Oscar® Noir” Offers “Double Indemnity
Beverly Hills, CA — Double Indemnity” (1944), in which an alluring housewife and her insurance salesman love conspire to commit a cold-blooded murder, will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ series “Oscar Noir: 1940s Writing Nominees from Hollywood’s Dark Side” on Monday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The film will be introduced by screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (“Time after Time,” “The Human Stain”).
Director Billy Wilder and co-screenwriter Raymond Chandler turned James M. Cain’s novel into one of the all-time classic romantic noirs, teaming Fred MacMurray with unforgettable femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck. “Double Indemnity” earned seven Academy Award® nominations: Best Motion Picture (Paramount), Best Actress (Stanwyck), Black-and-White Cinematography (John Seitz), Directing (Wilder), Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Miklos Rozsa), Sound Recording (Paramount Studio Sound Department, Loren L. Ryder, sound director) and Writing (Wilder, Chandler). MacMurray’s daughter, Laurie, will be in attendance at the screening.
At 7 p.m. the noir cartoon short “Trouble Indemnity” (1950), featuring Mr. Magoo, and the episode “Time Bomb” from the 1941 serial “Adventures of Captain Marvel” will be screened as part of the evening’s pre-feature program.
“Oscar Noir” is a summer-long series featuring 15 film noir classics from the 1940s, all of which were nominated in writing categories. Including “Double Indemnity,” there are 12 screenings remaining in the series. A complete list of films can be found at http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2010/noir.html.
Tickets to individual evenings, if still available, are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
