ANGIE'S TOP FILMS: Everybody's giving Bogey guns these days.
THE BIG SLEEP
(1946)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers.
Directed by: Howard Hawks.
Rated: Unrated.
I may be pragmatic and realistic when it comes to romance in my own life, but DAMN, I'm a hopeless romantic when it comes to Hollywood love stories. And the love story between Bogey and Bacall, as entangled as it was considering Bogey was married when he met Bacall and there was a huge age gap, remains one of my favourite real-life romances of all time. They spark off each other in their performances together, and it's a little depressing when I think about how brief their time was together before Bogey died.
The Big Sleep was the first Bogey/Bacall picture I ever saw, and that's a large reason why it's here on the list and To Have and Have Not isn't (which, to speak blasphemy, I prefer over Casablanca, a film it was basically modeled after). It was also the second picture the pair ever made, and Bacall -- barely 20 -- made quite the impression on me with her classy maturity and smoky voice.
She even made shoulder pads gorgeous.
The set-up is this: Private detective Philip Marlowe (Bogart) is hired by rich General Sternwood to investigate a blackmail against his youngest daughter, Carmen (Vickers). Before long Marlowe is up to his neck in murder, blackmail, gambling, and a bit bamboozled by the beautiful but dangerous Vivian Sternwood (Bacall), the elder daughter of the General.
The Big Sleep is, to be fair, a pretty convoluted film with a twisty plot that is murky at best. This is in large part due to the edits the film underwent before being officially released in 1946. When the film was previewed for audiences in 1945, there was an overwhelming demand for more Bogey and Bacall scenes -- so Hawks and company went back and shot several supplimental scenes and chopped out some of the mystery to make room. Thus the official theatrical release is full of smoldering Bogey/Bacall scenes at the expense of a more coherent plot.
But oh brother, I'm fine with having more Bogey and Bacall in my life.
Yes, this movie's biggest appeal is watching the leads play off one another, manipulating each other to get what they want and exchanging fast-paced retorts and cigarettes. But there's plenty to be said for the scenes where Bogey is the private dick to the full hilt. Some of my favourite moments in the film are when Bogey's hard at work detecting, playing at being a nebbish book collector, knocking guns out of mooks' hands, flirting with a lady cab driver and bookstore clerk, and always quick with a quip when staring down the barrel of a gun.
I love Humphrey Bogart. I love that he was a short guy with a big forehead and a heavy lisp, and yet could still play a most convincing romantic/tough guy lead. I love how he looked in sharp black suits and a fedora, how he could be wonderfully snarky with a cigarette hanging off his lip, and I love how he could go from pitiful puppy dog to outraged hero in a few short moments.
And Bacall, ohhhh, Bacall. Lauren Bacall really embodies the classic Hollywood leading lady for me. And in The Big Sleep she does some of her best work. She's elegant and fierce, fiery and vulnerable, smooth talking and manipulative, and always drop-dead gorgeous with her sleepy eyes, full lips, and sultry voice. Lauren Bacall is a woman who could have only been born in the 20s and come of age in the 40s -- she was meant to play the mobster's moll and spoiled socialite.
And what a dynamic pair they were, both on the screen and off...
If you're a fan of noir, mystery, or Bogey (and if you're not a fan of Bogey, you're not human), The Big Sleep is worth checking out. There's murder, mayhem, singing, sharp suits, and plenty of cigarette smoke for atmosphere.
On a scale of 1 to 10: The Big Sleep bumps off a solid 9.
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