The Big Sleep

Starring:Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, Peggy Knudsen, Regis Toomey, Charles Waldron, Charles D. Brown, Bob Steele, Elisha Cook Jr., Louis Jean Heydt, Max Barwyn, Forbes Murray, Emmett Vogan, Thomas E. Jackson, Joseph Crehan, Joy Barlow, Tom Fadden, Lorraine Miller
Director: Howard Hawks
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
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 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.

Bogie and Bacall - The Signature Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not)
Average customer rating:

If You Want Them, This Is It

Classic Bogie & Bacall

What's not to like?

the big sleep

A must have for Bogie & Bacall fans

Bogie and Bacall - The Signature Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , and Lauren Bacall
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FFL2Q6
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Amazon.com

Yes, it's true: you can virtually see Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall falling for each other in To Have and Have Not (1945), Howard Hawks's variation on Casablanca but adapted from--as legend has it--Ernest Hemingway's self-declared "worst novel." (The story goes that Hawks told Hemingway he could make a movie of the author's least work, and Hemingway gave him the rights to this story.) The script by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman actually makes this one of Hawks's and Bogart's most interesting and often exciting films. Bogart plays a boat captain who reluctantly agrees to help the French Resistance while wooing chanteuse Bacall. Hoagy Carmichael, wry at the piano, adds a delicious accent to an already wonderful mood.

Bogart and Bacall were never more popular than in The Big Sleep, the 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, directed by Howard Hawks. 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.

Dark Passage (1947) is a gimmicky film noir starring Bogart as an escaped criminal who undergoes plastic surgery and holes up at the home of Bacall's character while healing and preparing to prove his innocence. If you can last through the first half-hour of this thing--which is shot entirely from the subjective view of Bogart's bandaged face, which we don't see until later--you might find ample reason in the stars' performances to stick around for the conclusion. But director Delmer Daves (A Summer Place) tests a viewer's endurance with such an obvious, attention-getting ploy.

John Huston (The Maltese Falcon) directed Key Largo (1948), a smart thriller about a gangster (Edward G. Robinson) who holds a number of people hostage in a hotel in the Florida Keys during a tropical storm. Bogart is the returning war veteran who takes on the villains, and Bacall is on hand as one of the people on the wrong end of Robinson's gun. Somewhat similar in tone to To Have and Have Not this moody movie captures a certain despair offset by the bond between individuals united by common purpose. Claire Trevor won an Academy Award for her part as Robinson's alcoholic girlfriend. --Tom Keogh

Description

They met on the WB lot. The year was 1944. "I just saw your screen test," Bogart said to Bacall. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun together." And so it began... Listed as the Greatest Male Star of All Time and one the Greatest Female Legends by the American Film Institute, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in the all new Bogie & Bacall: The Signature Collection. This giftset includes all four films that starred one of classic Hollywood's noted couples.

Customer Reviews:

If You Want Them, This Is It.......2007-06-15

"Bogie and Bacall -- The Signature Collection," brings us the four movies the near-legendary Hollywood stars, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, made together, from first, Howard Hawks's 1944 "To Have and Have Not," in which the couple, just meeting, literally fall in love on screen, through probably their best together, 1946's "The Big Sleep," again directed by Hawks; their strangest, 1947's "Dark Passage," written and directed by Delmar Daves; and their last, the 1948 "Key Largo," directed by John Huston.

All four films are made by Warner Brothers, in black and white; all but "Dark Passage" made entirely on studio back lots, despite the ostensible tropical settings of "To Have and Have Not," and "Key Largo." In most, Bogie plays a character that will be familiar to his fans from his previous work, particularly the great wartime hit "Casablanca" that directly preceded "To Have." We see some of the familiar Warner Brothers company of supporting players in these films, and some well-known, highly-esteemed actors, but the pictures belong to Bogie and Bacall, as they fire up the screen, as lovers and then newly-marrieds.

