Blog Entry Three: Double Indemnity

Though the story is very fast paced, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I felt the beginning of the book was too unrealistic in that Mr. Huff fell in love with Phyllis so quickly and was so easily persuaded to murder a man.  The first half of the novel did not really catch my attention.  However, the second half was so very intriguing; I could not put the book down!  I was on pins and needles waiting to find out the twists and turns of what would happen next.

 I feel the ending of the novel was satisfying and appropriate.  As soon as Mr. Huff turned and saw Phyllis there, I started laughing.  The almost satirical, revengeful nature of Keyes!  He never let's anyone pull a fast one on him.  When he learns of what Huff has done, he offers him a proposition.  Huff takes it thinking he is basically getting a "get out of jail free" card.  Little does he know, he will wind up on ship with the one person who wants him dead.  It was a very ironic thing to do.  I liked the way the novel ended because now they really have a choice: they live with the guilt and shame, day in and day out of what they have done; allowing the agony of guilt eat away at them (Mr. Huff at least; Phyllis doesn't really seem to have a conscience); they live in constant fear one another will try to kill them; or they do themselves in.  It is a lose, lose, lose scenarios any way you slice it.

I think perhaps the screenwriters Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder changed Cin’s ending for a few reasons. I feel they didn't want to portray to the audience that murder is something you can get away with scot free.  I also think, that they wanted to leave an heir of suspense in the end of what happened to Phyllis?  I admit, I watched the rest of the movie on Netflix, and I felt that ending was unsatisfying!  You can sort of guess what happens, Mr. Huff goes to trial and is found guilty, but it really is not a conclusion to the story.  They should have kept the ending of the film aligned with the novel.  The ending in the novel is at least interesting, whereas I found the ending in the film dull.  I really did not care for it at all.  I much preferred the ending in the novel over the ending in the film.