Great film. Classic noir to the core.
Directed by Billy Wilder, written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, from the novel by James M. Cain.
Double Indemnity IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/
(In a sense, heist and con movies pull out the dramatic irony tool much more than most genres. Someone in the scene knows less than the audience.
Double Indemnity is packed with this. The most obvious or clean example might be a short scene in a hallway.
Phyllis and Walter are together at Walter's discussing their murder plot. As she is leaving, Walter's boss Keyes comes by to also discuss the case. He doesn't know Walter is involved, but if he spots Phyllis, then that all changes.
In one shot (seen at 1:28 in the trailer below) we literally see dramatic irony; they are all three in the hallway, Phyllis hides behind the open apartment door, and Walter stands on the other side of the door talking to Keyes just feet away.
The audience holds their breath.
Double Indemnity Trailer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yKrrAa2o9Eg
Even more interesting though is that this film is almost all a flashback, and the audience knows from the opening sequence that Walter ends up shot, bleeding, and unwell.
Jump back to the beginning of his story through this flashback, and we now have a character that doesn't know a bullet's coming, but we know. Dramatic Irony.
Be well.
LionSuit.com
(words are original, image is open and free use from pixabay. posts may also be shown on my hive.blog page.)
