A Few Thoughts
Carmen: âYouâre not very tall are you?
Marlowe âWell, I try to be.â
There, less than three minutes into the film, and itâs 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 thatâs something that canât be done with The Big Sleep. Itâs 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 âplot pointsâ 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 didnât know, same as the screenwriters, so Hawks decided to finish the film without worrying about such details. Thereâs blackmail photos that might be pornographic, might be a connection to a murder, or might be nothing at allâweâre never told.
All of that is perfectly fine. This film isnât about the destination, but the journey, and itâs 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 isnât a wrong moment.
But donât 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 Generalâs older daughter Vivian Rutledge, played by Bogartâs 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 letâs you play the âSpot Where Theyâre Playing With the Censorsâ 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 hasnât kept up on its historyâthere are two versions. The film was completed in 1945 and shown to servicemen, but with the flop of Bacallâs previous film, Confidential Agent, Bacallâs 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 Bacallâs 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 â46 version, particularly because of an added restaurant scene that has Bogart and Bacall trading quips and double-entendres. That version is more romantic, if thatâs what you are looking for. The â45 version is easier to follow, partly for including a long scene at the police station where Marlowe, the D.A., and Marloweâs police friend all try to explain whatâs happening. The Marlowe/Rutledge relationship has a different kind of charm with the increase in doubt and suspicion. Itâs easy. Donât choose. See them both.