Movies don't get much better than Double Indemnity (1944). Universal Home Entertainment's new "Legacy Series" DVD release does the movie proud, offering a 2-disc edition of Billy Wilder's classic film noir that boasts an outstanding transfer of the picture itself, two audio commentaries, an introduction by TCM's own Robert Osborne, a documentary on the film's making, a trailer, and even a long-forgotten 1973 television remake.

The crackling good story follows insurance agent Walter Neff as he begins an affair with married Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) and plots with her to kill her husband in such a way that they can collect his double indemnity life insurance benefit. As Neff's boss, Barton Keys (Edward G. Robinson), grows suspicious of the death and starts investigating, Neff wonders what he's gotten himself into with the treacherous Dietrichson. Co-writers Wilder and Raymond Chandler tell the story in flashback as a wounded Neff relates his exploits into his office dictaphone in the middle of the night.

Wilder and Chandler adapted James M. Cain's novel, which had been thought unfilmable due to its sordid subject matter. Actors were afraid it would ruin their careers. Stars all over Hollywood turned down Walter Neff, (including George Raft, who passed on more famous parts than anyone around) before Wilder realized that Fred MacMurray would be the perfect, if far-from-obvious, choice. MacMurray had to be talked into it - "I'm just a saxophone player," he protested - but his first role away from mild comedies proved a revelation. Wilder's top choice for Phyllis Dietrichson was always the versatile Barbara Stanwyck, but she also took some heavy persuading. Ultimately, MacMurray and Stanwyck formed in Double Indemnity one of the great pairings in screen history.

Edward G. Robinson didn't agree to the role of Keys at first either - not because of sordidness but because it was a supporting part. Luckily, he finally realized that he was at a point in his career where meaty supporting roles in great films would be far better than starring roles in run-of-the-mill pictures. His Barton Keys stands up now as one of his most memorable performances.

While there were other movies before 1944 that can be called "film noir," Double Indemnity was really the first to bring it all together in a way that most people think of the term. It was so revolutionary in style and substance that it influenced a vast and immediate unleashing of other noirs like the imitations Mildred Pierce (1945) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) as well as Out of the Past (1947) and The Blue Dahlia (1946). It also established Billy Wilder as a director of the first order. This was just his third outing as director, and his was one of seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Double Indemnity absolutely should have won, but voters went with Going My Way instead. The following year, however, Wilder did pick up two Oscars for writing and directing The Lost Weekend (1945) (co-written by Charles Brackett).

Of the DVD's above-mentioned extras, the documentary about the making of Double Indemnity is terrifically informative and engaging. Often these things are thrown together to appeal only to the most casual fans, but this one will also be of interest to more experienced movie watchers. On-camera contributors include Eddie Muller, Richard Schickel, Vivian Sobchack, James Ellroy, Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward, most of whom are familiar from other noir DVD commentaries in recent years. The piece is especially good on Wilder's writing collaboration with Raymond Chandler, which was extremely strained. The audio commentaries by Richard Schickel on the one hand, and by Nick Redman and Lem Dobbs on the other, are also satisfying, making this a disc full of more information than anyone could ever want on the film.

The 1973 TV remake, placed on disc 2, stars Richard Crenna, Samantha Eggar and Lee J. Cobb. It's watchable purely for laughs, as this is an amazingly amateurish show in all respects. Wilder's and Chandler's dialogue is spoken the wrong way in scene after scene; there's no chemistry, no pacing, no suspense. One could argue there's instructional value in seeing the same material handled so poorly in contrast to the original, but honestly it seems not worth Universal's money (or more importantly, ours) to have manufactured a separate disc just for this turkey. Still, because of the treasures on disc 1, this is a total package well worth getting.

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by Jeremy Arnold