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Double Indemnity is a 1944 American crime thriller film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written with Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The film was based on James M. Cain's novel of the same name, which ran as an eight-part serial in Liberty magazine beginning in February 1936. The film stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman, Barbara Stanwyck as a provocative housewife, and Edward G. Robinson as a claims manager. The title refers to a "double indemnity" clause which doubles life insurance payouts when death occurs in a statistically rare manner. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Widely regarded as a classic, it is often cited as having set the standard for film noir and as one of the greatest films of all time.