"To Have and Have Not," supposedly resulted from a bet between Hawks and Ernest Hemingway, famed American author of the book on which it's based. Hawks said he could get a good movie from Hemingway's worst book, which this was. Hawks did so, with a screenplay by another famed American novelist, William Faulkner, and Jules Furthman. The picture, however, is an effort to remake "Casablanca," without Ingrid Bergman, or the earlier movie's sterling supporting cast. Set on a French-speaking Caribbean island, with Vichy French and Free French at war. Almost-heroic Free French fighter, and his wife. Bogie as Henry (Steve) Morgan, hardboiled antihero who sticks his neck out for nobody. Hugely talented American singer-songwriter Hoagy Carmichael as Cricket, singing piano player. Despite his many beautiful compositions, he just doesn't hold the screen as did Dooley Wilson, playing Sam, singer of "As Time Goes By," in the earlier film. Walter Brennan thrown in playing his stellar drunk, Eddie, asking people "Was you ever stung by a dead bee?" He's treated with romanticizing kid gloves by all concerned. And the breathtaking 19-year old Bacall, as Marie (Slim) Browning, who's just landed on the island because she's run out of money. She's given a snazzy check suit, and some snappy dialogue. Remember "You know how to whistle, don't you?" She even sings; legend says she was dubbed by Andy Williams, but that's not necessarily true. They say her part was beefed up when the studio execs saw what was happening onscreen. Sid Hickox's noirish cinematography also contributes greatly to a sexy, old-fashioned, rather routinely plotted, World War II thriller, combining romance, faraway adventure, and a macho Hemingway hero.

"The Big Sleep," 1944, was the second film made by the golden trio, Bogart, Bacall and Hawks. The screenplay, again, was by novelist Faukner, based, this time, on a detective novel of the same name by the Californian author Raymond Chandler. This noir mystery thriller also casts a backwards eye at "Casablanca." Here, Bogie plays Philip Marlowe, Chandler's existential, street-smart, courageous private eye, called to investigate efforts to blackmail the aging, incapacitated, wealthy General Sternwood about one of his daughters. Both the General's daughters, the old man admits, are wild, and have the vices of their class, but Carmen, played by Martha Vickers, is most troublesome; Vivian, played by Bacall, gambles, and seems, carelessly enough, to have recently misplaced her husband, of whom the General was fond. Still, in this picture, Vivian has great rooms and clothes, and a nifty white coupe convertible. Supporting players include Dorothy Malone, Peggy Knudsen, Bob Steele, Lash Canino, and Elisha Cook. Max Steiner contributed the atmospheric score. The notoriously complicated, difficult to follow plot is frequently interrupted by girls admiring Bogie, and stopped dead so Bacall can sing. The screenplay cleans up its source material considerably, still, it was considered an unusually violent and amoral movie for its time. Treatment of Los Angeles is moody; night scenes are shadow and fog, daylight scenes slightly, menacingly overblown. Nobody played harried and world-weary better than Bogart.

1947's "Dark Passage," noir thriller, was written and directed by Delmar Daves, based on a novel by David Goodis, who wrote the novel on which "Shoot The Piano Player" is based. It's set in San Francisco of the 40's, and may be the best screen treatment of that city at that time. Once again, Sidney Hickox's noirish cinematography takes full advantage of its flavorful setting, hills, bay, staircase streets. The building in which Bacall's character, Irene Jansen, supposedly lives, and its glass elevator, and her duplex apartment, are masterpieces of the "moderne" style then highly popular. Bogart plays Vincent Parry, a doctor unjustly convicted of killing his wife; at the film's opening, he's just escaped from San Quentin, coming home to clear himself. For the first hour, we never see him, only see everything through his eyes, then a new filmic technique. The gimmick is, he has plastic surgery so as to no longer be recognizable; he then becomes the Bogart we know. Housely Stevenson plays the plastic surgeon Dr. Walter Coley: his scenes are treated in a most Frankensteinian way. The plot takes some truly odd turns: we're to believe that Agnes Moorhead, who is surely riveting, could give Bacall a run for her money in the Bogart stakes. As if. Bacall doesn't sing, but she looks sensational, and has, in addition to that apartment, some stylish clothes and jewelry -- note the Mexican opals. She's also got an eye-catching, memorable "woody" station wagon.

