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The Long Goodbye
Director Robert Altman gives a classic literary character a contemporary coat of paint in 1973's The Long Goodbye, an intelligent and stylish crime drama that makes up for a somewhat predictable story with evocative direction and some offbeat casting.
Based on Raymond Chandler's novel, this is the story of Phillip Marlowe, an easy going private eye who lives with his cat. Marlowe is visited by a friend at 3:00 in the morning asking Marlowe to drive him to Mexico. The next day, Marlowe reads in the paper that his friend has committed suicide and is being sought for questioning about his wife's murder while almost simultaneously, Marlowe gets a call from an icy Malibu socialite who wants to hire Marlowe to locate her missing husband, an eccentric alcoholic writer.
Altman score big here, taking Leigh Brackett's somewhat long-winded screenplay based on a classic literary detective and giving this detective a contemporary makeover and individual personality that are most appealing. Altman takes the time to let us know in this Marlowe, starting with a seemingly overly-detailed opening scene involving Marlowe and his cat which really has nothing to do with the forthcoming story, but gives this character instant likability as he seems to care more about this cat than the bevy of beautiful girls who occupy the penthouse next door.
Brackett's screenplay initially seems to set up two different stories that seemingly have nothing to do with each other, but we know that eventually there is going to be a connection between the stories and, even though it takes a little too long for that connection to surface, we forgive. We forgive because of Altman's atmospheric direction and the midnight to dawn feeling he creates through photography and music.
As he always did, Altman made some offbeat casting choices in the central roles that played off. During a period when Nicholson and Pacino were the biggest stars on the planet, Altman went a different way casting Elliott Gould as Marlowe, who beautifully captures the character's laid back attitude while never taking his eye off the prize. I loved the way the character constantly talked to himself, like he was narrating his own life and Gould was seemingly at ease with it. I also LOVED Sterling Hayden as the eccentric writer, his most charismatic performance since Dr. Strangelove. Bouquets as well to cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and John Williams unusally bluesy music. Fans of the director will not be disappointed.
Director Robert Altman gives a classic literary character a contemporary coat of paint in 1973's The Long Goodbye, an intelligent and stylish crime drama that makes up for a somewhat predictable story with evocative direction and some offbeat casting.
Based on Raymond Chandler's novel, this is the story of Phillip Marlowe, an easy going private eye who lives with his cat. Marlowe is visited by a friend at 3:00 in the morning asking Marlowe to drive him to Mexico. The next day, Marlowe reads in the paper that his friend has committed suicide and is being sought for questioning about his wife's murder while almost simultaneously, Marlowe gets a call from an icy Malibu socialite who wants to hire Marlowe to locate her missing husband, an eccentric alcoholic writer.
Altman score big here, taking Leigh Brackett's somewhat long-winded screenplay based on a classic literary detective and giving this detective a contemporary makeover and individual personality that are most appealing. Altman takes the time to let us know in this Marlowe, starting with a seemingly overly-detailed opening scene involving Marlowe and his cat which really has nothing to do with the forthcoming story, but gives this character instant likability as he seems to care more about this cat than the bevy of beautiful girls who occupy the penthouse next door.
Brackett's screenplay initially seems to set up two different stories that seemingly have nothing to do with each other, but we know that eventually there is going to be a connection between the stories and, even though it takes a little too long for that connection to surface, we forgive. We forgive because of Altman's atmospheric direction and the midnight to dawn feeling he creates through photography and music.
As he always did, Altman made some offbeat casting choices in the central roles that played off. During a period when Nicholson and Pacino were the biggest stars on the planet, Altman went a different way casting Elliott Gould as Marlowe, who beautifully captures the character's laid back attitude while never taking his eye off the prize. I loved the way the character constantly talked to himself, like he was narrating his own life and Gould was seemingly at ease with it. I also LOVED Sterling Hayden as the eccentric writer, his most charismatic performance since Dr. Strangelove. Bouquets as well to cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and John Williams unusally bluesy music. Fans of the director will not be disappointed.