Research Paper Presentation

      I.                 For the final research paper, I chose the film Memento. The film was about a man named Leonard, (played by Guy Pearce) who is living with a form of amnesia that prevents him from making or keeping any short-term memories. Throughout the whole film he is desperately trying to find a man he calls “John G,” who he believes raped and murdered his wife, and also caused his “condition.”
       II.               Mementos Link to Classic Film Noir
                    1.     Voice Over Narration-  We are hearing the film through Leonard’s point of view, although due to his condition, it is hard to believe everything he says. Leonard doesn’t trust others, but he is not a reliable character either. The voice over narration makes the audience feel as though they are in Leonard’s mind, giving us a very close look at what his daily experiences are like.
                    2.     Conclusion of Film- The conclusion of the movie is actually seen at the beginning of the film, as in Double Indemnity. What that does is prevent the audience from expecting a happy ending or a different outcome. It also makes the audience more intrigued as to what events caused the outcome of the film.

 Other links to Classic Film Noir:

                          -Numerous flashbacks: which show what happened to Leonard and his wife, which is the motivation behind Leonard’s senseless murders throughout the movie.
                          -Alienation: Leonard is always obsessing about locating and murdering “John G,” and allows his life to be consumed with that. Also the motel where he stays at shows the lonely type of existence that he lives ever since losing his wife. His life revolves around that so he alienates himself from society unless it has something to do with “John G.”
                          -Venetian Blinds: In the black and white scenes, which show Leonard discussing the Sammy Jankis story, we can see venetian blinds in the background. This links to Double Indemnity where we hear about the venetian blinds in the Nirdlinger’s home. Also depending on the way the viewer interprets the movie, the black and white scenes can be seen as a type of confession on Leonard’s part as to what he did to his wife, meaning he may have fabricated the Sammy Jankis story for his own way of coping. That connects back to Double Indemnity when we see Walter recording his confession.

       III.             Mementos Link to Neo Noir

                         1.     Colored Scenes- Cinema had advanced with newer technology and instead of black and white, they began to incorporate color.
                         2.     Anxieties of the Times- The growth of mental illness in 90s America was a topic that began to be used within Neo Noir films. There was a lot of mistrust when it came to the government and other institutions, but now it had been taken further, the protagonist could no longer trust himself, a great example being Leonard in Memento.

 Other links to Neo Noir:

-The parallel story in Memento about Sammy Jankis and his wife supposedly trying to commit insurance fraud, which again links Memento to Double Indemnity and Walter and Phyllis’s insurance scam.

                          Quotes

In the article, “Christopher Nolans Memento-Analysis of the Narrative Structure of a Noirish revenge film,” Dr. Robert Hurd states, “… Black and white sequences offer a very objective view of Leonard’s character. The audience watches the protagonist in his hotel room from a third person or security camera point of view. The color scenes on the other hand are very subjective and from Leonard’s point of view. The camera is always kind of over his shoulder or right behind him in these scenes and there are many close ups of the main character. The audience is shown details that only Lenny can see. Through this way of filming the protagonist, a very close relationship between the viewers and Lenny is constructed.”

This quote goes well with the film and its connection to noir. It mentions the black and white sequences, along with the colored sequences as well as the camera angles and views. The colored scenes make it almost feel as though you are in Leonard’s shoes, experiencing the effects of the loss of short term memory. The black and white scenes provide an outsider view of the situation. At times the audience takes on the role of the detective trying to piece together the clues that Leonard discovers. The alternating black and white scenes with colored scenes make the movie complex since one moves in forward order while the other goes backwards.

In Eric Szyszka’s article, “Brain Damage: Neo Noir and the Nineties,” he states, “While it can be terrifying to realize you were just suffocated in a web of lies, it is far worse to realize you were actually the one lying to yourself. Noir protagonists are usually single men emotionally burdened with betrayals or losses suffered somewhere in the past, often psychologically flawed or wounded and sometimes fatally incapacitated. In Memento we are presented with Leonard Shelby who is a composite of the standard private investigator of film noir fame, a regular Sam Spade or Mike Hammer, but crossbred with someone like completely flawed insurance salesman Walter Neff from Billy Wilder’s 1944 masterpiece Double Indemnity. What is the result of this mixture? A brain damaged insurance investigator.”

