The sweat on his brow, the putting to lips a cigarette and then the throwing away, the look away and then insertion of narration for his own story provides a good buildup to the reveal of…the woman. The tilted hat and careful holding of the towel that just, might, slip, offering a way to accept how low he is speaking, how broken, how the want in his voice should be validated. We see all of this in Double Indemnity, minutes 6:30-9, when main character Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichison are introduced (how interesting is it that Phyllis’ last name includes ‘die’ in it, when an act of murder is taking place, so, death). Immediately in “Voices in the Dark” by J.P. Telotte, we read “…by speaking forthrightly, it helps us to recognize, understand, and perhaps better cope with the problems it so starkly describes” (page 2). ‘Narration’ can easily be placed in the ellipses because by Walter TELLING us the story and events we are about to be shown, we already recognize the storyline, understand that the money and woman we will see will not be attained, and cope with the unhappy ending that is inevitable. Although the voice-over/flashback style is most characteristic of noir, this does not mean what is being shown in typical, repetitive, and lacking in its unique nature. Typically, we see a narration with a flashback, not a complete revelation and a confession – this is what makes Double Indemnity unique and a staple film, despite its normalcy in every other aspect. I say this referring to how it checkmarks everything else about narration as read by Telotte: It “offers some significant information from the past or set(s) up a context for present events,” it “raises questions about a larger narrative,” and promises viewers a “shared consciousness.”
Neff offers a bit more of personality and emotion in this short scene than seen in many, like in “Out of the Past,” where the main character doesn’t smile one time and has the same expression on his face for most of the film – a lifeless hunk with a sad life. But Neff smiles, he sweats, he leans back with his tilted hat that makes a reappearance when introduced to the dame, his exasperation is evident, all within moments and minutes. It is what is so enticing. So while it can be argued that narration is timeless, and also that it is so characteristic that it is potentially overused, Double Indemnity breaks both arguments by both comparing and contrasting to these arguments in such a way that it is entirely unique.
