Average Excellence
Robert Altman is a filmmaker that will either fascinate viewers with his hodgepodge cast of characters or make films to replace an insomniac's sleeping pills. One of his most recent films titled Gosford Park won critical acclaim and was awarded the Academy Award in 2001 for best original screenplay, but was painstakingly boring for many of its audiences. It had a slow developing plot, a vast cast of supporting characters, and basically showed boring rich English snobs going about their everyday life until the plot actually started half way through the film. However, with the plot moving at the pace of a snail it is fascinating to watch these extremely diverse characters interact, which is where many of Altman’s films find their charm and appeal. One film inparticular that demonstrates this creative tension of plot speed and character interactions is his 1973 detective piece The Long Goodbye. This film is defiantly not a classic worthy of being shelved next to Birth of a Nation or Citizen Kane, but is an entertaining character piece that combines everything from naked yoga brownie babes to a special cat with a stubborn taste pallet.
The Long Goodbye is modeled after the classic detective movies common of the 1940’s film noir genre. This film does have many classic noir elements including the typical male detective (Philip Marlowe), a femme fatale (Eileen Wade), and is set in the Hollywood Hills. The opening scene sets the unique tone of the film by having the protagonist, Philip Marlowe, set out on a three a.m. search for a specific brand of cat food after being rejected by his hungary feline companion. This is just the beginning of a long string of bizarre story elements that twist and turn into an intricate web of lies and murder. Eventually, Detective Marlowe is confronted by an old friend, Terry Lennox, who asks for a ride to Mexico to escape the grasp of his wife. Marlowe agrees and ironically enough finds himself imprisoned for murder the very next day, but is released soon enough when the authorities discover that Lennox has committed suicide. This closes the case on the murder of Lennox’s wife for everyone except Marlowe, and causes him to begin an investigation that will eventually bring the film to a close. Even though the plot sounds intriguing enough the speed at which this unravels on screen would rival paint on the wall in a drying contest. It is extremely slow to watch, but acts as a window into the life of a private eye.
With the film moving at a slow pace it basically models detective Marlowe’s life during the drug induced slow motion of the 1970’s. Before going into this film one must understand that the life of a detective is not the most exciting to watch. These people are hired to watch other regular people live their everyday lives until a clue surfaces, and for viewers who enjoy this type of film The Long Goodbye will suit you wonderfully. However, for viewers who are not hard core detective film fans it seems more entertaining to watch and see where Marlowe might strike his next match than following the murder investigation. By Altman taking his time in retelling Robert Chandler’s 1953 popular detective novel it allows the audience to experience the colorful characters of this film noir above and beyond the original noirs of the 1940’s. Whatever it is that this film is lacking in pacing it makes up for in the interactions between Marlowe and the rest of the world.
Detective Marlowe looks like a perfect walking talking mannequin from a 1950’s Sears catalogue. He always dresses in a three piece suit and like the classic noir detectives has cigarettes ready to be smoked, but the only problem with this is that he is stuck in a decade that ended twenty years earlier. He looks the part of the stereotypical 1940’s film noir detective, but is living in the ever changing world of the 70’s which is the real entertainment begins. Add into the mix of this typical film noir detective a colony of nudist female yoga enthusiast living across the way who use a stop light as a porch decoration one can barely keep a chuckle down. During the duration of the film Marlowe does have some contact with these young women, but at times he literally just doesn’t speak their language. It is quite entertaining to see a person who is in a profession that requires expertise in observing and analyzing human behavior, but can barely ask his neighbors if they have seen his beloved lost cat. The naked yoga enthusiastic neighbors of his are only a small piece of the character quilt that makes up this film, but are much needed comedic relief for the viewers who are on the verge of death from boredom.
