'Body Heat' to be Screened at A&M International Tuesday

"Body Heat", a film inspired by 1944's "Double Indemnity", will be screened at Texas A&M International University on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. in Bullock Hall, room 101.

The screening was organized by Dr. Sean Chadwell, assistant professor of English, and Dr. William Nichols, assistant professor of Spanish, as part of the University's "Manifestations of 'Noir" Fall Film Series which is free of charge and open to the public.

Noir has haunted film makers throughout history. It is the genre of night, guilt, violence and illicit passion and no genre is more alluring.

Much like Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity", a film previously screened as part of the Noir series, "Body Heat" follows a seductive and dark theme.

"'Body Heat' is essentially a re-working of the murder/insurance fruad plot seen in such films as 'Double Indemnity' and 'The Postman Always Rings Twice,'" commented Nichols.

"Body Heat" is a movie about a woman (Matty Walker) who gets a man to commit murder for her. She draws in Ned Racine, a cocky but lazy lawyer with her sexual charm, and manipulates him into killing her husband. Matty makes sure the man is smart enough to think of the plan himself. Throughout the movie there is the sense that heat inflames passion and encourages madness. Rarely do films portray women as bold and devious in the movies. In "Body Heat", a woman is the film's center of power.

"Like 'Double Indemnity's' character Mrs. Dretrichson, Matty Walker represents the 'femme fatale' or 'black widow' who lures the unsuspecting male character into a tangled web of lies, sex and murder," Dr. Chadwell commented.

Drs. Chadwell and Nichols will briefly introduce the film and profile its stylistic and thematic debt to 'Noir' before viewing. At the film's conclusion, an informal discussion will be held to answer questions and allow audience members to share their comments on the film.

The free film series continues weekly through Nov. 30. The Series schedule is as follows: November 9 -"Rear Window" (1954); November 16 - "Tesis" (1996); and November 30 - "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" (1982). All films are presented at 7 p.m. in Bullock Hall room 101.

For additional information on the Fall Film Series, "Manifestations of Noir,'" contact Dr. Chadwell at 326-2471 or schadwell@tamiu.edu or Dr. Nichols at 326-2610 or wnichols@tamiu.edu.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu