The Big Sleep

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Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made screen history together more than once, but they were never more popular than in this 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, directed by Howard Hawks (To Have and Have Not). Bogart plays private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by a wealthy socialite (Bacall) to look into troubles stirred up by her wild, young sister (Martha Vickers). Legendarily complicated (so much so that even Chandler had trouble following the plot), the film is nonetheless hugely entertaining and atmospheric, an electrifying plunge into the exotica of detective fiction. William Faulkner wrote the screenplay. --Tom Keogh

Description

L.A. private eye Phillip Marlowe takes on a blackmail case...and a trail peopled with murderers, porographers, nightclub rogues, the spoiled rich and more. Humphrey Boart plays Raymond Chandlers' legendary gumshoe and director Howard Hawkes serves up snappy character encounters (particularly involving Lauren Bacall), brisk pace and atmosphere galore in the certified classic.

Customer Reviews:

Still one of the best.......2007-09-06

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. However, I just finished reading Raymond Chandler's novel, "The Big Sleep," and I am astounded by how much the screen version deviated from the original story. Apparently, most of this was done to provide a bigger and better part for Lauren Bacall. And, of course, a film made in the 40's could not be as sexually explicit as Chandler's novel which meant that Carmen Sternwood could not be accurately portrayed. I will just say that the original Chandler story is so much tighter and more believable than the screen version. Another thing I realized after reading the book is that Humphrey Bogart probably wasn't the best choice for a Phillip Marlowe. Marlowe was 33 in "The Big Sleep," very tall and good looking. While Bogart nailed Marlowe's cynicism and wit, he lacked all of the physical attributes. Dick Powell's Marlowe in "Murder, my Sweet" is a much closer match. Either way, "The Big Sleep" is a great, classic movie and the book is even better.

Another classic hard-boiled detective flick.......2007-09-01

Philip Marlowe is called upon by a wealthy widower to investigate a blackmail scheme involving one of his daughters. Draw into a complex web of blackmail, shady gambler and a mysterious disappearance of a former IRA soldier. Marlowe trades quips with the older daughter who is trying to find out what her father hired him for. Murder and murder leaves a trail to a shoot-out with the gamblers hired guns. A top-notch detectiver yarn.

Excellent.......2007-08-27

"The Big Sleep", based on the detective novel of the same name by Raymond Chandler, is one of those old classic movies that everyone knows about but very few people seem to have actually sat down and watched. But take it from me, this movie is definitely worth watching.

In addition to being based on Chandler's classic hard boiled novel, the movie stars film giants Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. And the screen play was written by none other than William Faulkner himself (during his Hollywood writing phase).

Not having read the original novel, I'm not sure how much of the screenplay is Faulkner and how much is original Chandler, but the dialogue is crackling with wit. Brilliant one liners are flying around so fast it's difficult to keep track of them all. And Bogart does a great job delivering them as the wise cracking detective.

My only complaint about this movie is it seemed to go one a bit too long for my attention span. But maybe that's my failing instead of the movie's. Like a lot of detective stories, just when you think you have everything all wrapped up, a twist gets thrown in and it turns out the story is only half over.

Still, 60 years later this film can hold its own with any of today's Hollywood blockbusters. If you haven't seen this film yet, check it out. It's one of those classic films that doesn't feel at all like a stuffy classic film when you're watching it.

Fantastic movie.......2007-08-09

Ordinarily I don't care for mystery or detective movies or TV shows. The rhythms and conventions of the genre are unfamiliar to me, so I usually miss the shorthand in such films, and get lost in the plots. "The Big Sleep," however, has the amazing quality that it is at once supremely convoluted and simply direct. Perhaps that's because it's a great Chandler novel adapted for the screen by Leigh Brackett (writer of "The Empire Strikes Back," the best of the "Star Wars" movies) and William Faulkner (!). With writers like that, how can you go wrong? The special features note that the two of them wrote the film in 8 days, each writing half. That does explain the fact that something like an ending happens halfway through this movie. Hey, I said it was convoluted.

The stars aligned for this film, with fantastic performances all around, a great screenplay, and the trademark Howard Hawks direction of fast dialogue with no surplusage. Of course, Bogart and Bacall have their usual magic - perhaps because they were married by the time the film was done shooting. The special features on this DVD are not extensive, but they are interesting and worthwhile.

Even people who are not film noir mavens or devotees of all films black and white, but who just enjoy good film, will like this movie. "The Big Sleep" is at least worth a rent.