This quote is very good at explaining an anxiety of the time, being a sense of truth and identity. There was so much new information coming from different sources such as the internet, that it was hard to identify the truth. The connection between that and Memento, is Leonard’s search for the truth while having to deal with his condition and not knowing who he could or couldn’t trust. The other characters surrounding him in the movie, Natalie the femme fatal and Teddy the corrupt cop, manipulate Leonard throughout the film, making him think they wanted to help him in his search for the truth, all the meanwhile deceiving him. That means not only does Leonard have to be cautious with the information provided by others, but his own as well.  So how is Leonard to find the truth when he has no real reliable sources? He is pretty much hopeless, like most ambiguous protagonists.

Annotated Bibliography

    

In Eric Szyszka's analysis Neo Noir Thesis, there is plenty of information available in regards to the movie Memento along with a few other Neo Noir flicks. Throughout the analysis he does provide his opinions but most of the information he provides is based on prior knowledge stating facts. It is very well written and quite interesting for film noir lovers and Neo noir enthusiasts as well. In the article you can find a great deal of insight about Neo noir qualities within the movie Memento. It is a very good article and dissects the movies noirish qualities and explains their meaning and purpose.

               In the book Memento andFollowing, by Christopher Nolan,we can get very good information about the movie Memento. It's the screenplay for the movie so it's pretty much a play by play action of the whole movie. Incase you miss anything within the movie, it would be a very good idea to check this book out and have the chance to more clearly interpret the movies dialogue. Within the book there is also an interview with Nolan about Memento which is also very interesting. In the case if wanting to use quotes directly from the movie, this would be a very good source to utilize.

In his article, "Christopher Nolans Memento-Analysis of the narrative structure of a nourish revenge film," Dr. Robert Hund makes lots of interesting comments about the movies different qualities. Within this article he analyzes the narrative structure of the movie; which really helps the audience of Memento better decipher what is going on in the movie. He also discusses the plot within a summary and gives the reader more detail on his understandings from the film. Hund also examines the significance and importance of the black and white scenes as well as the colored scenes. Dr. Hund also addresses the opening scene in the movie and its importance and also the conclusion of the movie. I think this is a very interesting and helpful article.

John Galts article, "A Cognitive Analysis of the Movie Memento-- A Lesson in Cognitive Psychology" is very intriguing and gives the reader a closer and more analytical look at Leonard's condition. It actually explains how cognitive psychology can be used to evaluate the sequence of events in the film. He also discusses whether or not Leonard uses his condition to his advantage. Pretty much saying that it could be that Leonard is trying to justify his actions. It tells the reader that Leonard killed his wife and was trying to cover this up by using the Sammy Jankis story and one of the tattoos. I actually got to hear a bit of a different interpretation of events from the movie which was also quite interesting.

In Elizabeth Woodruffs article, "Memento--An Analysis of the Presented Amnesia," she discusses the "condition" that the protagonist in Memento has, being Leonard. It appears that she believes that his "condition" is not 100% depicted accurately when it comes to his behaviors. She discusses the effects that an injury such as Leonard's has on a person and explains how that goes hand in hand with the actions of the protagonist/ detective Leonard. Woodruff explains that due to the injury and aftermath, we the audience cannot fully rely on Leonard's recollection of accounts. It has a lot to do with the diagnosis of Leonard and is very interesting and useful. It explains the injuries that could cause one to suffer from Anterograde amnesia like Leonard, whom suffered from traumatic brain injury (tbi). Woodruff explains why she believes that in reality, Leonard wouldn't be able to take care of himself as the movie makes it seem. She says that it's an unconvincing panorama of the movie. In the movie Leonard says he doesn't have amnesia but according to this article, the author says his anterograde memory loss is in fact amnesia. All in all the article is very informative about the movie and the diagnosis.

