The CineClub is presenting biweekly screenings at the Crowley Arts Centre here in Montreal every other Sunday, and this week’s screening is one of my favorite films of all time, Double Indemnity.
Below is a brief synopsis; Double Indemnity screens at 7pm; you can find the Crowley at 4325 rue Crowley, near Vendome metro. Admission is $8, or $6 with a student ID.
DOUBLE INDEMNITY – 1944- Billy Wilder. Adapted from a James M. Cain novel by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, Double Indemnity represents the high-water mark of 1940s film noir urban crime dramas in which a greedy, weak man is seduced and trapped by a cold, evil woman amidst the dark shadows and Expressionist lighting of modern cities. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) seduces insurance agent Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) into murdering her husband to collect his accident policy. The murder goes as planned, but after the couple’s passion cools, each becomes suspicious of the other’s motives. The plan is further complicated when Neff’s boss Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), a brilliant insurance investigator, takes over the investigation. Told in flashbacks from Neff’s perspective, the film moves with ruthless determinism as each character meets what seems to be a preordained fate. The three seasoned leads give some of their best performances and Wilder’s cynical sensibility finds a perfect match in the story’s unsentimental perspective. All is heightened by John Seitz’s hard-edged cinematography, best appreciated on our theatrical big screen. This “film noir” was rated top 29th film of all time by the American Film Institute.
BONUS: Live singer Melissa Furlotte will perform a short set of “film noir” tunes. (Coordinator, Jongleur Vocal Arts Performance School)
Adapté d’un roman de James M. Cain par Wilder et Raymond Chandler, DOUBLE INDEMNITY représente le summum du film noir des années 40, avec un homme avide et moralement faible qui se laissera séduire par une femme froide et calculatrice, tout ceci baigné d’ombres produite par les lumières expressioniste des grandes villes modernes. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) séduit l’agent d’assurances Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) au point où assassinera son mari pour qu’ils puissent récolter la prime d’assurance-vie. Le meurtre se passe sans anicroches jusqu’à ce que la passion du couple s’éteigne pour faire place aux soupçons des motifs de l’un et l’autre. Le plan se complique encore plus lorsque le patron de Neff, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), un brillant enquêteur, reprend l’enquête. Raconté sous forme de flashbacks de la perspective de Neff, le film avance avec une détermination brutale pendant que les personnages sont propulsé vers leur destiné. Les trois acteurs principaux donnent une de leur meilleures performances sous la direction de Wilder, qui, avec finesse et cynisme, fait des trois un match parfait dans une histoire qui ne laisse aucune place au sentimentalisme. Le tout élévé à tout autre niveau par la direction photo de John Seitz, évidemment plus appréciable sur grand écran. Version original anglais. Ce film noir a été classé 29e au top 100 des meilleurs films de tous les temps selon le American Film Institute.
BONUS: La chanteuse Melissa Furlotte performera ‘live’ une série de chansons de ‘films noirs’. (Coordinatrice, Jongleur Vocal Arts Performance School)
Portes / doors: 7 p.m. Film: 7:30 p.m.
Admission: 8$, 6$ (étudiants/students & 65+)
5325 ave. Crowley (angle Décarie) métro Vendôme
How to get there:
BUS, METRO, WALK
When coming to Crowley by public transport, we are an easy 4 minute walk from Vendôme station. From Vendôme head west on boulevard De Maisonneuve, continue onto Upper Lachine Road, turn left onto Crowley Exit (after the AMT overpass), and continuing onto Crowley Avenue, passing Prud’homme Avenue. We are located just before Nelson Garage. Distance from subway: only 300 meters.
DRIVING HERE
Drive to Notre Dame De Grace in Montreal. From Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, turn onto Ave. Girourard (heading south). Stay on Ave. Girourard, and turn left onto Chemin Upper Lachine. Then take a right onto the Ave Crowley exit (before the AMT overpass). Cross Prud’homme Ave, and we are on the left, just before Nelson Garage.
DRIVING FROM THE OLD-PORT OR DOWNTOWN
Driving from downtown or the Old Port? Then just follow directions for Autoroute Ville-Marie (QC-720 Ouest). Take Exit 2. Follow directions for Rue St Jacques Ouest. Pass the Mazda Gabriel car dealership & turn right onto Ave. Prud’homme. Turn right onto Ave Crowley, and we are on the left, just before Nelson Garage.
PARKING
Free parking for the Crowley Centre is located at the back of the building (towards the end of Prud’homme Ave., along Prud’homme Avenue and in the parking lot of Nelson Garage (next door to us).