The Big Sleep (Hawks, 1946)

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Film Description

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate an extortion mystery, affecting wealthy General Sternwood and his two daughters. Brilliant essential 40s Noir: an unmissable chance to wallow in the Bogie - Bacall magic, the electric (Raymond Chandler and William Faulkner!) dialogue, fizzing sexual chemistry, labyrinthine plot and marvellous direction. Hawks's greatest film.

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Review by clinton morgan on 1st April 2000

Who'd have thought that one of the sexiest scenes in motion picture history would take place in a rare books store.

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Review by CJ on 0th June 2000

Private Detective Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate a blackmail case in which a General's nympho daughter is involved. Bogie finds, several murders later, that he has fallen in love with her elder sister. Raymond Chandler endorsed Hawks' adaptation of his novel in this film noir masterpiece by commenting that the director brought "the gift of atmosphere and the requisite touch of hidden sadism" to the work. Famously, the labyrinthine plot of the film defeated even the author; when Hawks enquired who killed the chauffeur, Chandler replied that he had no idea! The point here is that it matters not one jot - this is a film to be enjoyed for its dark, brooding, totally fascinating world, and for its unforgettably witty and sexy interplay between Bogart's definitive Philip Marlowe and Bacall's Vivien Sternwood, as well as the former's encounters with bookstore assistants, taxi drivers and hat check girls.

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Article - "Howard Hawks" by Richard Armstrong
Monday 23rd September 2002

In Hollywood in the early-40s it was unusual for screenwriters to graduate to the director’s chair. Even more unusual was the sight of a screenwriter sitting on set while the director directed, even when the screenwriter had written the script. In 1941 Billy Wilder s...  View article in full

Article - "The Coen Brothers: Intolerable Cruelty" by Dave Tallerman
Friday 2nd April 2004

It is tempting to claim that the Coen brothers have never made a bad film; but let’s not forget their early Sam Raimi collaboration Crimewave – undeniably entertaining, but basically a car-crash of a movie. So let us say instead that Joel Coen, nominally the ...  View article in full

Collections & Lists

This film is part of the following Film Collections

Film Noir

Including: Basic Instinct, Body And Soul, Body Heat, Brick, Call Northside 777, Chinatown, Crossfire, Dead Reckoning, Detour (1945), Double Indemnity.

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This film is part of the following Customer Film Lists

classic film noir by eddie davies

I'm putting together a wish list for my 60th birthday and one of the genres i've always been interested in is film noir. I watched most of these in my old flea pit cinema in south wales but i'm sure they'll stand up well to viewing in DVD format. Comments and of course any essential titles i should add to mo list welcomed.

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