Light another cigarette.......2007-08-01

It's got 1940's cars, offices, clothes, phones, cabs, guns, clubs, dames, rain, fog, hats. It's got Bogart and Bacall. It's got Elisha Cook Jr (in a small but effective role). It's got a long convoluted story that allows Bogart to be Bogart scene after scene. And Bogart IS in charge of every situation. Every dame, EVERY dame, in the film throws him a look that he feels in his left front hip pocket. There is the omniscient Max Steiner score that tells us how Bogart feels, and how we feel about every scene/situation. The terse tought bantering conversations. There is a restaurant scene with Bogie and Bacall, where ostensibly they are discussing race horses. But we realise they are actually revealing to each other their love making styles/preferences. It is sexier then any between the sheets body double close ups of body parts "love scenes" we experience nowadays. This is Warner Brothers, Bogart, Bacall, Hawks etc in top form.

Average customer rating:

Still one of the best
Another classic hard-boiled detective flick
Excellent
Fantastic movie
Light another cigarette

The Big Sleep (Snap case)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Lauren Bacall , John Ridgely , Martha Vickers , and Dorothy Malone
Director: Howard Hawks
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00002E227
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Amazon.com essential video

Description

L.A. private eye Philip Marlowe takes on a blackmail case...and a trail peopled with murderers, pornographers, nightclub rogues, the spoiled rich and more. Humphrey Bogart plays Raymond Chandlers' legendary gumshoe and director Howard Hawks serves up snappy character encounters (particularly involving Lauren Bacall), brisk pace and atmosphere galore in the certified classic.

Customer Reviews:

Still one of the best.......2007-09-06

Another classic hard-boiled detective flick.......2007-09-01

Excellent.......2007-08-27

Fantastic movie.......2007-08-09

Light another cigarette.......2007-08-01

Average customer rating:

A Seemingly Simple Story That Unravels Its Twists Surprisingly Well
Disappointing
Another Film du noir
Not the best laid film, but it gets extra points for originality
Contrived, convoluted, but somewhat watchable

Best Laid Plans
Starring: Alessandro Nivola , Reese Witherspoon , Josh Brolin , Gene Wolande , and Jonathan McMurtry
Director: Mike Barker
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 630571486X
Release Date: 2000-02-22

Amazon.com

At first, Best Laid Plans comes off like yet another all-flash-no-substance crime thriller, but it's one of those rare films that end better than they start. Nick (Alessandro Nivola from Face/Off), broke and desperate to get out of his suffocating small town, agrees to take part in a drug heist. When his partners get caught, he has less than a week to come up with $15,000 or suffer the consequences. When his college buddy Brice (Josh Brolin--Flirting with Disaster) comes back to town, Nick and his girlfriend Lissa (Reese Witherspoon) hatch a plan to bilk Brice out of a rare collectible. Of course, things go wrong--which is where things get entertaining. The plot could use a few more twists to really crackle, but the surprises it does have work, and the ending is both clever and affecting. Along the way, the best scene features a drug dealer who quotes economic theory from the bible of capitalism, The Wealth of Nations. In the past few years, Witherspoon has turned in superb performances in such varied movies as Freeway, Pleasantville, and especially Election; Best Laid Plans doesn't make much use of her talent, but she's always watchable. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Welcome to Tropico, a gray little town smack dab in the middle of nowhere where nothing ever happens- until a botched robbery leaves Nick (Alessandro Nivola) 48 hours to pay up or die. Desperate, Nick and his girlfriend Lissa (Reese Witherspoon) undertake drastic measures to get their hands on some fast cash. Enter Nick's old college chum Bryce (Josh Brolin), a seemingly easy mark who holds the ticket to the couple's salvation. But before long, all three young people will find themselves entwined in a dangerous web of betrayal and seduction that L.A. Weekly calls "a treasure map of double crosses and hairpin turns."

Customer Reviews:

A Seemingly Simple Story That Unravels Its Twists Surprisingly Well.......2007-09-07

Screenwriter Ted Griffin ('Ocean's Eleven', 'Matchstick Men', 'Rumor Has It', etc) has provided a story for this little film that is successful on many levels: it is a suspenseful mystery, an intelligent look at the Now Generation's unstable approach to life as hopefully handed to them on their parents' goodwill, a mind twister full of surprises, and most of all a metaphor for where we now stand as a consumer world contained in disposable vials. Working with director Mike Barker's keen sense of timing and comic relief, a fine young cast of notable actors drives this story of desperate turns of fate to an unsuspected ending. The trip is worth your attention.