Revision on What to Choose, What to Choose?

     Well, I have now watched the movie Memento for the first time this past Friday. It was a very good movie, but it was kind of difficult for me to understand it all fully. I think I need to watch it a few more times so I can hopefully better understand it.
     As far as classic noir characteristics, there of course was the scenes that were shown in black and white, and the Neo noir twist on it is of course the colored scenes. There is also the classic noir factor of the fragment and non linear narrative way of organizing the scenes. Within the movie you of course have the protagonist Leonard, whom is also partially the detective in the film. It has the crime that we have also come to tie in with noir as well. Something that is very frequently used in the movie, are the flashbacks. The whole movie actually consists of constant flashbacks from present to past, since the movie is told in a backward sequence. The odd thing about this movie is that the "detective" which again is also the protagonist has had an injury which has caused him to have a form of memory loss, or memory dysfunction, so the clues he finds can't necessarily be trusted 100%. This movie has lots of classic and Neo noir qualities and should be a good choice for this final research paper.
     At this point I'm a bit confused about the movie, but apart from that I found the movie to be very entertaining and I'm glad I finally watched it. Now onto the paper.



Galt.John."A Cognitive Analysis of the Movie Memento, A Lesson in Cognitive Psychology." Rev
of Memento, dir. Christopher Nolan. Associatedcontent.com. Web. 20 April 2011.

Hurd, Dr. Robert. Christopher Nolans Memento-Analysis of the Narrative Structure of a Noirish
Revenge Film. Johann Wolfgang Goethe U, 23 Feb. 2003. Web. 20 April 2011.

Nolan, Christopher. Memento and Following. 3 Queen Square London:Faber and Faber Limited,
2001.Print.

Woodruff, Elizabeth. "Memento--An Analysis of the Presented Amnesia." Rev of Memento, dir.
Christopher Nolan. AssociatedContent.com. Web. 20 April 2011.

What to Choose, What to Choose?

There were lots of movies to choose from for the Final research paper and presentation, but after briefly reading about a few of them, I was able to narrow it down to Memento, Brick, and Seven...but I ended up picking Memento. The thing is I have never seen this movie, so I will be doing that shortly. I've seen Seven numerous times and I love it, but I thought it would be a good idea to try something new. The fact that it has great reviews helped a lot too, in some articles it said that it was the best movie that year it was released, so that definitely caught my attention. The comments I read about the movie specified also that it fell into the noir genre and since that's the premise of the movie we were to pick for the paper, it was perfect. Since I haven't seen the movie yet, I don't have many details about the movie and why it falls into the noir category and why it's a good choice for the paper, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the movie and being able to decipher the noir qualities that I have come to understand through out class. One of the comments I found about the movie mentioned that watching the movie once wasn't enough, that it was a bit involved and that just watching it once wouldn't do. I will probably have to watch it at least a couple of times to really get all the hidden messages and clues the director included. According to what I've heard, it should be quite entertaining. My sources will include the movie itself, 3 movie analysis I obtained online and movie reviews. It's amazing what information and ideas are available when seeing things from anothers perspective.

The 10th Take

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Not So Noir... Or Is It?

After reading The Kidnapper Bell and The City of Commerce, I'm honestly not too sure about the stories being "Classic Noir" or "Neo-noir," because of the lack of the femme fatale in the stories, I'm aware the options had nothing to do with femme fatales but I love what they bring to the table, and I thought I'd mention that I missed that aspect of noir in these stories. Well I mean in The Kidnapper Bell, the girl at the beginning of the story does get the guy she is dating to try and help her cover up the murder of a man, but really not much femme fatale qualities if you ask me. As far as the protagonists, in these stories, they don't really seem like the ones we have previously been introduced to, then again, we are moving on to Neo Noir at this point, or at least a comparison of the two.
   In The Kidnapper Bell, the protagonist appears to be a detective as well as a criminal. I mean he drugged the girl and caused her to have an accident which in turn caused her death. I mean, yes it was an accident that she fell over, but the drugs must have started to get to her. Yet after that occurs, he begins the journey of trying to find the missing girl she had been trying to locate. He tries to redeem himself and attempt to be the hero after he was being a hunter of sorts. He shows a new and different type of Neo noir protagonist figure. Well,what can be said about the irresponsible guy in City of Commerce? He seems to be quite a loser, and currently unsuccessful. His attitude towards the situation he was in seemed odd to me, and WOW, he doesn't learn his lesson, he decides to head on to the next casino he can find. He has a wife at home and instead of taking care of her and helping her out, he makes her life harder it seems, pretty selfish.
   As far as similarities between the two protagonists, it seems they are both consumed by a certain something. They both have the characteristics of the neo noir types and it comes out through with their actions and comments throughout the stories. The protagonist in The Kidnapper Bell, was so intent on getting the girl into bed and eventually committed to find the missing girl and the guy in City of Commerce, was consumed by his obsession and addiction to gambling. The ambitions they had took them down paths they might not have otherwise followed.

