THE LONG GOODBYE (1973)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Crime

Director: Robert Altman

Cast: Elliott Gould / Nina van Pallandt / Sterling Hayden

Plot

Private detective Philip Marlowe takes a case involving the suspicious suicide of his friend, only to uncover a tale of a drunken writer, his troubled wife, and a sociopathic gangster.

What I Liked

I like Raymond Chandler’s novels, though I never did get around to reading “The Long Goodbye.”  Apparently, this film is a very loose adaptation, the most obvious difference being that the film takes place during the early 1970s, when the movie was filmed, rather than the 1940s, when the novel was set to take place.  As a result, the character of Chandler’s famous detective, Philip Marlowe, is changed from hard-boiled tough guy to sarcastic jokester.  The 1970s-era Marlowe’s relaxed, wisecracking attitude represents a sort of generation gap in what passed for heroic in pre-war America and what was considered heroic for the baby boomer generation.  Refusing to curb his smart ass remarks for any kind of authority figure, be they doctors, cops, or mob bosses, Marlowe is a natural anti-establishment champion without even trying.

Of course Humphrey Bogart provided us with the quintessential example of the pre-war Marlowe in “The Big Sleep.”  To Elliott Gould’s credit, he in no way attempts to imitate or parody Bogart’s rugged performance in his incarnation, instead inventing his own, more casual and decidedly less intimidating Marlowe.  He’s more Kerouac than Bogart.  Though no less determined and intelligent in his pursuit of the truth, he forgoes the use of violence (with the exception of one shocking instance) in favor of quips and sneers.

I was surprised by Sterling Hayden, who I never considered much of an actor until I saw this movie.  Portraying a Hemingway-esque alcoholic writer named Wade (Chandler actually wrote him as a self-portrait), Hayden captures all that is mesmerizing and pathetic about self-destructive brilliance.  His is the most soulful and haunting performance of the film.

What I Didn’t Like

The only thing really disappointing about this movie is really how bland the whole plot is.  Most of Chandler’s novels involved the seedy secrets hidden beneath glamorous Hollywood.  The secrets particular to “The Long Goodbye” are rather tame and the big reveal of the conspiracy is consequently anticlimactic, even if the events of the final scene do shock.

Most Memorable Scene

*spoiler alert*

Gould’s Marlowe is so non-violent that by the end of the film the audience is starved for real action.  For a seventies crime thriller, “The Long Goodbye” lacks the gore and grittiness of most of its contemporaries.  To the filmmakers’ credit, the lack of action never gets in the way of maintaining the viewer's interest, thanks to intriguing characters and suspenseful predicaments.  Still, Marlowe is so relaxed and passive that even when he does draw his gun in the film’s final scene we still don’t believe it is in his nature to use it.  He proves us wrong, and still manages to throw in a sarcastic quip in the process.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5