James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, published in 1935, was adapted into a film in the year 1944. This film brought in over $5.7 million in gross net, changed how Hollywood censored films and shaped the path for numerous controversial films to soon be produced. Although Double Indemnity left its impact, the strict Production Code prevented the film adaptation from reaching the full potential sent forth by the book.
In her book, Blackout, film noir critic Sheri Chinen Biesen explains how the Motion Picture Production Code held little power over the films produced between the years of 1930 and 1934, but in the beginning of 1934 the National Catholic Legion of Decency had begun threatening to boycott any Hollywood films considered to be indecent. …show more content…
Especially since Keyes, the insurance agent Walter Huff works with, organized their escape. Wilder originally scripted and produced an ending in which Walter Neff is killed, via gas chamber, while Keyes watches from the outside. Keyes then tries to light a cigarette but gets upset once he realizes that Neff is no longer there to light it for him as he did throughout the film. According to Biesen this ending was trashed by the PCA after previewing the film because “the details of the execution…are unduly gruesome to the Code” (106). However, I believe they eliminated this ending because it showcased a strong bond shared between Keyes and Neff. Neff’s confession to Keyes becomes the narration of the film which tells the storyline, another way Wilder was able to go around the code. Neff went back to the office after being shot by Phyllis so that he could personally confess to Keyes instead of fleeing to the border right away. These actions of Neff show the respect and fondness he has towards Keyes. If the original ending was kept the morality of Keyes’ character would have lessened since he was upset after seeing his guilty friend in the gas chamber. Throughout Double Indemnity Keyes is the only fully moral character, taking away his morality was wrong in the eyes of the PCA. Nonetheless the original ending would have held more of an impact on the
In her book, Blackout, film noir critic Sheri Chinen Biesen explains how the Motion Picture Production Code held little power over the films produced between the years of 1930 and 1934, but in the beginning of 1934 the National Catholic Legion of Decency had begun threatening to boycott any Hollywood films considered to be indecent. …show more content…
Especially since Keyes, the insurance agent Walter Huff works with, organized their escape. Wilder originally scripted and produced an ending in which Walter Neff is killed, via gas chamber, while Keyes watches from the outside. Keyes then tries to light a cigarette but gets upset once he realizes that Neff is no longer there to light it for him as he did throughout the film. According to Biesen this ending was trashed by the PCA after previewing the film because “the details of the execution…are unduly gruesome to the Code” (106). However, I believe they eliminated this ending because it showcased a strong bond shared between Keyes and Neff. Neff’s confession to Keyes becomes the narration of the film which tells the storyline, another way Wilder was able to go around the code. Neff went back to the office after being shot by Phyllis so that he could personally confess to Keyes instead of fleeing to the border right away. These actions of Neff show the respect and fondness he has towards Keyes. If the original ending was kept the morality of Keyes’ character would have lessened since he was upset after seeing his guilty friend in the gas chamber. Throughout Double Indemnity Keyes is the only fully moral character, taking away his morality was wrong in the eyes of the PCA. Nonetheless the original ending would have held more of an impact on the