Analysis of 'Double Indemnity'

The opening sequence for 'Double Indemnity' (Billy Wilder, 1944, US) is successful because the use of the fade in and out portrays the life of the person being fluent and it could highlight the main parts of his day by skipping the usual day to day actions by using the fade in and out technique. By doing this it gets the audience thinking about what this person may do between his most important times of the day.

The workmen show the fact that this person is living in a city which is wealthy because they can afford to repair and upgrade the city, by showing this it also portrays that this character is quite wealthy as he lives in a wealthy city. We also get this clue later on when he arrives at an office block late at night and he has a high status because he is known in the building.

The camera shots are also highly important in this sequence because they show the mise en scene and they show the viewer that the character is in a rush and has a high importance. This is shown by the use of low angle shots and fast paced cut shots. This gets the audience thinking about why he is rushing and how he became so important; also it gets them thinking about what he does and what position he has within that job. The camera shots also prevent the viewers from seeing the characters face at first, this makes him very mysterious creating a very eerie and suspicious atmosphere. By doing this the audience begin to think about what might happen and they gradually become part of the film.