Aug, 2014 humphrey bogart and lauren bacall ignite the screen in this classic film noir adaptation of raymond chandlers first novel, the big sleep published in 1939. Philip marlowe, general sternwood, arthur gwynn geiger, terrance regan, vivian sternwood, carmen sternwood, eddie mars, owen taylor, carol lundgren, joseph brody, agnes lozelle, harry jones, taggart wilde, bernie ohls, captain cronjager, captain gregory, mona grant, lash canino, norris. Second, the big sleep is a tough, sophisticated crime picture built around. Chandler took segments of two of his own, previouslypublished stories that appeared in black mask magazine. The film stars humphrey bogart as private detective philip marlowe and lauren bacall as vivian rutledge in a story about the process of a criminal investigation, not its results.
Later, one of eddies men, canino, kills harry, because the information he has given to marlowe will reveal eddies secret about sean. The main hallway of the sternwood place was two stories high. The fact that it is set in the war leads to curious notes about the character. Before becoming the second movie starring bogart and bacall, the big sleep was that aforementioned raymond chandler novel. Humphrey bogart and lauren bacall in the big sleep. Jul 14, 2008 the big sleep transcends to an even higher level of intricacy through the way it plays with and denies many of the established film noir visual, narrative and representational conventions. May 02, 2014 the big sleep is raymond chandlers iconic hardboiled detective novel. Hardboiled stories focus more on the action and less on.
The big sleep novel and movie introduction the process of making a film from a book is known as adaptation. Analysis of the movie big sleep 1074 words bartleby. Love themes charles gerhardt max steiner classic film scores. Additionally, it reveals chandlers strategy of cannibalizing scenes from previously published stories to build tbs. More specifically, i analyse how actors in a classical hollywood film construct their characters by reproducing and exaggerating a small number of significant postures, gestures. The big sleep was finished by warner brothers in 1945, but held out of release while the studio rushed to play off its backlog of world war ii movies. Novel film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. This study guide consists of approximately 23 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the big sleep. Get an answer for what is the difference between the big sleep the movie and the book. The big sleep transcends to an even higher level of intricacy through the way it plays with and denies many of the established film noir visual, narrative and representational conventions.
What makes the big sleep a good example of film noir, and its elements. Two of the names mentioned most often in howard hawks the big sleep 1946 are owen taylor and sean regan. The big sleep 1946 original theatrical trailer youtube. In the big sleep, chandler portrays marlowe as the knight in shining armor. What is the difference between the big sleep the movie and. Its archetypal hawks too, because while it looks and feels like a genre movie, its really the product of a director and some likemindedly tough. Henry hawks film production of the big sleep warner brothers, 1946 and raymond chandlers novel, the big sleep highlights the changes in social construction of the portrayal of women in the form of female empowerment and its involvement in a predominatelymale society. When they were writing the original 1946 movie version of the big sleep 1946, they came up with this little problem in raymond chandlers novel. May 25, 2014 provided to youtube by sony music entertainment the big sleep. Published in 1939, it was chandlers first story with marlowe, a. It seemed to have an extra dead body left over at the end.
Both the 1946 version featuring humphrey bogart and this version have been released on bluray. Private detective philip marlowe pays a visit to millionaire general sternwood. The big sleep is an interesting novel by raymond chandler with many twists and turns throughout the entire plot, with an abrupt plot twist at the very end. Any further attempts to outline the plot would be futile. Aug 23, 2019 before becoming the second movie starring bogart and bacall, the big sleep was that aforementioned raymond chandler novel. Literary analysis of the big sleep by raymond chandler. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The big sleep is a lust story with a plot about a lot of other things. The big sleep title card that followed, much like the plot of the movie, is almost incidental. Jan 01, 2011 finally, the big sleep is invariably described as a film noir, a term coined by french critic nino frank in 1945 when a flood of dark hollywood thrillers made during the war eventually arrived on.
The big sleep is an example of the hardboiled detective novel, which typically has a tougher, stereotypically masculine style. Its screening during the opening weekend of film forums. The dying general is being blackmailed by arthur geiger, who claims that sternwoods daughter carmen owes him gambling debts. Theres a story regarding the movie version of the big sleep that i love, and if it isnt true, it should be. The big sleep quotes by raymond chandler goodreads. Our protagonist, philip marlowe, is hired by a wealthy, decrepit millionaire general sternwood to unravel a blackmail attempt. In the following analysis of the opening scenes of the big sleep i use.
Summoned to the home of the fabulously wealthy general sternwood charles waldron, marlowe is hired to deal with a blackmailer shaking down the generals sensuous, thumbsucking daughter carmen martha vickers. Humphrey bogart and lauren bacall ignite the screen in this classic film noir adaptation of raymond chandlers first novel, the big sleep published in 1939. Essay the big sleep, andthe big sleep the movie, the big sleep written by raymond chandler and the film director howard hawks portrays an image of great mystery and suspense. The big sleep film noir characteristic by harles pengeston on. During the 1940s and 1950s, film noir was one of the most popular hollywood. James monaco weighs the merits of this fullest, richest and most resonant private eye movie, and places it at the nodal point in the tide that. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Based on raymond chandlers novel, this remake of howard hawks 1946 classic film noir detective story which starred humphrey bogart.
The big sleep is enjoyably aware of its status as a movie, and includes several lines asking characters if theyre expected to behave like a movie. The big sleep 1946 is one of raymond chandlers best hardboiled detective mysteries transformed into a film noir, private detective film classic. The main theme of the big sleep is the immorality and evil rampant in the big city which philip marlowe encounters everywhere while conducting a private investigation. Two cuts of howard hawkss the big sleep the new yorker. The big sleep is such a great novel, but hawks treats his adaptation of it like a game an excuse to reteam bogart and lauren bacall, who hed introduced on 1945s equally essential to have and have not and who had subsequently married. The big sleep is a 1939 hardboiled crime novel by american author. The coen brothers film the big lebowski was inspired by the character philip marlowe and the style and plot elements of chandlers novels such as the big sleep. The big sleep 1946 is one of raymond chandlers best hardboiled detective mysteries transformed into a film noir.
