The second of the 2 discs in the splendid new DOUBLE INDEMNITY (DI) DVD set contains Universal's updated 1973 TV-movie version (let's call it DI v2). The original 1944 film noir rocks, but the remake sinks like a stone. Still, both versions are worth a look for anyone who wants to learn how make a spellbinding film noir, because you learn important lessons when you watch them back-to-back:
1. *Just because your leading lady is pretty, it doesn't automatically mean she's irresistible enough to lead men to their doom.* As the 1973 edition of femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson, Samantha Eggar is very pretty. I'll admit I liked Eggar's long, lovely red hair (and the black turban she wears in the murder scene -- very Lana Turner!) better than Barbara Stanwyck's trashy blonde wig (as a studio boss reportedly griped during the filming of the original DI, "I hire Barbara Stanwyck, and I get George Washington!"). However, Stanwyck exudes such sensual magnetism and charisma, even that wig doesn't keep Fred MacMurray from becoming putty in her hands. While Eggar has been appealing in other roles, in DI v2, she's undeniably pleasant to look at, but alas, she has all the carnal allure of an impatient English nanny. Watching Eggar try to be a sinful siren reminded me of the scenes in 1968's STAR! in which Julie Andrews tries to use her prim-and-proper, nigh-operatic tones to belt out torch songs and splashy Broadway production numbers: it's not her style, and her discomfort shows. As a rule, discomfort isn't sexy.
2. *It don't mean a thing if the leads ain't got that zing.* That brings me to Eggar's delivery; she always sounds vaguely bored and/or annoyed with Richard Crenna's Walter Neff. In the original, even when Stanwyck was scolding or angry, somehow she seemed all the more fascinating. Her sultry voice, with just a trace of her native Brooklyn accent (but from her lips, it sounded good! :-), was just as seductive as the rest of her. DI v2 might be remembered as more than just a cinematic footnote if Eggar and Crenna had even a fraction of the chemistry that sizzles between Stanwyck and MacMurray, the latter brilliant as a cynical smart-aleck whose street-wiseness goes out the window under this devious dame's influence. It just goes to show that in a story like this, the best acting in the world won't help if the leads don't have chemistry and charisma.
3. *A little moody atmosphere goes a long way in crime movies.* Despite the attractive locations, especially the Spanish-style accents in the opulent Dietrichson home (though I'd forgotten how prevalent the colors beige, harvest gold, and avocado green were back in the 1970s, not to mention blocky impressionistic artwork! :-), DI v2's L.A. seems like a duller, less exciting place than DI's original Los Angeles. The remake's flat '70s TV lighting and uninspired camera angles can't hold a candle to the original's menacing lighting effects and the great John Seitz's photography, which looks almost like painting with shadows. Ironically, the 1973 update now feels more dated than the 1944 original -- and if you listen carefully early on, you'll realize the first film was actually set in the late 1930s! DI v2 does try for a bit of startling imagery here and there, though it's made of cruder stuff than the sleek imagery of the original. For instance, a scene in which wounded, bleeding Walter tapes a confession for Keyes opens on a close-up of Walter's blood-stained cigarettes. Billy Goldenberg's piano-and-strings music is somber enough, though it certainly won't make you forget Miklos Rozsa's brassy, powerful score for the original.
Apart from Eggar's forgettable performance, the good cast helps make DI v2 fairly watchable, though far from a must-see except for completists like me. :-) As Walter Neff, Richard Crenna makes an amiable dupe who finds himself in over his head, though he doesn't have MacMurray's balance of insouciance and intensity (maybe Crenna should've worn a fedora :-). Interesting note for vintage TV fans: when Crenna's voice is cracking from the pain of his gunshot wounds during his confession-by-dictaphone, he often sounds distractingly like he did as a young man on the 1950s TV show OUR MISS BROOKS. John Fiedler and his "Piglet" voice suit Jackson-from-Medford delightfully. Lee J. Cobb's portrayal of Barton Keyes is good, but quite different from Edward G. Robinson. Unlike the energy and fighting spirit of Robinson's performance, Cobb's Keyes seems older and wearier. When he talks about how the "little man inside" upsets his stomach when he senses a phony claim, you really do get the feeling he's about to throw up any minute! Don't get me wrong, though -- Cobb's approach is quite effective in the context of the remake, especially since the remake as a whole has a lot less snap, crackle, and pop than the original. No wonder Cobb/Keyes has indigestion; maybe he needs a nice soothing bowl of Rice Krispies... :-) With a script by Steven Bochco and direction by TV crime-show veteran Jack Smight (who also did a nice job with theatrical suspensers HARPER, KALEIDOSCOPE, and NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY), you'd think DI v2 would still be worth watching, but despite the occasional gripping moment, this '70s show is still just polyester while the original is pure silk.