Overall The Long Goodbye is great for audiences who are fans of the detective genre and are willing to see a fresh spin on an iconic American cinema movement, but just don’t expect to be ready to operate any heavy machinery right after viewing. It has many elements of the typical 1940’s detective drama but gives the genre a breath of fresh air, and opens these films to a whole new generation of audiences. The Long Goodbye does have it entertaining moments and appeals to the person who finds enjoyment in laid back subtle humor between colorful characters. However, this film takes too long in developing a concrete plot surrounding Detective Marlowe worth following. Basically, the film is worthy of a six and a half rating on a one to ten scale it defiantly isn't an American cinema classic, but it worthy of audience attention when it comes onto a cable channel.
The Long Goodbye is modeled after the classic detective movies common of the 1940’s film noir genre. This film does have many classic noir elements including the typical male detective (Philip Marlowe), a femme fatale (Eileen Wade), and is set in the Hollywood Hills. The opening scene sets the unique tone of the film by having the protagonist, Philip Marlowe, set out on a three a.m. search for a specific brand of cat food after being rejected by his hungary feline companion. This is just the beginning of a long string of bizarre story elements that twist and turn into an intricate web of lies and murder. Eventually, Detective Marlowe is confronted by an old friend, Terry Lennox, who asks for a ride to Mexico to escape the grasp of his wife. Marlowe agrees and ironically enough finds himself imprisoned for murder the very next day, but is released soon enough when the authorities discover that Lennox has committed suicide. This closes the case on the murder of Lennox’s wife for everyone except Marlowe, and causes him to begin an investigation that will eventually bring the film to a close. Even though the plot sounds intriguing enough the speed at which this unravels on screen would rival paint on the wall in a drying contest. It is extremely slow to watch, but acts as a window into the life of a private eye.
With the film moving at a slow pace it basically models detective Marlowe’s life during the drug induced slow motion of the 1970’s. Before going into this film one must understand that the life of a detective is not the most exciting to watch. These people are hired to watch other regular people live their everyday lives until a clue surfaces, and for viewers who enjoy this type of film The Long Goodbye will suit you wonderfully. However, for viewers who are not hard core detective film fans it seems more entertaining to watch and see where Marlowe might strike his next match than following the murder investigation. By Altman taking his time in retelling Robert Chandler’s 1953 popular detective novel it allows the audience to experience the colorful characters of this film noir above and beyond the original noirs of the 1940’s. Whatever it is that this film is lacking in pacing it makes up for in the interactions between Marlowe and the rest of the world.
Detective Marlowe looks like a perfect walking talking mannequin from a 1950’s Sears catalogue. He always dresses in a three piece suit and like the classic noir detectives has cigarettes ready to be smoked, but the only problem with this is that he is stuck in a decade that ended twenty years earlier. He looks the part of the stereotypical 1940’s film noir detective, but is living in the ever changing world of the 70’s which is the real entertainment begins. Add into the mix of this typical film noir detective a colony of nudist female yoga enthusiast living across the way who use a stop light as a porch decoration one can barely keep a chuckle down. During the duration of the film Marlowe does have some contact with these young women, but at times he literally just doesn’t speak their language. It is quite entertaining to see a person who is in a profession that requires expertise in observing and analyzing human behavior, but can barely ask his neighbors if they have seen his beloved lost cat. The naked yoga enthusiastic neighbors of his are only a small piece of the character quilt that makes up this film, but are much needed comedic relief for the viewers who are on the verge of death from boredom.
Overall The Long Goodbye is great for audiences who are fans of the detective genre and are willing to see a fresh spin on an iconic American cinema movement, but just don’t expect to be ready to operate any heavy machinery right after viewing. It has many elements of the typical 1940’s detective drama but gives the genre a breath of fresh air, and opens these films to a whole new generation of audiences. The Long Goodbye does have it entertaining moments and appeals to the person who finds enjoyment in laid back subtle humor between colorful characters. However, this film takes too long in developing a concrete plot surrounding Detective Marlowe worth following. Basically, the film is worthy of a six and a half rating on a one to ten scale it defiantly isn't an American cinema classic, but it worthy of audience attention when it comes onto a cable channel.
posted by Jessica B. at
3:01 PM
0 Comments