"Key Largo," 1948, directed by John Huston, was the last screen pairing of our two leads. It's based on a stage play by Maxwell Anderson, nominally set in the tropical Florida Keys. A wheelchair-bound Lionel Barrymore plays James Temple, owner of the island hotel; Bacall plays Nora, his widowed daughter in law. Bogart plays Frank Mc Cloud, who fought the Italian campaign alongside the Temple boy until he was killed. Mc Cloud goes to visit the Temples off-season, and discovers that a powerful hurricane's coming. And that they are being terrorized by Edward G. Robinson, one of the great movie villains, playing gangster Johnny Rocco. Clair Trevor, playing Gaye Downs, Rocco's moll, former nightclub entertainer, gets to sing this time. She does an acapella "Moanin' Low," a song popularized by Libby Holman in the early 30's, and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for it. Bogart plays an unusually quiet version of his "I stick my neck out for nobody character." But, such are the burdens of marriage, Bacall is uncharacteristically demure. She doesn't appear to be wearing makeup, her eyes are downcast, and her wardrobe seems to consist of one --dowdy-- outfit. She doesn't have those lines, either: Barrymore and Robinson get them this time.

These four films are the components of this collection. There will be no more by our two great leads, and they were certainly among the screen's most incendiary lovers. If you want them, this is it.

Classic Bogie & Bacall.......2007-05-14

As a writer, I find it interesting to study classic movies that gripped our imaginations, found - and sometimes lost - romance, and always produced suspense. These Bogie & Bacall movies did it without the non-stop action of today's movies, the dynamite, the explosions, the sex, and the questionable language. And they all have withstood the test of time. Well worth watching.

What's not to like?.......2007-02-18

Well, really, this is it, one of the ultimate film collections out there. They are definitely good for what ails you. Have the flu? Settle in with these until it goes away. Three feet of snow outside? These will help you hold out until spring. Tired of special effects and mindless violence? Remind yourself of something truly special, the sparkle in Bacall's eyes when she goes after Bogart, and of a time when only bad guys met a bad end. Recovering from a breakup? Settle in and remind yourself of how relationships are supposed to work!

They are also good if you just want to be entertained. The movies are better together, because you can just keep going from one to the next and chances are, you will. The chemistry between those two is so good that you could completely fail to realize that these finely crafted story-driven films are pretty well written, too. If I had to choose some "desert-island movies," at least two of them would be from this collection and maybe all four.

the big sleep.......2007-01-29

Just when you think he's figured it out, he hasn't, but he does! I wish I'd lived then.

A must have for Bogie & Bacall fans.......2007-01-11

This set is the center of my collection. All four movies are excellent examples of these two at work. From their best "To Have and Have Not" to their work in "Dark Passage".

Average customer rating:

The Big Sleep
It still sizzles after all these years
Bogart's best film -- pure excellence!
DESERVES A BETTER DVD!!
murky it may be, but you cant help wallowing in the murk

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

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Detectives | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00002E227
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Amazon.com essential video

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 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:

The Big Sleep.......2007-06-25

Scripted by William Faulkner from Raymond Chandler's complex detective novel, Howard Hawks's "The Big Sleep" is a Hollywood whodunit of the highest order. Bogart famously cemented his trench-coated, tough-guy persona tackling the role of Chandler's shamus protagonist, Philip Marlowe, co-starring alongside young wife Bacall. "Sleep" piles up so many twists, turns, and bodies that ultimately you can't tell who killed whom- neither, apparently, could Chandler--but the Bogart-Bacall star wattage and Hawks's expert direction are such that you really don't care.

It still sizzles after all these years.......2007-06-15

If someone ever asked me to name a better "non-sensical" film than The Big Sleep," I would be hard pressed to ever name one . This film moves so fast, and is loaded with some of the most snappiest and memorable dialog, it hardly matters that the film as a whole doesn't make much sense. It's like it was specifically created to toss away any conventional story, and simply provide fast and furious entertainment....and boy does it ever. Bogart and Bacall are in it for the ride, and are absolute dynamite. But, just as good are Martha Vickers and Dorothy Malone. In fact, the entire cast seemed to be completely aware of what kind of film this was to be, and decided to have a blast.
We, the audience, can only be thankful for such a unique and enjoyable film. 61 years later, this film still ssssssmokes and will leave you breathless. It's truly tremendous fun and is highly recommended entertainment.