1. *Just because your leading lady is pretty, it doesn't automatically mean she's irresistible enough to lead men to their doom.* As the 1973 edition of femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson, Samantha Eggar is very pretty. I'll admit I liked Eggar's long, lovely red hair (and the black turban she wears in the murder scene -- very Lana Turner!) better than Barbara Stanwyck's trashy blonde wig (as a studio boss reportedly griped during the filming of the original DI, "I hire Barbara Stanwyck, and I get George Washington!"). However, Stanwyck exudes such sensual magnetism and charisma, even that wig doesn't keep Fred MacMurray from becoming putty in her hands. While Eggar has been appealing in other roles, in DI v2, she's undeniably pleasant to look at, but alas, she has all the carnal allure of an impatient English nanny. Watching Eggar try to be a sinful siren reminded me of the scenes in 1968's STAR! in which Julie Andrews tries to use her prim-and-proper, nigh-operatic tones to belt out torch songs and splashy Broadway production numbers: it's not her style, and her discomfort shows. As a rule, discomfort isn't sexy.
2. *It don't mean a thing if the leads ain't got that zing.* That brings me to Eggar's delivery; she always sounds vaguely bored and/or annoyed with Richard Crenna's Walter Neff. In the original, even when Stanwyck was scolding or angry, somehow she seemed all the more fascinating. Her sultry voice, with just a trace of her native Brooklyn accent (but from her lips, it sounded good! :-), was just as seductive as the rest of her. DI v2 might be remembered as more than just a cinematic footnote if Eggar and Crenna had even a fraction of the chemistry that sizzles between Stanwyck and MacMurray, the latter brilliant as a cynical smart-aleck whose street-wiseness goes out the window under this devious dame's influence. It just goes to show that in a story like this, the best acting in the world won't help if the leads don't have chemistry and charisma.
3. *A little moody atmosphere goes a long way in crime movies.* Despite the attractive locations, especially the Spanish-style accents in the opulent Dietrichson home (though I'd forgotten how prevalent the colors beige, harvest gold, and avocado green were back in the 1970s, not to mention blocky impressionistic artwork! :-), DI v2's L.A. seems like a duller, less exciting place than DI's original Los Angeles. The remake's flat '70s TV lighting and uninspired camera angles can't hold a candle to the original's menacing lighting effects and the great John Seitz's photography, which looks almost like painting with shadows. Ironically, the 1973 update now feels more dated than the 1944 original -- and if you listen carefully early on, you'll realize the first film was actually set in the late 1930s! DI v2 does try for a bit of startling imagery here and there, though it's made of cruder stuff than the sleek imagery of the original. For instance, a scene in which wounded, bleeding Walter tapes a confession for Keyes opens on a close-up of Walter's blood-stained cigarettes. Billy Goldenberg's piano-and-strings music is somber enough, though it certainly won't make you forget Miklos Rozsa's brassy, powerful score for the original.
Apart from Eggar's forgettable performance, the good cast helps make DI v2 fairly watchable, though far from a must-see except for completists like me. :-) As Walter Neff, Richard Crenna makes an amiable dupe who finds himself in over his head, though he doesn't have MacMurray's balance of insouciance and intensity (maybe Crenna should've worn a fedora :-). Interesting note for vintage TV fans: when Crenna's voice is cracking from the pain of his gunshot wounds during his confession-by-dictaphone, he often sounds distractingly like he did as a young man on the 1950s TV show OUR MISS BROOKS. John Fiedler and his "Piglet" voice suit Jackson-from-Medford delightfully. Lee J. Cobb's portrayal of Barton Keyes is good, but quite different from Edward G. Robinson. Unlike the energy and fighting spirit of Robinson's performance, Cobb's Keyes seems older and wearier. When he talks about how the "little man inside" upsets his stomach when he senses a phony claim, you really do get the feeling he's about to throw up any minute! Don't get me wrong, though -- Cobb's approach is quite effective in the context of the remake, especially since the remake as a whole has a lot less snap, crackle, and pop than the original. No wonder Cobb/Keyes has indigestion; maybe he needs a nice soothing bowl of Rice Krispies... :-) With a script by Steven Bochco and direction by TV crime-show veteran Jack Smight (who also did a nice job with theatrical suspensers HARPER, KALEIDOSCOPE, and NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY), you'd think DI v2 would still be worth watching, but despite the occasional gripping moment, this '70s show is still just polyester while the original is pure silk.