The Big Sleep

Perhaps the quintessential film noir, The Big Sleep offers Bogart and Bacall in a riveting, fiesty murder mystery that’s perhaps too beguiling for its own good at times.

PI Phillip Marlowe (Bogart) is called in to investigate the bribery and blackmail of a young rich girl, Carmen Starkwood (Vickers) – her and her sister Vivian (Bacall) lead Marlowe’s investigative mind to discover a far bigger and more complex series of manipulations beneath the surface.

Humphrey Bogart really is unlike any actor alive today – with the hangdog face and sarcastic, suggestive characters he chooses, the actor cemented his place in history. Whilst Casablanca seems to be the film for which he’s known best, his performance as Marlowe has shaped the detective and noir genres since – an outstanding yet understated performance from a great actor. John Ridgely plays Edward Mars, the antagonist of the piece – well, one of them, I’ll leave it down to you to try and wade through the plot’s many turns. Ridgely plays against Bogart with a sense of malevolence and comedy – he’s a suave character whose intentions are never truly clear. Regis Toomey plays Marlowe’s contact in the police, and his few scenes with Bogart do provide much of the interesting interplay that’s often seen (watered down and dumbed down) in buddy cop movies these days.

Lauren Bacall, despite her obvious and quite disarming attractiveness, produces a femme fatale in Vivien who is both suggestive and mysterious – and her scenes with Bogart sizzle with sexual tension. It’s clear to see how she went on to greater fame from here quite honestly! Martha Vickers almost manages to upstage Bacall here in her role as Vivian’s sister Carmen – all coy expressions and suggestive approaches to Marlowe, she remains in the mind more so than any other character, so bizarre and so memorable is her performance as the spoilt little rich girl with skeletons in her closet.

Howard Hawks manages to fashion a superb movie from a convoluted plotline, though the narrative issues still permeate the finished product. A truly lavish movie, each scene’s soundtrack and visual splendour cement it as a classic of Old Hollywood, whilst Chandler’s dialogue adds sizzle and style to the proceedings. Hawks directs each scene with a sense of fluidity – the movie flows from point to point, not stopping to wait for those who can’t keep up. The legendary director coaxes interesting and diverse performances from his cast whilst maintaining the style and intent of the novel’s dialogue and characters. The issues with the plot do cast a shadow however – the film isn’t that simple to follow, and you really need to listen out for names – and concentration is a big issue for many film-watchers, so be warned.

Chandler’s zippy, street-smart dialogue makes the movie the success it is – every line Bogart’s Marlowe speaks has some form of barb behind it, whether it be sexually suggestive or simply an attack. The women’s lines are entendres to the last; Bacall and Bogart’s scene in the cafe is perhaps the best example of the exemplary dialogue provided by Chandler. The soundtrack is classic Hollywood – one memorable motif that permeates the rest of the movie alongside much forgettable and overdubbed music. Not that this matters – the theme is good, and the scenes tend to be so complex with their exposition that overbearing music would only confound plot issues. From the Starkwood mansion to the streets of the city, Hawks fashions a believable and tangible 40s environment, and whilst the inevitable driving scenes are terribly done with the bluescreen behind, they are not overly used – and Hawks actually uses outside shots of the cars driving, something not often seen at the time, particularly with the actors behind the wheel!

Twisting, manipulative and sexy – this 1940s noir is devilishly interesting but requires some attention for maximum enjoyment. Other than this complexity, it is a true classic and deserves the attention it receives.

9/10