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Howard
Hawks' THE
BIG SLEEP (1946) starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall is
a very complicated film. It was originally shot in December 1944, a few
months after Bogart and
Bacall
debut pairing, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944), and a few months before the
two stars married. THE BIG SLEEP was based on the Raymond Chandler
detective mystery of the same name, and was originally slated for
release in 1945, but Warners Brothers
held it back despite the success of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT because
Bacall's second
vehicle, CONFIDENTIAL AGENT (1945) in which she co-starred with Charles
Boyer,
was not well received. Warner Bros. decided to improve THE BIG SLEEP, adding more of the snappy, sultry
dialogue between Bogart and
Bacall (most
notably, the horse racing conversation) which had made TO HAVE AND HAVE
NOT so popular. Unfortunately,
while this made THE BIG SLEEP into a true film-noir classic,
Warners also
decided to cut a few scenes from the original (1945) version of the film
to keep its length manageable, and the result is a plot that, even after
repeated viewings, is almost incomprehensible.
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people are killed in the course of the film, and one before the
action begins. A few of the murders are easily explained, but
others remain a mystery, either with regard to the murderer, the
motive, or both. While one can conjecture various ways to fill
in the blanks, it is impossible to understand everything based
on what is given in the film itself. The original 1945 version
was located and made available in 1997. It is easier to
understand, though lacking the Bacall-Bogie-isms that make the
1946 version the classic that it is. I have also heard that
reading the book is really the only way to completely grasp the
whole of the plot. However, a movie is never exactly a
representation of the book from which it is taken (and this was
especially true during the days when the Production Code
restricted film content). Therefore, I have attempted below to
explain what really happens in THE BIG SLEEP as best as I
understand it. My goal is to clarify (and this essay assumes the
reader has seen the film), but keep in mind that mine is just
one of many possible interpretations.
From
Geiger's house, Marlowe calls Mars and tells him to meet him there,
pretending that he's still at the house behind the service station and
that it will take him a while to get to Geiger's house. They hide and
Mars arrives early to set a trap for them. He has his men surround the
house and then goes inside and tries to cut the phone wire but finds out
that Marlowe and Mrs. Rutledge are already there. They know he has the
house surrounded.
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On the spot,
Mars tells Marlowe that Regan is dead and that Carmen did it. He also
tells him about how Carmen was in love with Regan but that Regan was in
love with his wife, and admits to blackmailing Mrs. Rutledge with the
information about Carmen's guilt. After Marlowe fires a few shots into
the floor and wounds Mars, Mars' men outside think that Marlowe must
have killed Mars, so when he goes running out the front door yelling
"Don't shoot!" they accidentally kill him, thinking he's
Marlowe. Marlowe picks up the phone and calls Bernie at the police
station. Still loyal to Mrs. Rutledge and her desire to protect her
sister and father, Marlowe tells Bernie that Mars killed Regan and is
now dead himself, having been killed by his own men. He then tells Mrs.
Rutledge that she'll have to send Carmen away to an institution or
something, since we know that according to the Production Code, a killer
can never get off unpunished in the end.
| MURDER
RECAP: MM
What Happened ? |
| #1 |
Carmen
killed Regan out of jealousy. |
| #2 |
Owen
Taylor, the Sternwood chauffeur, shot Geiger at his house
because he loved Carmen and didn't like that she was being
blackmailed. |
| #3 |
Joe
Brody killed Owen Taylor and pushed his car into the ocean to
get the film from Geiger's camera back. |
| #4 |
Geiger's
shadow (Carol Lundgren) shot Brody as he answered his
apartment door because he mistakenly thought that Brody was the
one who killed Geiger. |
| #5 |
Canino,
one of Eddie Mars' henchman, poisoned Harry Jones because he knew
too much (via Agnes). |
| #6 |
Marlowe
killed Canino as he shot his way out of the house behind the
service station. |
| #7 |
Eddie
Mars was killed by his own men as he ran out of Geiger's
house. |
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| Get
the 'Big Sleep' Trio : |
$
28.00 Total Cost includes shipping |
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The
'Big Sleep' comes in 2 original production versions. The
original director's cut & the messed up, confusing studio
version. Also available a 30 min. UCLA Film
documentary.
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The
Big Sleep
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PREVIEW
VERSION not release until 1997. |
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The
Big Sleep
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RELEASE
VERSION cut up and re-filmed. |
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The
Big Sleep
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30
min. UCLA Documentary on production saga. |
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Watch
all three tapes back to back for a great night of entertainment
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A
30 minute study on the 2 versions and how the movie was
made,
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reshot
and revised. WOW!! GREAT!! GET ALL THREE!!
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