Listen Baby, Let's Talk About The Dialogue, Baby

In class we discussed how the dialogue employed in Double Indemnity might be viewed as “over the top.” I think the reason for this is, aside from the fact that the movie is very much dated, is that in recent years we have seen many movies who try to mock imitate this style of dialogue. Fred MacMurry’s character in Double Indemnity had a very idenfiable swagger, even in his dying breaths, and this kind of attitude has been a model for directors like Frank Miller (Sin City) and Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Grindhouse). Both directors are apt to use this kind of iconic and sometimes misogynistic language, and are likely to do so in an omniscient voice over; the point is that it is always purposefully over the top. Most kids our age haven't seen many movies from this era, but they have seen the imitation of this era, and its always presented semi-comedic manner. From there we now have countless student films that now try to mirror this kind of throw-back style of speaking (as seen in newer movies), and many times it comes across as forced. I think all of this explains why the dialogue in Double Indemnity may come across as artificial to a 20-something liberal arts student.