Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Big Sleep - 1946, directed by Howard Hawks


When I first saw this film, I didn't quite know what to make of it. The story, which was as interesting as any noir I've seen, left some questions unanswered at it's conclusion. However, after letting it all sink in and gradually piecing the puzzle together, I was convinced that this was one of the coolest ever entries into the genre. Bogie is in his element, so cool in his interactions with virtually everyone, that he makes every scene memorable.

Private detective Philip Marlowe (Bogart) drops by the house of an aging general, who had summoned him for a job. He wants Marlowe to take care of some incessant problems facing his family, which includes blackmail, that center around the activities of his youngest daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers). Carmen, whom Marlowe had an electric first encounter with upon his arrival, has apparently fallen into bad company, and is behaving carelessly.

This is of course, just the starting point of what turns out to be a web of trouble, all seemingly centered around the disappearance of one of Sternwood's employees, who has apparently run off with a mobster's wife. As Marlowe continues to probe, he finds that each immediate problem he encounters, is just a ploy to cover up a bigger scheme. And the involvement of Carmen and her older sister Vivian (Lauren Bacall), with whom Marlowe has become entranced, may be more direct than first presumed.

The performances here are all magical, but this is Bogie's show from start to finish. While I won't go on record as saying this is his best performance, I will say that it is definitely his coolest. The way he states his one-liners is legendary, and he has plenty of them in this movie. Take for instance, one of my favourites:

Philip Marlowe: My, my, my! Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains! You know, you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.

In supporting roles, Lauren Bacall is good and Martha Vickers is great, but neither of them are able to capture the magic that Dorothy Malone is able to create in just a 3 minute scene with Bogie. She literally steals the show, and this may just be my favourite cameo performance of all-time.

The Big Sleep is a masterwork. Credit director Howard Hawks for effectively telling this complicated story without making it ever feel boring or confusing. And after all the ploys and red herrings and coverups have been overcome, the final resolution (which may require some thought or a second viewing to completely come to grips with) is about as satisfying as one should expect. Quite possibly the greatest of all classic noir films.

© 2007 Kim Bartlett

2 comments:

  1. I've not seen this, but based on that review I'm bumping it up on my "to see" list.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Even Raymond Chandler (who wrote the novel) didn't know the answers to all the questions raised in the book. But his books were more about style than any kind of Agatha Christie mystery-solving.

    ReplyDelete

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