a lot of similarities, especially the voice of Walter Huff, the murderous insurance salesman (Walter Neff in the film), but there are many differences as well. Co-writers Wilder and Raymond Chandler came up with a much more cinematic ending for the story, but there best addition was to beef up the friendship between Walter Neff and Keyes, the claims investigator played by Edward G. Robinson.

Where the book is better is the characterization of Phyllis Nirdlinger (Dietrichson in the film), especially toward the end, when her crazed psychotic side comes out. It wouldn't have fit in the original film version, but it was superbly creepy in the book. 

The copy I have, and the copy I read, is the Signet books version pictured above. It's from the 1950s, after the film came out, and what's funny about the cover art is that it is a scene that is taken from the movie that never happens in the book. Maybe the cover artist was like a kid who has to read The Great Gatsby for class and sees the movie instead. It's not a tie-in book, either, and if you look at the picture closely, it's clear that Keyes looks like a slimmer version of Edward G. Robinson, Walter looks like a red-headed version of Fred MacMurray, and Phyllis doesn't look remotely like Barbara Stanwyck.

The Film Report

I'm way behind on my film reportage so here's a quick recap of what I've seen lately.

The Hunger Games

They made a good film. Not great, and definitely not better than the book but they also didn't screw anything up. Maybe they played it a little too safe. Weakest link: Probably the director, Gary Ross, who inflicted us with way too much shaky-cam and incoherent action sequences. Strongest link: Jennifer Lawrence made a great Katniss.

21 Jump Street

I liked it. I laughed. Maybe it seemed a little bit over-praised by critics, but a fun high-school flick, not in the same league with something like Mean Girls. I only bring this up because some critics seemed to be calling this an instant comedy classic, etc.

Five Graves to Cairo

Where has this Billy Wilder film from 1943 (his second directorial effort) been all my life? A crisp, humorous war-time thriller in which a British soldier stumbles upon Rommel's headquarters at a North African hotel. Beautifully made, this would probably be remembered a little more fondly if the leads had been Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman (as it was shaping up to be at one point) instead of Franchot Tone and Anne Baxter.

The Lincoln Lawyer

This movie felt like a television pilot, which is not exactly a criticism. One of the nice things about this film was how low-key it was. It felt very old-fashioned that way, like some sort of throwaway James Garner flick from the early 1970s. Matthew McConnaughey was excellent as a sleaze-bag lawyer who takes on a case a little sleazier than he's used to. Not a memorable film, exactly, but a well-made enjoyable couple of hours.

Crazy Clown Time

Not a film, but this seven-minute video directed by David Lynch is the only Lynch we've gotten in a while. It's a pretty intense video and I found myself having to take a break halfway through because of just how painful it is to watch and listen to. It's Lynch, though, and I keep thinking about it. My initial read: a commentary on the banality and the evilness of web culture, the way we constantly comment on what exactly is happening. Watch it here if you can.