The big sleep no more movie#

General Sternwood (Charles Waldron), a wealthy, frail man confined to a wheelchair, hires Marlowe to deal with an extortionist who's got the goods on his wild-child daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers), a comely party girl who knows what she wants and won't be denied. Barbour wrote 'The Big Sleep' 'defies comprehension in a single screening' and 'even the film's stars complained that they didn't know what the whole thing was about either.'Įncapsulating the plot would require far more space than I have here, so suffice it to say 'The Big Sleep' is a dark, sinister tale of blackmail and murder punctuated by plenty of action and more intrigue than the human brain can handle. And keep the remote handy, because frequent rewinding is required to maintain a grip on all the goings-on. Take it from me, try to instantly pin faces to names or you'll be hopelessly confused when other characters refer to people you've barely seen. Blink and you'll miss someone who winds up playing a pivotal role in the proceedings. (And despite some views to the contrary, they really do connect.) Twists, turns, red herrings, murky motives, deceit, and tangled connections abound, and if you miss any information (usually recited with typical Hawks-ian alacrity by the superior cast), it's not likely to be repeated.Įvery character, no matter how minor, is an essential cog in the wheel, and there are enough of them to make your head spin. Rapt attention is required from the first frame to the last not just to follow the story, but to have even a prayer of connecting all the narrative dots. 'The Big Sleep' also boasts a screenplay co-written by William Faulkner (who would receive the Nobel Prize for literature five years later) and, more importantly, a plot widely considered to be one of the most intricate and confusing in film history. Add Bacall's pouty insolence and smoky allure and - presto! - you've got cinematic magic. A rumpled, cynical private detective whose quick wit and blunt assessments attract the ladies, enrage his adversaries, and land him in a heap of trouble, Marlowe has been ably played by Dick Powell, Robert Montgomery, and Robert Mitchum, among many others, but nobody eclipses Bogart, who masterfully merges the character's tough and tender aspects and laces them with an irresistible easygoing charm.

The 44-year-old Bogart and his 20-year-old 'baby' had just completed Hawks' 'To Have and Have Not' to great popular acclaim, so Warner rushed the duo into 'The Big Sleep,' which stands as the finest adaptation of Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels. Not only does this sequence set the film's gritty, incendiary tone, it also promotes the sizzling sexual chemistry between the two leads, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who by the time of the picture's long-delayed release (more on that below) were more than just Hollywood's couple du jour - they were newlyweds.

Following a puff or two, the camera zooms in on an ashtray, where the pair rests their smoldering butts, which continue to burn until the narrative begins.

The man lights the woman's cigarette and then his own.

The big sleep no more movie#

If ever a movie screamed film noir from the moment its opening title sequence hits the screen, it's 'The Big Sleep.' Howard Hawks' deliciously complex and riveting adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic detective novel opens with two silhouetted figures against a plain gray backdrop.