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Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgeley, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, Charles Waldron
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Big Sleep |
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A wealthy family, being blackmailed with pictures of the youngest daughter caught in a compromising sitution, hires a pi to find out who's behind it.
The pi discovers that the owner of a gambling house is behind the blackmail. He also discovers that the older sister, who's been helping him and who he's fallen in love with, has a gambling relationship with and is in debt to the blackmailer.
The blackmailer tries to set up the pi, but the pi is always one step ahead of the blackmailer. He kills the blackmailer and a couple of his henchmen.
The pi manages to recover the incriminating photos and help the sister that he loves cut all of her ties to the blackmailer.
--Brandon Swenson, Resident Scholar
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One of the classic noirs of all time, "The Big Sleep" is also one of the most confusing of Hollywood movies, and that rare case where "studio meddling" came up with something better. LA private eye Philip Marlowe (Bogart) is ostensibly hired by wealthy but dying patriarch General Stanwood (Waldron) to keep tabs on his youngest daughter Carmen, who has fallen in with a bad crowd. Older daughter Vivien (Bacall) is not impressed by Marlowe, but they warm to each other. Meanwhile, the Stanwoods' chauffeur has disappeared, and more bodies pile up. Each new "problem" handed to Marlowe turns out to be a cover for a more complicated and ugly problem. Directed by Howard Hawks and finished in 1944, the movie was shelved for two years and then re-cut and more scenes shot. (Hawks and Bogart wired author Raymond Chandler, whose novel was the basis for the story, about one death, but he couldn't tell them whether it was a murder or a suicide either!). Don't worry about understanding it, just enjoy the snappy script (worked on by William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett), peppy acting, and the great ride.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Big Sleep |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- romance (general)
Crime & Scandal
Yes
Story of
- criminals stealing from other criminals
Blackmail & Seduction?
Yes
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
Body type
- (woman) average
How much in movie?
- 60%
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
- dangerous
- wealthy
- San Francisco
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- resort/hotel
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- all mixed up
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- None
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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