A Woman's P.O.V

Finally, a new and different take on noir from the point of view of a woman. After reading Morocco Junction 90210 by Patt Morrison and The Method by Janet Fitch I would have to say they do have that quality of film noir. Although we have only been reading stories from the males angle, the women have that same quality that makes you think "Noir."
     If I were to recommend one of these stories to a friend, it would definitely be The Method. From beginning to end it had me interested and I didn't mind reading it. As for Morocco Junction 90210, I had to keep taking breaks because it seemed that there's was no point to the story. Well at least it felt like it was taking too long to get to the "good" part. Actually, there was no good part. The Method was interesting, I liked that Holly didn't allow herself to be used for someone else's satisfaction. At first she did seem to allow herself to be dragged along for Richards selfish revenge plot, but she finally realized his scheme was not to her advantage at all. If anything negative is to be said about The Method, in my opinion it would have to be that it's a bit too vulgar, but who knows, maybe for some readers that's what kept them interested. I would say this is a good story for someone to read because it showed the darker side of a otherwise "good girl."
     This was a fresh new view that we were able to read in regard to noir and it was pretty interesting. From reading The Method, we can acknowledge that women narratives can fit the characteristics of film noir just as well. 

A Fresh Take on the Past

     Absolutely enjoyed reading Dangerous Days and Midnight in Silicon Valley from the collection of Los Angeles Noir. Right away I could see the characteristics in these Neo Noir stories that were similar to the classic noir we started with, and the differences that gives them a fresh perspective.

     In classic noir, the obvious black and white filming differs from the newer Neo noir and it's life in color. Many similarities also exist, especially the crime, although in classic noir, the murders and malicious acts seem to be down played, while in Neo Noir in stories such as Dangerous Days, the crimes are viciously graphic and detailed. In the period of classic noir,there seen to be much more reservations about the way opinions and ideas are presented to the reader. Another similarity is the presence of the infamous Femme Fatale. Although they exist in both classic and Neo noir, in Neo noir, the venomous women seem to be much more sexually assertive and seeking to satisfy themselves sexually as well. In classic noir, it seemed that the women were all talk and no action, and in Neo noir, the femme fatales take things further sexually. Of course this is because of the way the scripting is done. Society has come to be very open sexually compared to previous times.  Something that left an impression on me, and definitely proved to be a huge difference from classic noir and Neo noir, was the amount of blunt sexual remarks and ideas made throughout the story Dangerous Days. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to it, nowadays as we know, sex sells. Having been introduced to classic film noir and seeing the more reserved manner in which sexual situations are explained, it made me realize the straight to the point way that things are said and described now. It is definitely more acceptable nowadays and is actually desired by many. As we can see, there are many ways to compare and contrast the two.

     There are many reasons to love both classic noir and Neo noir. Classic noir, gives off a sense of elegance and wonderfully represents it's era, while Neo noir gives new generations sassy new story lines that keep us hooked. Neo noir is very successful at reinventing something old like classic noir, into something new without killing the initial core that gave it life. 

