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By
NICK ZEGARAC
In between "To Have And To
Have Not" and "The Big Sleep," Lauren Bacall had
made "Confidential Agent" -- a miserable flop that
put her career as a leading lady on very shaky
ground. "The Big Sleep" might have continued her
downward spiral had certain retakes not been made.
The chemistry between Bogie and Bacall can be
distilled into one word -- insolence. And in "The
Big Sleep" this mutual disdain comes across with a
sexual tension so palpable that one can hardly
wait for the moment when the two finally embrace.
Plot wise, "The Big Sleep" is an enigma that
defies logical explanation. Even author Raymond
Chandler couldn't make head or tails out of the
mish-mash. Ultimately, the narrative proved
inconsequential to the film's critical and box
office success -- a genuine example of cinematic
style triumphing over raw substance.
Bogart is Det. Philip Marlowe. He's been hired by
Gen. Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to investigate
the blackmail behind a series of gambling debts
proliferated by his youngest daughter, Carmen
(Martha Vickers). However, when Carmen winds up
barely conscious and non-committal with the corpse
of Arthur Gwen Geiger (Theodore Von Eltz) at her
feet, Marlowe suspects more than a hint of fowl
play. Sternwood's other daughter, Vivian Rutledge
(Bacall), is determined to make Marlowe's
investigation go away. To this end, she attempts
to do her own probing into one Eddie Mars (Johnny
Ridgely) to whom Carmen owes a heap of money. But
here the plot becomes completely confusing,
introducing a heap of extemporaneous characters
that, even after viewing the film more than six
times, I am unable to completely summarize either
their importance or their purpose in the
proceedings. There's Dorothy Malone as the Acme
bookstore proprietress, Angel -- somehow involved
with amateur blackmailer Joe Brody (Louis Jean
Haydt), and there's Bernie Ohls (Regis Toomey) a
cop who suspects that Marlowe is responsible for
the murder of Sternwood's chauffeur, Sean Reagan
(whom we never see). Despite the fact that I
cannot offer the avid reader of this review any
more by way of plot and yet still recommend this
film is perhaps a testament to the masterful
direction of Howard Hawks, who never once allows
the convolution to slow down his film or make one
ponder at all the unexplained loopholes.
Warner Brothers has given us an adequate transfer
of this legendary crime thriller. Contrast and
shadow delineation are good over all, but there
are several scenes where the original camera
negative is just too weak to sustain a polished
look. Tears, chips and other imperfections are
present throughout. There are even several
instances where a jump cut between scenes is
glaringly obvious. Given all these inconsistencies
and the fact that a few brief scenes look as
though second or third generation print materials
were used, the image quality throughout is
generally smooth. The audio is mono, strident but
in general well represented. Extras include the
original cut of the film, made some two years
before the general release. It has less of the
Bacall/Bogart chemistry, though its plot keeps to
a more linear path. Also included is a
mini-retrospective with UCLA film historian Robert
Gitts and the original theatrical trailer. These
are wonderful supplements. One merely wishes that
more had been done in the restoration of the film. |
