Today, I get to give a plug to Raymond Chandler! No, he's not a director, but perhaps one of the greatest detective fiction writers ever. Agatha Christie over in England had detectives who were perhaps lithe and polite - while the Americans went for something a bit darky, whisky bottle in hand and dressed in a trenchcoat. Ah, Raymond Chandler - he crafted description which was intoxicating; his men were tough and his women were sex symbols, oozing lust whereever they went. (A very novel approach for the time)
The Big Sleep was always my favourite of his novels, and also, the favourite of his films. In truth, I also loved all the BBC Radio Dramatisations of his novels too! I think I'm fan-boying!
The Big Sleep
- Detective Phillip Marlowe is invited to General Sternwood's mansion. Sternwood has two daughters, Carmen - the young seductress, and Vivian, a suspicious woman who liked her liquor and gambling. Each of these qualities, for the old General, were leading him to losing money and being blackmailed over and over again. He did, however, have a softspot for Vivian's husband Rusty Reagen - but he's missing. (He's also a bootlegger, and a bit of a shady character. What has he been involved with?)
This missing person case is the central plot in the film, and it is distracted by a million other things that come up, which Marlowe must figure out.
- He must help Carmen who is being blackmailed by a pornographer; he finds her at the house with a dead body.
- He must help out Vivian, and deal with the loan sharks.
- There are stake outs!
- He gets people following him - and they have guns!
- Dealing with all sorts of underworld crime.
- The old trope, going to abandoned places, over and over again.
- Everyone tries to kill everyone; what has Marlowe gotten himself messed up with?
- Visiting gambling dens etc.
- They're in cheap run down rooms
- They're in the classic detective office with the slated blinds; there is no receptionist or money.
- Along the way, Marlowe has to keep ducking Carmen's sexual advances. Very steamy!
And of course, whatever else came up along the way - dealing with police, further body counts, all sorts of the seedy underworld problems of 1930s America. (The film wasn't put out until 1946).
Here are some stills from the film, before my spoiler -
SPOILER ALERT--
-- In the end, it turns out that Carmen, the younger and wilder sister had killed Rusty Reagen. We learn this as she brings Marlowe out to the wells on the Sternwood property for target practice. She wants revenge because he turned her down; but Marlowe, being a good detective, already knew Carmen had killed him, and had loaded her gun with blanks.
The black and white of the film added to the ambiance, makes it far more sinister, right?
It starred two of Hollywood's biggest names, Humphrey Boggart and Lauren Baccall. - And here's some trivia for you: Boggart's marriage struggled through the filming of the movie, as he engaged in an affair with Baccall! His drinking problems also meant filming was cancelled many of the scheduled days. But in the end, Boggart left his wife and married Baccall three months after filming stopped! That translates to oozing passion on camera!
Have a look at the trailer below, you'll notice how dominant a female the character of Vivian is:
This post was put together for the CineTV Film Noir Twitter Challenge.
If you'd like to be able to keep up with CineTV on Twitter, here's a link to the prompt:
https://twitter.com/CineTv_io/status/1500610182430306304
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