{"id":8691,"date":"2009-07-31T12:42:03","date_gmt":"2009-07-31T19:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8691"},"modified":"2020-12-12T00:16:39","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T07:16:39","slug":"big-sleep-the-1946","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8691","title":{"rendered":"Big Sleep, The (1946)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mind if you don&#8217;t like my manners. I don&#8217;t like them myself. They&#8217;re pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster-191x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-57266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster-191x300.png 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster-653x1024.png 653w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster-82x128.png 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster-172x270.png 172w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Big-Sleep-Poster.png 707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nPrivate eye Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to take care of a man blackmailing his nymphomaniac daughter (Martha Vickers); meanwhile, her older sister (Lauren Bacall) tries to find out exactly what Marlowe is up to.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blackmail<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Dorothy Malone Films<\/li>\n<li>Elisha Cook Jr. Films<\/li>\n<li>Howard Hawks Films<\/li>\n<li>Humphrey Bogart Films<\/li>\n<li>Lauren Bacall Films<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nHoward Hawks&#8217; adaptation of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Big_Sleep\">Raymond Chandler&#8217;s first novel<\/a> has accumulated a passel of cinematic lore and trivia over the years, primarily given two factors: a) the existence of two different versions (first made in 1944, it was released to overseas troops in 1945, then simultaneously padded and re-cut before being shown domestically a year later); and b) the real-life relationship between co-stars Bogart and Bacall, which simply intensified throughout the duration of its extended (re)shooting. It&#8217;s notorious as well for possessing a plot &#8220;so confusing that neither Hawks nor Chandler could figure out who was responsible for all of the eight murders&#8221; (though it turns out this may be a bit of an urban legend). <\/p>\n<p>As Peary and many others have noted, however, the film&#8217;s plot is almost beside the point, given that &#8212; courtesy of Chandler&#8217;s original novel, which Hawks and his screenwriters &#8220;didn&#8217;t bother rewriting&#8221; &#8212; it &#8220;contains the sharpest, toughest, wittiest, sexiest dialogue ever written for a detective scene&#8221;. Indeed, line after line emerging from the characters&#8217; mouths leaves one giggling with delight &#8212; especially given Hawks&#8217; trademark style of allowing the actors to &#8220;naturally&#8221; overlap one another, resulting in a literal barrage of snappy one-liners and come-backs (click <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0038355\/quotes\">here<\/a> for a representative sampling). Equally enjoyable are the numerous &#8220;off-beat female characters&#8221; peopling the screen &#8212; most notably Martha Vickers as Bacall&#8217;s &#8220;troubled nympho younger sister&#8221;, who is given to sucking her thumb and getting into all sorts of sordid trouble. <\/p>\n<p>Hawks apparently instructed all his actresses to present themselves as sexually available and willing, in order to turn Chandler&#8217;s &#8220;corrosive yet enticing Los Angeles&#8221; into a true male <em>fantasy<\/em> world for Marlowe &#8212; who somewhat amusingly encounters flirtatious women (a bookstore clerk, a taxi driver, hat girls) literally everywhere he goes. Marlowe&#8217;s primary interest, however, turns out to be Bacall, who Peary notes is &#8220;perhaps too comfortable with Bogart&#8221;; he argues that &#8220;the nervous, sexy edge isn&#8217;t there&#8221; between them, at least not to the extent it was present in their first film together (<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=37047\">1944&#8217;s <em>To Have and Have Not<\/em><\/a>). Bacall is fine, but for my money I&#8217;d rather see a lot more of Vickers (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Martha_Vickers\">whose career<\/a> sadly didn&#8217;t go very far). <\/p>\n<p>While it may be sacrilege to say so, I find that the movie goes on for a bit too long &#8212; especially given that (following Chandler&#8217;s novel) <em>The Big Sleep<\/em> is essentially two films in one. By the midway mark, we&#8217;ve already cleared up the central issue of Vickers&#8217; blackmailer, so all the complications and countless murders that occur afterwards seem to take place in a somewhat endless morass of intrigue. Yet Bogart is so &#8220;perfectly cast&#8221; as &#8220;moral shamus&#8221; Marlowe that we don&#8217;t mind watching him enjoying &#8220;the world he walks through, full of liars, blackmailers, murderers, and pretty, available women who are looking for a quick thrill.&#8221; Indeed, it&#8217;s to Hawks&#8217; credit that <em>The Big Sleep<\/em> remains a &#8220;crackerjack detective classic&#8221; despite its narrative flaws. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-bogart.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-bogart.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8695\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Martha Vickers as Carmen Sternwood<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-vickers.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-vickers.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8696\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bogart&#8217;s obvious chemistry with Lauren Bacall<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-chemistry.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-chemistry.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8698\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Elisha Cook, Jr., as Harry Jones<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-cook.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-cook.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8697\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Marlowe&#8217;s surprisingly sexy encounter with a flirtatious bookstore clerk (Dorothy Malone)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-malone.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-malone.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"385\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8699\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sidney Hickox&#8217;s atmospheric <em>noir<\/em> cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-cinematography.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/big-sleep-cinematography.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"385\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8700\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Countless zingy exchanges and one-liners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an undisputed classic of American cinema. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0038355\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1946\/08\/24\/archives\/the-screen-the-big-sleep-warner-film-in-which-bogart-and-bacall-are.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/bigs.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reelviews.net\/php_review_template.php?identifier=874\">ReelViews Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/style\/longterm\/movies\/review97\/bigsleepbrace.htm\">Washington Post Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.noiroftheweek.com\/2005\/10\/big-sleep-1946-101005.html\">Noir of the Week Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/45\/the-big-sleep#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/VBZBfIxqVMk\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/td>\n<\/li>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mind if you don&#8217;t like my manners. I don&#8217;t like them myself. They&#8217;re pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.&#8221; Synopsis: Private eye Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to take care of a man blackmailing his nymphomaniac daughter (Martha Vickers); meanwhile, her older sister (Lauren Bacall) tries to find out exactly what Marlowe is up to. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Blackmail Detectives and Private Eyes Dorothy Malone Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8691\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8691"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57267,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8691\/revisions\/57267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}