3. Double Indemnity has been called “a film without a single trace of pity or love.” Do you agree with this statement? Think about the motivations that lie behind the actions of Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson when you consider your response.
No, I do not agree with this statement. Although Phyllis Dietrichson does not love the oh-so-smooth Walter Neff, I don't doubt for a second that Mr. Neff loved Mrs. Dietrichson. Phyllis had hidden motivations from the beginning; she used Walter as a way to get away with killing her husband. She even says that she doesn't love Walter right before he shoots her to death. Phyllis only loved money and was willing to kill her husband and Walter and anyone else who would potentially get in her way. Phyllis Dietrichson was not a being capable of love, which is why I understand why someone would call this movie "a film without a single trace of pity or love." If you only look at it as a movie about a money-hungry woman, you would be correct. But as a person who personally swooned over Mr. Neff, you may see this movie in a different light.
Walter Neff could have stopped at any moment before he said "straight down the line." Even after that, I think, at any point he could have backed out before killing Mr. Dietrichson. He stayed because he loved Phyllis more than he could comprehend. Everything he did, he did for Phyllis. He lied and deceived several people in order to do the deed Phyllis asked-- not once in the movie do they talk about splitting the cash, only being together. In the end, all Walter wanted was to be with Phyllis and make her happy.He pitied her, and fell in love with her easily. I see this movie as one filled with desire, lust, and most of all, love. Walter's only motivation was to be with Phyllis and free her from her "horrible husband."
First define pity and love so your audience understands the skeleton of your argument!
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