Humphrey Bogart is wary perfection as detective Philip Marlowe, and Lauren Bacall is a slinky-cool siren with secrets to keep in this film noir classic from the Raymond Chandler book. With acclaimed author William Faulkner among the screenwriters, the movie is intelligent and compelling.
The plot
The mystery is told from Marlowe’s perspective, with Bogart in every scene. We see things as Marlowe sees them, and try to tease out the truth from a tangled mess of lies and liars as he does.Marlowe is summoned to the elderly General Sternwood’s mansion, where among the general’s hothouse orchids he is asked to find Sternwood’s missing chauffeur and pseudo-son, Sean Regan. He meets the general’s hothouse daughters, the somewhat wild Vivian (Bacall) and the very wild Carmen (Martha Vickers), who’s being blackmailed over some naughty photos. Marlowe is quickly plunged into a puzzle of pornography, drug abuse, gambling and murder – seven murders, to be exact.
The Hays Code restrictions of the day required the movie to merely hint at the depravity underlying the plot, but it’s deftly done. The suggestive dialogue as Bogie and Bacall flirt was extremely racy at the time, and it’s still fun to watch.
The players
Bogart gets to show some range, seducing a store clerk, disguising himself as a fussy bookstore customer, taking a beating at the hands of accomplished thugs and romancing Bacall. While many of his most beloved screen roles featured men of either unquestioned integrity or complete villainy, Bogart’s Marlowe is more complicated. He charts a morally ambiguous course throughout the movie, and he’s not about to sacrifice his own self-interest.This early in her career, Bacall couldn’t match Bogart’s range, but she keeps up -- looking spectacular in a series of glamorous outfits and doing a creditable song in a scene at a gambling joint. (An echo of To Have and Have Not, her first screen pairing with Bogart, where she sings with Hoagy Carmichael.)
Vickers is fine as the thumb-sucking, spoiled Carmen, by turns seductive, pouty, vengeful and high as a kite. Standouts in the excellent supporting cast include Sonia Darrin as a waspish blackmailer and Elisha Cook Jr. as her doomed pawn.
The backstory
An earlier, unreleased 1945 version of the film contained an explanatory scene with Bogart wrapping up the mystery (with a few key details left out) for the district attorney. But as WWII was ending, the studio decided to keep this dark film on the shelf for a while. After some re-shooting, the explanatory scene was deleted, and additional romantic byplay with Bogart and Bacall was inserted.The change made the complex plot even harder to follow, yet somehow made the film far more satisfying. It demands the involvement and attention of the audience, and rewards viewers who pay close attention. DVD sets with both the released and pre-released versions can be found.
The director
Howard Hawks was one of Hollywood’s most prolific and versatile directors. Equally accomplished in genres from comedy to action, and even science fiction, he made films as diverse as Red River, Sergeant York, Bringing up Baby and The Thing. He worked with the finest screenwriters, and was known for collaborating with his actors, not bullying them. Hawks’ preference for a conversational tone and his use of overlapping dialogue influenced later directors, notably Robert Altman. Despite his success and influence, Hawks never won the Oscar for best director.The bottom line
The Big Sleep is a must for fans of Bogart and Bacall. And with sharply clever dialogue and a great literary pedigree, the film is a treat for mystery lovers who don’t want everything wrapped up in a nice little package for them.Recommended for you:
If you liked The Big Sleep, you may also like other Humphrey Bogart films, and other film noir, including Sunset Boulevard and Citizen Kane.Just the Facts:
Year: 1946, Black and White
Director: Howard Hawks
Running Time: 230 minutes
Studio: Warner Brothers