The nowhere/somewhere town setting is Tropico, a dusty boring little place whose reason for existing is a massive recycling plant for discarded containers - just the right setting for a story about little town people who have discarded their dreams. Nick (Alessandro Nivola) works in the recycling plant, basing his hopes for something better on the death of his father and the Will through which he plans to gain a comfortable inheritance. But the Life Insurance policy is negated after an autopsy report reveals a 'preexisting condition' and the remaining assets of his father are owed to the IRS. Nick is broke and in his low state of esteem agrees to be a driver for a drug heist to make enough money to leave boring Tropico. The heist is a bust and Nick is threatened by the owner of the drug stash that he must come up with a large sum of money or else. Nick turns to his girlfriend Lissa (Reese Witherspoon) who also wants to leave Tropico and reluctantly agrees to a complex scam against Nick's old college chum Bryce (Josh Brolin). When that scam falls apart there are even more surprises that keep the story bubbling until the unsuspected conclusion.

Nivola is outstanding in this tricky role and Witherspoon and Brolin are convincing. Of note there is a very brief role for newcomer Terrence Howard - the film was made in 1999 before some of these actors gained notoriety in the Oscars. Though not entirely without flaws, this fascinating study of recyclable people enmeshed in their own wayward schemes is an entertaining and stimulating tour de force for all involved. It is well worth a second look! Grady Harp, September 07

Disappointing.......2007-03-12

A Professor of literature has a woman accuse him of rape. The Professor goes berserk. I won't give more of the story away. Basically, the movie is a thriller and there are two twists in it. The first twist I saw from a mile away but I was surprised about the second one. The good thing about this movie was the romantic story, you felt the actors actually had some chemistry and genuinely cared for each other. This is in contrast to other movies where there is no character development and the romantic portion of the story feels forced.

I was expecting an exciting thriller. The movie's script is average, the acting is OK, and the ending was not that good. For me, there was no likable character in this movie.

Another Film du noir.......2006-06-10

I saw the scene,where they have Lissa chained to the pool table and gagged in the basement.I didn't understand most of the movie. I bet Kim Possible,Ron Stoppabl,and Rufus can deal with them.

Not the best laid film, but it gets extra points for originality.......2006-03-22

I must say that 'Best Laid Plans' is in a league of it's own. I have never seen a movie that took me for the turns this film did, and anyone who says that they guessed the ending is just lying to make their hatred for this movie resonate. This film may not be perfect, and there are some boring scenes as they try to hard to explain the state Nick is in, but the overall plot of this film is one I've never seen done before. From the opening scene in the bar when Reese enters till you find her chained up in the basement and she tells Nick "we're screwed" you start to realize that what you think you know, you don't...and thats the case throughout this entire movie. From the start to the finish you have no clue who's involved in what. When Nick (Nivola) makes the bad choice of stealing some dope with friends and his friends are caught he ends up at the bad end of the gun. He has just a few days to get $15,000 or he's going to be worse than dead...Then his friend Brice (Brolin) moves back and Nick and Lissa (Witherspoon) come up with a plan, only it backfires, and then they find a way out of it, but that plan backfires and before you know it their back where they started, litterally. THis movie, for all it's twists and turns and ORIGINALITY, while not being perfect still is a recomended film for anyone who wants to see something fresh and different than the normal popcorn munching drama. 4 1/2 stars.

Contrived, convoluted, but somewhat watchable.......2005-12-28

This mostly forgotten thriller starring Reese Witherspoon (Lissa) and Alessandro Nivola (Nick) suffers from a mightily contrived plot and a "Huh?--What happened?" ending. Nick is a guy who works at the local recycling plant (that's a new workplace for celluloid protagonists) who is about to inherit some big bucks from his father who has just kicked the bucket.

Meanwhile some of his coworkers are scheming up a plot to...well, no spoilers here. Let's just say that the viewer does not find out about this plot until the end, and then it seems a little...well, lame.

Along comes Lissa looking mighty fine and they fall in love, although I must say the chemistry certainly didn't spark up the screen. Now comes complication number one: the old man blew almost all his money and what he didn't blow the IRS is grabbing. Because of this Nick gets tempted into driving a get-away car for a drug rip off... Things go awry and Nick ends up in deep doo-doo, and in desperation gets Lissa to help him rip off an old school chum...which... Well, what these people do in desperation is a little on the unbelievable side.

I'm sorry that's all vague, but at least it's enough information to let you know if you actually saw this movie or not. Now, if you like probability-challenged, convoluted plots with loose ends and a lot of unlikely twists and turns, you might find this movie interesting. And if you like Reese, and you should, you might also find a reason for sticking around until the end. I know I did. She does a good job and looks good doing it.