Bogart's best film -- pure excellence!.......2007-06-12

Where can I possibly begin to comment ?!? There's so much to say. Well, first I'll mention that this DVD has TWO SIDES, yielding two slightly differing versions of the film, so THAT is certainly a big bonus. I don't detect that one is greater than the other but I can say that both are magnificent. This is one film that I watch over and over, never tiring of it -- clearly it's counted in my top 10-rated films. The original story was also Raymond Chandler's premiere mystery, in my personal opinion, so it becomes a double-double whammy. There are so many details in this film that it's almost mandatory to watch it six or eight times just to hone in on all of them. The casting, cinematography, story-line, and locations are all better than brilliant. If I have a complaint with this film, it's that it's not shot in letterbox format -- I think that The Big Sleep might pre-date that particular technology, though, so my gripe is anachronistic and really not a legitimate one. Still, all-around, it's an absolute killer. Collector or not, buy this spectacular old Black and White classic and you'll not regret it once you've watched it for the first time.

DESERVES A BETTER DVD!!.......2007-05-29

This is a fantastic film. I highly reccomend it to fans of noir, classic films, crime dramas and "The Big Lebowski". My only problem is with this DVD itself. Dirt and scratces on the original film are evident in almost every scene. "The Big Sleep" is a great old film that deserves the rejuvenation treatment that Citizen Kane, the 3rd Man, the 2-disc Cassablanca and others have recieved.

murky it may be, but you cant help wallowing in the murk.......2007-05-05

ok, can YOU explain just what happens in this movie? if you can, youre the first in 60+ years whos done so! bogey & bacall are worth watching, and the direction by howard hawks will leave you dizzy -- but whether or not you enjoy that is purely a matter of personal taste. as a whodunit its not a great one; as a piece of atmosphere it is. if somebody ranked this *****, i wouldnt argue with him; if somebody ranked this *, i wouldnt argue with him. me? im a middle-brow kinda guy, so ill just go straight down the middle.

Average customer rating:

The Big Sleep
It still sizzles after all these years
Bogart's best film -- pure excellence!
DESERVES A BETTER DVD!!
murky it may be, but you cant help wallowing in the murk

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

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Detectives | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000FFJYA2
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Amazon.com essential video

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:

The Big Sleep.......2007-06-25

It still sizzles after all these years.......2007-06-15

Bogart's best film -- pure excellence!.......2007-06-12

DESERVES A BETTER DVD!!.......2007-05-29

murky it may be, but you cant help wallowing in the murk.......2007-05-05

Average customer rating:

So It's Not Bogie and Bacall; It Still Works
Some reviewers missed the point with their negative reviews
Who on Earth thought this would be a good idea, and how drunk were they at the time?
Eyes of the Beholder?
A Good "Raining Saturday" Afternoon Film

The Big Sleep
Starring: Robert Mitchum , Sarah Miles , Richard Boone , Candy Clark , and Joan Collins
Director: Michael Winner
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000639EY
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Product Description

Robert Mitchum is back as the legendary private investigator, Philip Marlowe. This adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic hard-boiled detective mystery features an all-star cast.Marlowe is hired by a retired general (James Stewart) to find out who has been blackmailing the old man's wild daughters (Sarah Miles and Candy Clark). At the same time he has to try to locate the missing husband of one of the daughters. Marlowe's search leads through a dangerous thicket of murder and suicide in the seedy criminal underworld straight to the headquarters of the notorious nightclub owner and gangland boss, Eddie Mars (Oliver Reed). Expert storyteller Raymond Chandler spins a masterful web of deceit, creating an intricate, spellbinding mystery full of bare-knuckle action and heart-pounding suspense.

System Requirements:

Running Time 102 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

So It's Not Bogie and Bacall; It Still Works.......2007-03-04

The American movie star Robert Mitchum headlines the 1978 English-made adaptation of Californian Raymond Chandler's famous noir novel, "The Big Sleep," generally considered an inferior remake of the 1946 American-made adaptation of the same novel, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. In any case, the plot centers on private investigator Marlowe, called to the aid of a rich family, the Sternwoods, who are being blackmailed. It then meanders to many highways and byways.

