Farewell, My Lovely

This is an update of the mid-40s Raymond Chandler adaptation, "Murder My Sweet, starring Dick Powell. In this one, Robert Mitchum takes Powell's role as Philip Marlowe. Since this movie was made in the mid '70s, in means the main difference in the story was the addition of profanity and nudity, although they didn't go overboard in either category. They kept the '40s look with the cars, clothes, styles, etc. and that looked great. The rest was similar to the classic film: a confusing plot that was hard to figure out, a lot of wise-guy remarks but overall it just didn't have the edge the earlier film possessed. Something was flat about this film. It dragged too much and was even more confusing than the 1944 movie. Usually, modern films move faster than the classics, but in case, the opposite is true.

The choice of Mitchum for the lead role really did work. The novel suggest a tired Marlowe, who has had enough of being "detective to the stars". He wants to get out of his seedy little life, and change things, but instead, he gets wrapped up in another case. Mitchum's hang dog expression and tired wise guy act sums up the depression of the fallen hero. This is not the smooth talking Bogart, not the finely clipped and smooth Powell, but a harder, more experienced Marlowe, a man more aware of his own downfall. As he says to knulty, what he need is a nights sleep, what he needs is another drink. After watching this truly excellent recreation of late forties LA, I'm not sure that I couldn't agree with him. Ah yes, and Charlotte Rampling and the sometime Thelma really was "cuter than lace pants"

Robert Mitchum was born to play Philip Marlowe! The rest of the cast is excellent as well, with Charlotte Rampling particularly good and a cast with lots of familiar faces in supporting roles. A particularly good adaptation of Raymond Chandler with Sylvia Miles getting a Supporting Actress nomination by the Academy. Very good. Recommended.

This is an extremely underrated film. It has a deliciousness, shot in whiskey tones. Mitchum's voice-over, with all the wry Chandler-esque tired wisdom, strikes a great balance of period, humor and self-awareness. Charlotte Rampling lives up to the sad, irresistible breathtaking beauty that you try to imagine reading some of Chandler's books. There was another Mitchum-Marlowe (The Big Sleep), and he was certainly born to play this role, but it missed the taste. Not so with this one. It's positively redolent. Great mystery story and lots of fun.

L.A. of June 1941 as it was depicted in the Raymond Chandler's novel of the same title is filled with the dark secrets of the past that better stay uncovered. Philip Marlow, PE (Robert Mitcum) takes a job to find a vanished girlfriend of the felon Moose Malloy, and he has no idea what will follow. As Marlow searches for Velma Galento, he has to deal with a beautiful but cold and calculating seductress (Charlotte Rampling - young, sensual and dangerous), a jealous corrupt detective (Stanton), an old alcoholic girlfriend (Sylvia Miles in one of her two Oscar nominated performances, second - the shortest in the history of Oscars, for "Midnight Cowboy"), and a buffed thug (Sylvester Stallone -- it was fun to see him before he became a star of Rocky and Rambo). This adaptation of Raymond Chandler novel features action, suspense, humor, mystery and Robert Mitchum in one of his best performances as a man struggling with cynicism, hatred, and betrayal.