Bottom line: although the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, it can also be said that the most meticulously contrived plots sometimes turn out about as convincing as pseudoscience. Incidentally the title is a paraphrase of the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns's line: "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/Gang aft a-gley."

Average customer rating:

Great for 40's and 50's film lovers!
one star is too kind
the last heist s/have been more!
A collection of trailers with truncated films
Not worth your time or money.

The Best of Film Noir
Starring: John Houseman , James Bacon , Humphrey Bogart , Charlton Heston , and Janet Leigh
Manufacturer: PASSPORT VIDEO
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ASIN: B00000IBQG
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Description

The films about the tough guys and the femme fatales. Film Noir is Hollywood's truly original vision of the shadowy, smoky underworld. In films from the 40s and 50s, they entertain us with intrigue, conflict, and lust. The Best of Film Noir takes you to that other side of life which only a movie can - the Hollywood of not only yesteryear, but today as well. Films like The Maltese Falcon, Kiss Me Deadly, Double Indemnity, This Gun for Hire, Mildred Pierce, DOA, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Bad and the Beautiful, Detour, Touch of Evil, Out of the Past, including the original coming attraction trailers for Rear Window, Notorious, Vertigo, and many others! Stars such as Robert Mitchum, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant, John Garfield, Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Lee Marvin, Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Ingrid Bergman, Fred MacMurray, Alan Ladd, Jane Greer, Janet Leigh, Ralph Meeker, Cloris Leachman and many more!

SPECIAL TO THIS DVD VERSION ONLY! Chapters you can access immediately: Including exclusive interviews and rare Academy Award ceremony footage: The Big Knife: entire trailer, and an exclusive interview with star Rod Steiger. Bogie & Bacall: an interview with Hollywood Studio-era columnist James Bacon-- and very rare footage of Bogie joking with Bob Hope on the 1955 Oscar telecast. A Touch of Evil: a new interview with star Janet Leigh about the re-release of this classic, as well as comments on working with director Orson Welles, from Charlton Heston and actor-producer John Houseman. Jeffrey Wells, Film Critic and Columnist on Noir classics. And condensed versions of two Noir classics: Detour and D.O.A.

Customer Reviews:

Great for 40's and 50's film lovers!.......2007-07-08

This was a great movie for me to watch. I love 40's and 50's movies, so I thought the movie really showed a lot of the different movies from that time period. I even went out and bought a few of the movies that were featured. The video also shows exclusive interviews and some Academy award footage. It definitely shows the differences and similarities to today's Hollywood image.

one star is too kind.......2002-09-30

Derived almost exclusively from trailers from the worst source prints imaginable, the accompanying serious narrative includes such gaffs as: Raymond Chandler is the author of The Maltese Falcon (a mistake that is made repeatedly); and the plot of Notorious described as: "a man in love with a scientist's daughter - the scientist is held captive by Nazi collaborators." I kid you not.

the last heist s/have been more!.......2001-05-18

"the new jazzy film noir film" The last Heist"should make quentin tarrintino sit up and take notice!" he should veiw this good one and take notice and notes! THE CAMERIDERIE AND DIALOGUE IS REAL REAL AND HOMOROUS & GRITTY. VIOLENCE DRAMATIC AND DIFFINETLY NEEDED!

A collection of trailers with truncated films.......2001-03-11

This is the oddest DVD: A collection of trailers for various film noir works, weak narrative connecting them, and some VERY truncated pieces of "DOA". Unless you want to watch a bunch of trailers, or a VERY edited version of DOA, don't bother.

Not worth your time or money........1999-07-07

Film Noir is a rich and complex genre but you would never know it from this supposed documentary on the subject. "The Best of Film Noir" is actually an arbitrary assemblage of period trailers linked by some very superficial commentary. The films mentioned seem to be limited to the trailers available to the producers, and include some movies that are only Noir by a far stretch and exclude many of the most significant items in the genre. A newcomer to the genre would never learn that it was a visually rich expressionistic form with complex emotional textures from "The Best of Film Noir," and the shallowness of the production will probably annoy anyone who knows anything about it. You won't see any notable scenes nor get any real analysis. At the most you'll see a lot of Bogart trailers and hear Lauren Bacall say a few very clever lines.

The second program includes a few badly produced and pointless short interviews, some random Oscar footage, and "condensed" versions of "D.O.A." and "Detour," both misguided and both taken from shabby, visually inferior prints of the films. "The Best of Film Noir" is a waste of time and certainly a waste of money.

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