The 1946 American version is a classic of film noir, and an enduring entry in the Bogie/Bacall canon. But can we look at it a bit more closely? It's a Howard Hawks production, from Warner Brothers Studios. It is, of course, in black and white: Warners' made everything in black and white. And who says a noir film can't be done in color? What about the later "Body Heat," "Against All Odds," or "The Long Goodbye?" Or the famous trio of noir pictures from the far side of the pond, "Mona Lisa," "Get Carter," and "The Long Good Friday?"

Hawks and Warners' did spring for famous novelist William Faulkner as head screenwriter on the picture. But it could hardly be more obvious that what all three wanted was simply a follow-up vehicle for Bogie and Bacall, who'd just burned up the screen in "To Have And To Have Not." From looking at the picture, a case can be made that any story would have done them, as long as it showcased the studio's new golden couple, and they sure didn't throw money up on the screen. Black and white. Filmed totally on the back lot: General Sternwood is supposed to be rich, yet we never see the exterior of his house, only interiors. In fact, almost the entire movie is shot in interiors. The picture had Bogie and Bacall, all right; Martha Vickers and Dorothy Malone in important supporting parts. Beyond that, you'll notice Warners' didn't even send over their usual suspects on the A list of supporting players, the people you see in "Casablanca." Only supporting players you've ever heard of are Elisha Cook and Bob Steele. However, Warners' did send over a half-dozen young studio starlets, whose sole purpose seems to be making eyes at Bogie, as if they needed to underline his attractiveness to the female sex. And the studio stops the movie cold so Bacall can sing a sexy song: hey, it worked in "To Have and To Have Not."

Let's take a closer look at the English version. Sir Lew Grade did spend money on the picture. He moved it to England, well, okay. He filmed it in color, horrors. He and Michael Winner, the director/screenwriter do open the story up, showing us exteriors, the English countryside, scenes of London. Nothing wrong with that. It's not as claustrophobic as the '46 version-- must film noir be claustrophobic? Some elements of the book and the Bogart treatment don't play as well as they did; the child pornography in the bookstore, the porn its owner is making of Carmen Sternwood, the bookstore owner's gay lover. They were hardly earth-shattering in 1970's England. In fact, it's popularly thought that England was awash in that stuff at that time. So the movie loses some force there.

Many people consider Mitchum too old to play Marlowe, and he was, by a couple of decades. But the humanity of his lived-in fact adds a dimension of feeling to the picture. His fancy car, suits and Rolex watch? It's a puzzlement. Many people also consider Sarah Miles to be no Lauren Bacall, and she wasn't. Furthermore, if there's a hairdressers' hell, that's where her hairdresser belongs; her clothes are kind of clunky, too. But Charles Waldron, who played the General in '46, is no Jimmy Stewart, who played the General in '78. The Warners' butler, Charles D. Brown, was no Harry Andrews, the British. The Warners' Eddie Mars, John Ridgely, was no Oliver Reed. The Warners' Mona Mars, Peggy Knudsen, was no Diana Quick. The Warners' Bernie Ohls, Regis Toomie, was no Sir John Mills. The Warners' Joe Brody, Louis Jean Heyd, was no Edward Fox. The Warners' Agnes, Dorothy Malone, in fact, was no Joan Collins. The Warners' Bob Steele, as Lash Canino, sorry, but he was no Richard Boone. The Warners' Jonesie, actually, Elisha Cook, was no Colin Blakely, either. And then there's Richard Todd as the English Commander Blake. Candy Clark in the English Carmen role, well, she gets naked, and Martha Vickers' is the class act.

Basically, these are two different pictures, made with different aims, and by different philosophies. The Mitchum picture has stood up to the test of time, as has Bogart's. A lot of people will tell you the English take is truer to Chandler's book than is Hollywood's. (Though neither movie can solve the mystery of Owen Taylor, the Sternwood family chauffeur, found in the family limo, in the water, dead) Then again, the author Chandler, who cobbled together three short stories to make this book, never did solve that bit himself. In sum, the English ending is much truer to the book's than is Hollywood's. After all, the book and movies are called "The Big Sleep," and they are, at their heart, about the disappearance of Rusty Regan, and where he might be.