Back to Basics and New Adventures

     Neo noir, classic noir, both spectacular in their own way. Classic noir being from the past and Neo noir from the present, both very captivating to the viewer. Classic noirs inspiration came largely from the events and status of the present time, back at that time, including World War II. While Neo noir, has the same idea but with the situations and aura from modern day. Both have incredible qualities that instantly make them hits.
     A great example of classic noir is Double Indemnity. It was said to be one of the best of it's time. In classic noir there was lots of low lighting, and night time filming for night. A good example of Neo noir is Southland, a tv series about policemen and women working in Los Angeles. Within that show, you see crooked cops and lots of crime.  While classic noir was filmed in black and white, Neo noir adds a splash of color, which adds some extra life to it. Quick camera movements are also a part of film noir, showing anxiety and desperateness by the characters. The music that is heard in the noir films is very inticing and gives a sense of claustrophobia and is quite chilling.
     Whether you like classic noir, or Neo noir, they are both wonderfully developed ideas of film and they both seem to have been and continue to be very popular with the viewing audiences. Classic noir or neo noir, whatever era you feel like, there's one for you. The visuals and story lines are very well thought out, they draw you in even if you try to holdback. Noir...try it!

On Point Critique

The popularity of the film noir flick "Double Indemnity," can be clearly detected within the reading of any of the many film reviews that are out there. Whether you have been a film noir junkie since their debut, or you are new to this tone and mood, you are bound to be drawn in by the amazing storylines. A magnificent example of such an article is Notes on Film:Double Indemnity, by Thomas Caldwell.
Within the article, the author makes sure to point out the many "essential film noir ingredients," including the antihero, the femme fatale, and also the first person narrator. Film noir which translates into, "black film" in French, has many different elements that represent it, low-key lighting being one of which the author of Notes on Film:Double Indemnity explains. "Double Indemnity is an incredibly dark film with characters emerging from darkness, shadows obscuring the faces of the characters and a strong prevalence of Venetian blinds casting striped shadows over everything in shot." He goes on to explain, "...this use of shadows portrays the environment that the characters live in as dangerous and full of corruption, mystery, and violence, inhabited by people with dubious motives and ambiguous morals." The author creatively and clearly explains the themes that represent film noir to it's fullest. Reading the insights of the author, I felt even more compelled by the novel and movie than I already was. He accurately formulates the roles of Phyllis and Walter and disects the purpose of their roles in Double Indemnity. He beautifully explains Phyllis' character in his article by saying, "Barbara Stanwycks portrayal of Phyllis Dietrichson is still considered one of the all time great femme fatales as she perfectly embodies the seductress feigning helplessness who is gradually revealed to be manipulative and deadly." He also mentions that women were quite drawn to the idea of strong women, the "femme fatales" in these films, I can definitely see why the female audience felt that way. In some twisted way, the femme fatales seem too make women feel more empowered, they embody the characteristics that some women wished they carried.
All in all Thomas Caldwells article depicted Double Indemnity wonderfully. He appeared to be quite knowledgable on film noir and a fan at that. I absolutely enjoyed his article and believe a stranger to film noir or Double Indemnity would learn a great deal from the reading of Thomas Caldwells, Notes on Film: Double Indemnity.