That can be seen more clearly now that an earlier version of the film has surfaced. A perfect match of screenplay, director, and leading man, the big sleep stands as a towering achievement in film noir whose grim vitality remains undimmed. Masculinity in the big sleep, and henry hawksthe big sleep 1698 words 7 pages. Provided to youtube by sony music entertainment the big sleep. Over the period of many decades, the film makers have been making films based on the famous books including short stories, biographies, novels and plays kvenno, 20. The mhm podcast network movie synopsis and film summary of the big sleep 1946 directed by howard hawks, and starring humphrey bogart, lauren bacall, and john ridgely.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the big sleep by raymond chandler. The screenwriting team which included no less than william faulkner called up chandler and asked him whod killed the leftover. Private detective philip marlowe is hired by a rich family. The big sleep 1946 film study guide contains a biography of director howard. Finally, the big sleep is invariably described as a film noir, a term coined by french critic nino frank in 1945 when a flood of dark hollywood thrillers made during the war eventually arrived on. Over the entrance doors, which would have let in a troop of indian elephants, there was.
It lurks in the absence of light, the dark of night, and the shadows of society. The money is to be given to agnes, who has seduced harry before. The big sleep, howard hawks film analysis senses of cinema. We get mitchums voice explaining things on the sound track, and we get flashbacks to remind us of key scenes, and when characters confess to a crime we get scenes picturing them. Both of the millionaires daughters are wild and involved with shady characters, so marlowes job is a difficult and delicate one. It features a great star of the day, humphrey bogart. Marlowe and a librarian are in a closed bookstore during a heavy rain, they begin having drinks, and the camera pans away and cuts. But now we come to the case of the big sleep 1978, with robert mitchum stepping into bogies shoes. It is a very complex, confusing, logicdefying whodunit with a quintessential private detective marlowe, false leads, unforgettable dialogue and wisecracks, rawedged characters, sexy women including the two daughters of a dying millionaire, a bookseller, and others, tough. The definitive humphrey bogartlauren bacall vehicle, the big sleep casts bogart as raymond chandlers cynical private eye philip marlowe.
The big sleep is a 1946 film noir directed by howard hawks, the first film version of the 1939 novel of the same name by raymond chandler. With humphrey bogart, lauren bacall, john ridgely, martha vickers. The the big sleep community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Oct 10, 20 the big sleep is enjoyably aware of its status as a movie, and includes several lines asking characters if theyre expected to behave like a movie. Rutledge prank call the police which is simply brilliant. Parents need to know that the big sleep is a film noir gem directed by howard hawks that was released in 1946.
Bogart as marlowe is compelling in this classic thriller that is complex but triumph of atmospheric. The big sleep 1946 film study guide contains a biography of director howard hawks, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The big sleep was released in highdefinition on bluray by shout factory on february 20, 2018 as part of a two movie package along with farewell, my lovely 1975 remake. The big sleep is the best example of a classic warner bros. The novel opens on an overcast morning in midoctober. Sep 23, 2018 the big sleep remains a classic crime novel that is discovered by each new generation of crime aficionados i first read it as a teenage crimefiction aficionado in the early 1960s and the. When it returns it is focusing on a shot of the rain outside, a shot that can mean many different things but in this case is a symbol of the overflowing. Analysis of the movie the big sleep 1428 words bartleby. We dont even find out what the big sleep even means until literally the very last page of the novel. The big sleep isnt exactly the catchiest of titles.
The big sleep is raymond chandlers iconic hardboiled detective novel. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. These are great works of literature and they display common themes in relation to one another. This successful adaptation of chandlers 1939 novel was from his first philip marlowe novel. Grizzled american private detective in england investigates a. The big sleep is a novel by raymond chandler that was first published in 1939. Before the complex case is over, hes seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love. The definitive humphrey bogartlauren bacall vehicle, the big sleep casts bogart as raymond chandlers. Its not as blood curdling as murder, she wrote or as hairraising as conan doyles the hound of the baskervilles. The big sleep contains a somewhat subtler version of this. The big sleep remains a classic crime novel that is discovered by each new generation of crime aficionados i first read it as a teenage crimefiction aficionado in the early 1960s and the. Film noir is visually one of the most complex and identifiable film genres. William faulkner, leigh brackett and jules furthman cowrote the screenplay.
The result purports to be a mystery thriller it would later be called a film noir, but its also a. Philip marlowe, a tough, cynical, yet honest private detective, is hired by the old, ailing general sternwood to help him take care of arthur gwynn geiger, a homosexual possibly bisexual pornographer who has been blackmailing the general with potentially scandalous pictures of the generals daughter. Film noir conventions in the big sleep bears film journal. The big sleep begins with the credits rolling over a background of a couple smoking in silhouette. In the following analysis of the opening scenes of the big sleep i use kinesics and proxemics to examine bogarts facetoface interactions with four female actors. Analysis of the movie the big sleep 1428 words 6 pages. The notes dissect the themes, imagery, and background of chandlers most famous novel. The big sleep opens with a description of the sternwood mansion and the first thing that catches marlowes eye is a stained glass panel. A man named harry jones tries to sell marlowe the name of the place where sean can be found.
459 848 87 1430 1368 796 624 1222 103 491 727 1567 146 644 214 504 1031 55 295 80 609 1066 884 34 563 319 256 673 922 40 1074 1031 687 30 1471 535 82 304 1159 898