Some reviewers missed the point with their negative reviews.......2006-08-01

After seeing and loving Farewell my Lovely, I went to see this in theaters back in the 70's and thought it was terrible. I had seen the better reviewed Bogart Bacall version and never cared for it beyond the lead performance. Well, I decided to read the novel, and that totally turned me around and also on to Raymond Chandler's writing. For all its problems, this movie captures the story of the book terrifically. The plot is complicated but does pay off, and Mitchum, while really too old for the part, does well with it regardless. So don't dismiss it out of hand, especially if you are a fan of the Philip Marlowe books. On a side note, the recently discovered original cut of The Big Sleep with Bogey was a big improvement over the Bogey/Bacall lovefest that was available for so long, and is recommended as a double sided disc, on amazon. One side is the original cut and the other side has all the extra lovey dovey crap added, so you can see both and judge for yourself.

Who on Earth thought this would be a good idea, and how drunk were they at the time?.......2006-02-20

The Big Sleep has to be the most bizarre pitch of the 70s: giving Michael Winner carte blanche to transfer Philip Marlowe from LA's mean streets to the Green Streets of suburban England. With so many of the stellar supporting cast just so terribly wrong for their parts - a drunken Richard Boone with his leg in a cast as an unintentionally comical Lash Canino, Sarah Miles with the worst wardrobe and the biggest Afro you've ever seen on a white woman displaying all the sex appeal of a decomposing antelope in the Lauren Bacall role, Edward Fox as a bookie, John The Thief of Bagdad Justin as a glass-eyed gay blackmailer and Richard Todd as the police commissioner - it's only Robert Mitchum who keeps the thing afloat, even managing to keep a straight face when confronted with such dangerous characters as Dudley Sutton and Derek Deadman. On one level it is perversely watchable without ever being gleefully bad, but like almost all of Winner's films it shows his amazing ability to flatten any material he gets his hands on. Still, at least Mitchum amused himself on the set telling any passing Arabs he saw that Michael Winner was forcing the cast to give 25% of their salary to Mossad and then giving them the director's home address - "You can't miss it, it's the one with the effigy of Yasser Arafat hanging from the chimney."

Eyes of the Beholder?.......2006-01-18

I thought this was a very good movie and a credible remake of the original. I've watched this on numerous occasions as I have the original.

Maybe I've led a sheltered life and I'm certainly not a Siskel or Ebert. I don't share the negative reviews on this movie.

Buy it, and make up your own mind.

A Good "Raining Saturday" Afternoon Film.......2005-08-13

I feel in love with "The Big Sleep" when I first saw this film during the late 70s (it was on Showtime feature presentation). The way the plot moves with the narration is spellbinding. While I can see some possible weaknesses that others might find in the film--Robert Mitchum did an excellent job with portraying Phillip Marlowe. His voice and physic was a commanding presence in this film. I recommend it as a wonderful raining Saturday film.

The Humphrey Bogart Collection (The Big Sleep/The Maltese Falcon/Casablanca/Key Largo)

Average customer rating:

quintessential Bogie...
Bogart collection
Bogart The Best
Got more than i bargained for
Bogart collection

The Humphrey Bogart Collection (The Big Sleep/The Maltese Falcon/Casablanca/Key Largo)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Lauren Bacall , John Ridgely , Martha Vickers , and Dorothy Malone
Director: Howard Hawks , John Huston , and Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

To Have and Have Not (Snap case)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Hepburn & Tracy Signature Collection (Woman of the Year / Pat and Mike / Adam's Rib / The Spencer Tracy Legacy)
Gene Kelly Collection (Singin' in the Rain / An American in Paris / On the Town / Anatomy of a Dancer)
The Complete Thin Man Collection (The Thin Man / After the Thin Man / Another Thin Man / Shadow of the Thin Man / The Thin Man Goes Home / Song of the Thin Man)

