4. Discuss the appropriateness of the actors Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck for their roles as Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson. How do these actors compare with the images you formed of these characters while reading the novel? Do these actors exemplify qualities that are consistent with descriptions of the protagonist and femme fatale in film noir?
Let me start with Phyllis. In the book I pictured her as an evil heartless person with no emotion who loved death. It seemed to me she killed her husband for no reason other than the money. He seemed to be a nice hard working man. In the movie though he was kind of a jerk to Phyllis giving her reason to want to kill him. In the book she actually carried her husbands dead body which made her seem more tough and in the movie she didn't. At the end of the movie she kind of shows some love towards Walter after she shoots him. In the book I took the ending as, well lets just meet with death our self. So in the book she seemed more evil and tough and in the movie just a little more sweeter. As far as what I pictured her image wise I imagined her the same as she looked in the movie.
I like how Walter was tougher in the movie compared to in the book. He was dangerous and a little more heartless in the movie. Instead of chasing around Phyllis like in the book he had more balls, he knew he had to kill her and he did so. Both of these actors exemplify qualities that are consistent with the descriptions of the protagonist and femme fatale in film noir.
1. Discuss the contrasts between the endings of the novel and the film. Which ending seems more appropriate for film noir? Why?
Like we discussed in class the ending to the book leaves it up to your imagination on what really happens to Walter and Phyllis. In the movie its straight to the point!
I like the ending in the book but I think the ending in the movie is more appropriate because it gives you a real ending on what happened instead of wondering and waiting for part 2 to come out.
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