An insurance representative is seduced by a dissatisfied housewife into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, a claims investigator.
Writing
Wit so dry it could start a fire—Wilder and Chandler at peak venom.
Acting
Stanwyck's anklet enters the room five seconds before she does.
Cinematography
Venetian blinds: now a character in their own right.
Director
Billy Wilder
Fred MacMurray
Walter Neff
Barbara Stanwyck
Phyllis Dietrichson
Edward G. Robinson
Barton Keyes
Porter Hall
Mr. Jackson
Jean Heather
Lola Dietrichson
Tom Powers
Mr. Dietrichson
Byron Barr
Nino Zachetti
Richard Gaines
Edward S. Norton Jr.
Fortunio Bonanova
Sam Garlopis
Douglas Spencer
Lou Schwartz (uncredited)
Mona Freeman
Secretary (uncredited)
Miriam Nelson
Keyes' Secretary (uncredited)
Teala Loring
Pacific All-Risk Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Betty Farrington
Dietrichsons' Maid Nettie (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The original ending had Walter dying in the gas chamber; Wilder filmed it then threw it out because it was 'too grim even for us.'
This basically created the femme fatale archetype that dominated noir—and arguably ruined how Hollywood wrote women for decades. Thanks, Billy.
US