ASIN: B00004XMRW
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Amazon.com

The Maltese Falcon
Still the tightest, sharpest, and most cynical of Hollywood's official deathless classics, bracingly tough even by post-Tarantino standards. Humphrey Bogart is Dashiell Hammett's definitive private eye, Sam Spade, struggling to keep his hard-boiled cool as the double-crosses pile up around his ankles. The plot, which dances all around the stolen Middle Eastern statuette of the title, is too baroque to try to follow, and it doesn't make a bit of difference. The dialogue, much of it lifted straight from Hammett, is delivered with whip-crack speed and sneering ferocity, as Bogie faces off against Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet, fends off the duplicitous advances of Mary Astor, and roughs up a cringing "gunsel" played by Elisha Cook Jr. It's an action movie of sorts, at least by implication: the characters always seem keyed up, right on the verge of erupting into violence. This is a turning-point picture in several respects: John Huston (The African Queen) made his directorial debut here in 1941, and Bogart, who had mostly played bad guys, was a last-minute substitution for George Raft, who must have been kicking himself for years afterward. This is the role that made Bogart a star and established his trendsetting (and still influential) antihero persona. --David Chute

Casablanca
A truly perfect movie, Casablanca (1942) still wows viewers today, and for good reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made. --Tom Keogh

The Big Sleep
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

Key Largo
John Huston directed this smart 1948 thriller about a gangster (Edward G. Robinson) who holds a number of people hostage in a hotel in the Florida Keys during a tropical storm. Humphrey Bogart is the returning war veteran who takes on the villains, and Lauren Bacall is on hand as one of the people on the wrong end of Robinson's gun. Somewhat similar in tone to Howard Hawks's To Have and Have Not (which also featured Bogart and Bacall), this moody movie captures a certain despair offset by the bond between individuals united by common purpose. Claire Trevor won an Academy Award for her part as Robinson's alcoholic girlfriend. --Tom Keogh

Description

A great giftset with four of Humphrey Bogart's most classic films. These include: The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Key Largo, and the Maltese Falcon.

Customer Reviews:

quintessential Bogie..........2007-06-01

A great collection for any Bogart lover. My 2 personal favorites are included in this package, Casablanca and Key Largo. The Big Sleep directed by Howard Hawks, with Bogie and Lauren Bacall is a film classic. The Maltese Falcon with an incredible cast including Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Ward Bond. Enjoy this incredible collection of four films that deserve to be placed on anyone's Top 100 list.

Bogart collection.......2007-05-18

I thought the movies would be presented in their original format, however they appear in standard TV format. For those with widescreen TV's (like me)you will be disappointed.

Bogart The Best.......2006-11-10

These are some of the best acting films of Bogart's career!, plus some of the finest supporting actors
you will ever find.

Got more than i bargained for.......2006-08-25

I originally bought this set for Casablanca, and I wanted to get an idea for his other movies.

I got quite a lot more than i expected though... I learned that oldschool movies are just plain better than the new ones.

There may be many explanations for this, but the main differences I observed were different mannerisms/speech patterns, and more complicated plot-lines.

Maltese Falcon is a particularly wonderful story, much more complex than today's typical blockuster, and Big Sleep/Key Largo were classics in their own right.

Bogart collection .......2006-08-21

Great mix of a classic actor with some of the best leading ladies. I like the sets as they give a great value for my library of classic films.

The Bogart Collection (Casablanca/The Maltese Falcon/To Have and Have Not/The Big Sleep/The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)

Average customer rating:

Simply the best collection you can hope for.
It would have been perfect with African Queen
THERE IS NO DELETED SCENE IN THE MALTESE FALCON
Good collection, but wait

The Bogart Collection (Casablanca/The Maltese Falcon/To Have and Have Not/The Big Sleep/The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Key Largo (Snap Case)
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Dark Passage (Snap Case)
The Bridge on the River Kwai

ASIN: B0000TG48S
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Customer Reviews:

Simply the best collection you can hope for........2006-10-06

You can't get a better combination of films from Bogart than this collection. True, 90 dollars is a bit extreme, but if you shop around and find it for a little less than it's a steal. For instance I just purchased this same collection at Costco for 65 dollars. All releases are good, any problems with Maltese Falcon or Big Sleep is nay unrecognizable from my standpoint. One of the few collections I have ever seen that has actually made a conscious effort to pit together truly the best films from a given actor.