Sweet...Or Bittersweet

       So the end was approaching and it's now arrived. The end of Double Indemnity was very surprising to me. Even more so surprising, the outcome of the ill-fated relationship between Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger, oh and we can't forget Lola and Sachetti, they definitely played an important role in this whole mess that unfolded right before out eyes. Throughout the book, we've all had so many mixed emotions about the situations that have unravelled and the ending didn't fail to stun me just as much.
       After plotting against Mr. Nirdlinger together with Phyllis, Walter now wanted to get her out of his way so he could move on with his life, alongside Lola. Silly of him to think that Phyllis wouldn't also want him out of her way. So after Walter is shot by Phyllis and ends up in the hospital, he spills the whole story to Keyes. He's hoping that by doing this, Lola wouldn't get mixed up in any of it, since she and Sachetti were found at the scene of the crime. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, Keyes had decided to "help" Walter. "Now get this. There'll be a reservation for you, under a name I'll give you, on a steamer leaving San Pedro Thursday night for Balboa and points south. You take that steamer." (Pg.109) Now what is actually more uncanny, is that Phyllis is on that steamer with Walter, to his possible dismay. Now how can this be justified? There they are, these two cold blooded murderers, and it seems as though they've got off scotch free, or have they? When it comes to Phyllis, this is the story of her life, she sees no value in life, so she feels no guilt, because according to her, she was doing her husband a favor. She has a twisted mind and she recognizes that and doesn't seem to think it's a problem. "But there's something in me that loves Death. I think of myself as Death, sometimes." (Pg.18)On the other hand, Walter feels very guilty, he killed the father of the woman he loves, which was now Lola. He wasn't at peace within himself, it was eating away at him. I was rooting for Walter, I wanted him and Lola to go off together and live happily ever after. They truly seemed to have a healthy relationship based on "real love", not the lust that brought together Phyllis and Walter. Not as far as Lola was concerned, apparently she still loved Sachetti. Now that may be unjust of me to say, after all he was a killer, but to each his own. When it comes to Phyllis, she should have been detained by authorities and held responsible for all the "accidental" murders she had committed. She is heartless and deserves to suffer like she made so many suffer. What happened at the end with Phyllis and Walter, was not quite satisfying to me, although don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed every minute of it. I mean, with characters like them, we never get what we are expecting. Even if the reader comes away from the book thinking justice wasn't served, Walter and Phyllis will have to endure a life sentence, perhaps not in a jail cell, but within their own souls.
       Whether we agree or disagree with the consequences that Walter and Phyllis did or did not have to face, we can all probably agree that this book was far greater than what we had bargained for. It captivates the reader from beginning to end, and leaves you wanting more. Too bad, all things must come to an end, and each reader can walk away having interpreted the end as sweet, or bittersweet......

Dying to Kill, Killing for Love

     Have you ever loved someone so much, you would die for them? How about this, have you ever loved someone so much you would kill for them? Well in Double Indemnity, the power of love, or maybe more like, the power of lust takes a step into a whole other level when Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger form a deadly relationship. A chance encounter of two strangers, becomes a cobweb full of lies, betrayal, seduction, and finally, murder, when the two decide to end the life of Mr. Nirdlinger. But where will such a heinous crime leave Phyllis Nirdlinger and Walter Huff? Will they be able to carry on with their perverted relationship after the deed is done and truly love one another? Or will they turn against each other, only to fend for themselves after being accomplices in this tragic crime?   
     When Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger met, they were simply discussing insurance. By the end of that first encounter, they had formed a connection that they both knew was forbidden. By the second encounter, Phyllis had managed to get Walter, to help her plot the "accidental" murder of her husband Mr. Nirdlinger. "Phyllis, you seem to think that because I can call it on you, you're not going to do it. You Are going to do it, and I'm going to help you." (Double Indemnity by James M. Cain pg.17) He was willing to put it all on the line for her, almost like he was trying to prove himself to her, how "potent" he was. Of course he could possibly have a hidden agenda himself, but he made it seem to Phyllis, that he wanted to help her, for her own "benefit." In the time before the murder occurred, Phyllis and Walter were very passionate towards one another, always anticipating their next encounter. Well once they had gone through with their plan of murdering Mr. Nirdlinger, they became distant from one another. Could it have been due to outside obligation or personal choice? Walter on one hand, became very nervous and maybe overly cautious, trying to keep his distance from Phyllis (being that she is going to be kept on a short leash by Keyes), while Phyllis wanted to keep on with her life and relationship with Walter. She seemed to notice or imagine that Walter was acting different. She even asked Walter if he still loved her, he said yes, but really was this ever real love? "I love her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake." (Double Indemnity by James M. Cain pg.70) What one could decipher from that quote from the book, is that the love he felt for her was not authentic, more a fear for her venomous character, perhaps respect for her due to the things he knew she was capable of. This was a new feeling towards her that came over him. In reality they are both shady people that embarked on a deadly journey together, not knowing that after all was said and done, they would face certain consequences within themselves, if not with authorities at first.

