Another Take on the Big Sleep

The Big Sleep (1946) directed by Howard Hawks is a classic example of film noir. An all-too-smart private detective is pit against a myriad of hired guns that all seem to want him dead and prevent him from completing the task that he was hired for. The private detective Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by the aging General Sternwood to deal with a situation involving the gambling debts of Sternwood's daughter Carmen to a bookseller named Geiger, who as it turns out is running an illegal pornography racket. Amidst lies, deceit, and obfuscation Marlowe finds himself entangled in a series of murders as well as with the femme fatale Mrs. Rutledge (Lauren Bacall). The confusing plot spins a web of intrigue, Marlowe always one step behind the bad guys. In the end Marlowe survives and I wished that he had kissed the girl, but nevertheless the criminals meet their demise and everything is back to normal.

The plot is rich with twists and turns that when compared to movies from the silent era were simply not possible to depict. One of my favorite parts of The Big Sleep was the dialogue- rapid, sarcastic, and at the same time explanatory. Some of my favorite lines were delivered with such off-handed indifference that they are easy to miss. For example, at 0:15:13 Marlowe responds to the librarian's comment “You don't look like a man interested in first editions...” with “Well, I collect blondes and bottles too.” as he exits without looking back. And for the sake of comparison, dialogue in general allows a greater conveyance of emotion and intimacy. Silent film relies on the familiarity with the human form and characters that incite compassion in the audience to portray relationships, whereas films with synchronized sound might simply have a short exchange between two characters. Furthermore, the soundtrack allows a greater interplay between the characters; an example I found humorous in The Big Sleep is at 0:18:25 when Marlowe listening to a description of Geiger from a young female, makes the slightest eye contact and sucks in his gut in response to the dame's list of adjectives which included “fattish,” muttered while pointing with a pen toward Marlowe's midsection. Characteristic of the dialogue in The Big Sleep, there are many rapid-fire exchanges that explain entire backstories and plot developments with overly-concise statements delivered without pauses for air. Oh and the part that made me laugh the most was at 1:23:29 when the Marlowe character, pensively sitting in a restaurant, has a sudden epiphany and a light literally turns on above his head - haha.

The dialogue is lacking from silent film is no great observation. What I would like to point out is that with the addition of speaking actors to film, more of the actors themselves come through the film. Bogart and Bacall in The Big Sleep have good chemistry. I know this is the standard line delivered to explain this sort of thing, but I have no other way to put it. There is an undeniable fire between the two of them, that burns between their eyes and makes their scenes together so much more fluid and less artificial. It's difficult to describe in retrospect, but take for example a scene wherein Bacall sits on Bogart's desk, her legs crossed and pointed away from him. Her hand fidgets with the hem of her skirt several times before Bogart tells her "Just scratch it." Bacall then takes care of an itch just above her knee. The scene is completely insignificant, but I recall thinking at the time I saw it that this scene could easily have been unintentional, meant to be on the 'blooper' reel. But Bogart and Bacall were cast as characters with a relationship that mirrored their relationship as had developed since To Have and Have Not (1944). All I'm saying is that there's some intimacy there and that I felt it while I watched The Big Sleep.

One question you might ask is What makes a film film noir? Is it the style of the gangster-crime drama? The self-reflective Dick Tracy character? The femme fatale? While all these things are probably necessary to some extent, there are exceptions for each one. And I am by no means well-versed in film noir. What strikes me as most important is the subject matter; not only crimes, but plots that beg questions of morality, of good and evil; sexual motives and characters; to me, film noir is the pulp dime-novel brought to life. When I think of film noir, I see clichéd shots of silhouettes in alleys and foggy streets, short gunfights with more “I've got you now, don't move” than bullets, trenchcoats, and shots from high or low angles. What interests me most is the resurgence of film noir stylings in modern movies, such as Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), The Departed (2006), and American Gangster (2007).