Double Indemnity (Rózsa)

In Double Indemnity, Rózsa begins with music only when the narrator is talking and the scene is changing, improving the transition between the flashback scenes and the present narrator recording the whole story. After Walter Neff, who is also the man recording the story in the present, agrees to help Phyllis kill her husband, a turning point in the movie, Rózsa begins to employ music in the increasing emotional scenes inbetween narrative explanations.

The music associated with the narration enhances the continuity of the film, employing a similar sequence of notes throughout the film. In general, this is background underscoring, mostly strings that are practically a much slower version of those used in Psycho. Combined with the sober tone of Neff's narrations, this theme evokes mystery and suspense without becoming obnoxious. As Neff narrates that his hands shook uncontrollably at work after killing Mr. Diedrickson, the music seems to fade out before the narrator is completely finished perhaps to highlight Neff's anxiety in the flashback that something is out of place.

After the first time Phyllis comes to Neff's apartment, Rózsa begins coupling music with some of the flashback dialogue to illustrate emotions or tension. For example, a mildly romantic violin piece overshadows the other, more subdued instruments as Phyllis and Neff kiss in his apartment shortly after tacitly agreeing to murder Mr. Diedrickson. As Neff is preparing for the killing, a brass sequence similar to the string sequence becomes the main sound. This continues, intermittenly joined by strings, until Neff, Phyllis, and Mr. Diedrickson turn down a dark side street. The camera then focuses on Phyllis in the driver's seat as a brass crescendo and subsequent pause clearly illustrate that Neff has strangled or otherwise killed Mr. Diedrickson. When Neff goes to Phyllis' house to privately interrogate her, he enters her house and hears the diagetic radio of a neighbor. It is some sort of unobtrusive trumpet instrumental. After they talk heatedly, he closes the window, shutting out the diagetic music and increasing the tension between the two characters, both armed, in a dark room with no music. Phyllis then shoots him and then stringed underscoring returns.