     When we begin a relationship with someone, it shouldn't be for all the wrong reasons, if that's the case the relationship is more than likely doomed to failure. Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger, started off on the wrong foot, they were starting a relationship on damaging motives, far from what a normal couple would. A vicious crime that was being schemed up brought together and entangled the very different lives of two people, only to complicate their very existence. Rather than bringing them together in love and excitement, that "love" that they had felt at one desperate moment, quickly appears to be fading.

First Delectable Taste of Double Indemnity

Wow! Double indemnity is so interesting, you want to keep reading it without stopping. Although I have only read the first 3 chapters, I can already begin to catch on to certain ideas and themes that have the quintessential idea of film noir.
Double Indemnity most definitely has the characteristics of what a true film noir should be. The contents are very well thoughtout, and every sentence and every word has an important role in the story. In the article, "Notes on Film Noir," the author Paul Shrader states that the qualities of film noir include, "nightmarish, weird, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel," all very much on key with Double Indemnity. The plot to murder Mrs. Nirdlingers husband is cruel indeed, and odd that Mr.Huff, his insurance agent is the one planting new ideas in the wives already twisted mind on how, when, and where they will get rid of him. So sinister and odd, that two strangers meet (Mr. Huff and Mrs. Nirdlinger) and create a connection, a bond, that will tie them together for the purpose of committing such a malice act.
In the book Double Indemnity, right off the bat, the wife of Mr. Nirdlinger, Phyllis Nirdlinger, falls into that infamous category of the femme fatal. Simply her presence appears to ignite something within Walter Huff. Mrs. Nirdlinger was able to unbeknownst, seduce Walter Huff, so much so that he is willing to help her plan and carry out the "accidental" death of her husband. Phyllis has accomplished to get into Mr. Huffs head. He is so intrigued, he cannot resist her. Mrs. Nirdlinger has convinced him to do her "dirty work." Typical of a femme fatal to use their body and sexuality to draw in a man and use him for all he is worth. Like any skillful femme fatal, Mrs. Nirdlinger is able to manipulate Mr. Huff into making her fantasy, one treacherous reality.
Deceit, desperation, crime, and even...murder, a chilling part of this world, all comes to life in Double Indemnity. The characters, the plot, it all has this special way of attracting most anyone to want to know more, and trust me, you will come back for more.

Why does noir seem to appeal to a limited audience today instead of enjoying a wider following?

          Although noir films were such a big hit after World War II, nowadays, fans are limited to a semi-small group. After reading the article, "The Neo-Noir 90s," I personally am more drawn towards the viewing pleasure of this genre. That could be due partly to the enjoyment and thrill I get from eerie, gloomy, and dark subjects, basically things that aren't part of what most would consider the "norm." Not necessarily in a "Gothic" way, more of a love for uniqueness and intricacy.
          Different people, from different walks of life, may certainly have conflicting feelings towards noir films. There is actually a popular quote from Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, that comes to mind when I think of why noir films are not drawing in many devotees to their audiences, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." We as individuals, have different taste in all sorts of things, including the types of films we enjoy. A group of people may be watching the same movie and interpret it in a completely different way as individuals. Most people strive for happiness and want to surround themselves only with things that are positive and encouraging, so many people may feel that noir films are depressing and negative, therefore, pushing them away from these films. What movie goers need to understand, is that there is nothing wrong with enjoying a "dark" noir film in the privacy of your own home, or in a crowded theater. Yes, most people want to play it safe and not step out of their comfort zone, but it's just a movie, it should be the entertainment value that matters. You see, film students and film critics, are more familiar  with the meanings behind noir films, where as a regular Joe, might easily get confused with the elements that are used. The lack of appeal for the noir films comes from the fear that audiences may have for the subjects/themes and styles that are used, hence, they steer clear from these flicks.
           If people today, would attempt to have a more open mind, they would get the opportunity to enjoy the diverse subject matter and exhilaration of noir films, and come away with a better understanding and appreciation for this work of art.