The plot is unclear, but this film isn’t about the destination, but the journey, and it’s one hell of a ride. The film whips along without a slow moment. The dialog is first rate, managing to be meaningful, witty, and funny all in a single sentence. There isn’t a wrong moment.
Directed by: Howard Hawks
Written by: William Faulkner, Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett (from the novel by Raymond Chandler)
Produced by: Howard Hawks, Jack L. Warner
Music by Max Steiner.
Warner Brothers, 1946/1945
Running time: 114/116 minutes
Cast: Humphrey Bogart (Philip Marlowe), Lauren Bacall (Vivian Sternwood Rutledge), Martha Vickers (Carmen Sternwood), Dorothy Malone (Bookstore girl), Regis Toomey (Bernie Ohls), John Ridgely (Eddie Mars), Charles Waldron (Gen. Sternwood), Charles D. Brown (Norris the Butler), Elishe Cook Jr. (Harry Jones), Bob Steele (Canino), Louis Jean Heydt (Joe Brody)
A Few Thoughts
Carmen: “You’re not very tall are you?
Marlowe “Well, I try to be.”
There, less than three minutes into the film, and it’s clear that something special is going on. This is no cheap detective thriller. This is art.
Normally, a review would include some general plot synopsis at this point, but that’s something that can’t be done with The Big Sleep. It’s not at all clear what the plot is. I can say that hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe (played by Humphrey Bogart with a natural flare that no one has ever matched) is called to the home of a wealthy old General Sternwood to look into a blackmail scheme. From there Marlowe follows the clues and we follow Marlowe, but neither he, nor we, have any idea where those clues are leading. Two murders are never explained, one of Sean Regan, a hired gun/friend for the General that should be of great importance, but like all “plot points” in The Big Sleep, is of no consequence. The other murder is of the chuffer Owen Taylor, which so confused director Howard Hawks that he finally called Novelist Raymond Chandler to figure out who did it. Legend has it that Chandler said he didn’t know, same as the screenwriters, so Hawks decided to finish the film without worrying about such details. There’s blackmail photos that might be pornographic, might be a connection to a murder, or might be nothing at allâwe’re never told.
All of that is perfectly fine. This film isn’t about the destination, but the journey, and it’s one hell of a ride. The film whips along without a slow moment; a tricky feat as this is mainly a talking picture. The dialog is first rate, managing to be meaningful, witty, and funny all in a single sentence. It should be good with three mastersâChandler, William Faulkner, Leigh Brackettâall sticking their pens in. Every member of the cast delivers those lines perfectly. There isn’t a wrong moment.
But don’t think that this movie is only talking. You are never more than a few minutes away from a murder, a fistfight, or a shoot out.
Plus there is the romance between Marlowe and the General’s older daughter Vivian Rutledge, played by Bogart’s new love at the time, Lauren Bacall. This was their second film together, and while they may not burn the way they did in To Have or Have Not, they still have more than enough chemistry.
Playing with Censors
Like many Film Noir films, this one let’s you play the “Spot Where They’re Playing With the Censors” game. This was 1946 and the Breen code was at full power. The Big Sleep gives us, ever so slightly disguised, two sets of homosexuals (a pair of hired guns and an older man and catamite), drug use, illicit sex, and pornography. Not a bad list since none of those were allowed by the code.
Choices
The Big Sleep has one more surprise for anyone who hasn’t kept up on its historyâthere are two versions. The film was completed in 1945 and shown to servicemen, but with the flop of Bacall’s previous film, Confidential Agent, Bacall’s agent, among others, feared that The Big Sleep could bury her. It lacked those zing-just-whistle scenes from To Have or Have Not, So, before releasing it to the general public, 20 minutes were trimmed and replaced by 18 minutes that better promoted Bacall’s sassy image. The 1945 version was hidden for over 45 years but now they are both available.
Is one better than the other? No, but they are different. Most critics side with the ’46 version, particularly because of an added restaurant scene that has Bogart and Bacall trading quips and double-entendres. That version is more romantic, if that’s what you are looking for. The ’45 version is easier to follow, partly for including a long scene at the police station where Marlowe, the D.A., and Marlowe’s police friend all try to explain what’s happening. The Marlowe/Rutledge relationship has a different kind of charm with the increase in doubt and suspicion. It’s easy. Don’t choose. See them both.
The DVD
If only all DVDs were this good. Warner outdid themselves. The film looks goodâa bit of grain, but I suspect that was there when the film first hit the theaters, and a few lines that don’t detract from the crisp black and white image. There’s no fault to find in the soundtrack. And this disk comes with the best of all possible extra’sâthe 1945 version of the film. There’s also a documentary that explains in far greater detail than I have why there are two versions and what was changed.