It would have been perfect with African Queen.......2005-03-12

This collection would have been awesome if only it included The African Queen...it definitely has 5 of his best movies, but with African Queen, you get the best 6 movies of his career in one single pack! Now that, I would call his signature collection.

This is not bad though. Most of the so-called signature collections have so-so movines mixed with good ones. At least all the movies in this set are great gems. All 5 movies are very important movies of probably the greatest actor of Hollywood, 3 of the movies make AFI top 100 list (Cassablanca at #2, Maltese Falcon and Treasure of Sierra Madre, both in top 30) and the rest of the 2 are real close and are considered the part of classic film-noir. So if you don't mind spending 80 bucks for 5 DVDs and love the classic golden age of Hollywood, go for it.

THERE IS NO DELETED SCENE IN THE MALTESE FALCON.......2004-10-21

There are no scenes deleted in The Maltese Falcon dvd. This patron also posted for TMF dvd itself. I quote: 'The deleted scene is the one whereby Lorre is given back his gun by Bogart, lorre then points it at Bogart yet again-and the dvd fades to black to prepare for the next scene. What is deleted is Bogart laughing at Lorre and saying "Go right ahead (laugh, laugh), You go right ahead" THEN fade to black.' That scene is most definitely in there. I just watched it to check.

This dvd set features five ESSENTIAL Bogart films. It's true that The Big Sleep, To Have And Have Not, and The Maltese Falcon could all do with some restoration --but I'd say that the flaws don't detract that much from the films themselves, and until that day comes this set is a must for the Bogart fan.

Humphrey Bogart is still considered by many to be the greatest movie star of all time. These five films are a brilliant testament as to why. I advise you to score.

Good collection, but wait.......2003-12-13

All good movies, of course. Maltese Falcon and Big Sleep editions will probably be re-released as two disc sets in the future, the current dvd of Maltese Falcon has a messy look to it, and also has a missing scene ( inexcusable, really).

Customer Reviews:

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.......2005-11-09

This three DVD set of films featuring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall is the cream rising to the top. Each film is fabulous by itself, and watched together over a short period of time will really give any film lover a sense of why so many people love Bogie and Bacall. It is also an excellent example of two great directors in their prime. Howard Hawks, who has never fully received the credit he deserves fo the many film masterpieces for which he was responsible, helmed two of these films, and John Huston directed the other. This DVD set includes both the first and last of the couple's films together.

First, we have Hawks' "The Big Sleep." It is one of the most unique adaptations of a detective novel ever brought to the screen. Watching this film is one of the true joys of being a film buff. This is extraordinary entertainment that grabs your attention quickly and keeps it until the final shot. It is exciting and engaging, and a favorite of all detective film fans.

Director Howard Hawks turned Raymond Chandler's most popular story into an absolutely mesmerizing celluloid masterpiece. Raymond Chandler's complex novel was adapted for the screen by William Faulkner. We may never know for sure who committed one of the murders in this blurry crime noir, but like all Hawks' films, it is so incredibly entertaining we really don't care. It is full of sharp dialog and dreamy images much like the aftereffects of a drinking binge.

The story itself moves at a terrific clip, and there is so much going on you might get lost if you blink. Humphry Bogart is Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, and from the moment he arrives to talk to General Sternwood and gets mixed up with his daughters this is a film classic. One would think with a young and sultry Bacall getting tangled up with Bogart in their first film together, they would be everything in this film; they are not, however, as Martha Vickers gives a performance that has you thinking about her in every scene, even when she isn't present. She steals every scene she is in and is one of the most memorable dolls in noir history.

Bacall portrays the General's sultry older daughter, Vivian, but it is the sexy and thumb sucking younger daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers) whom Marlowe meets first. She leaves an immediate impression on both the viewer and Marlowe: as he tells the General: "Yeah, we met. She tried to sit in my lap and I was standing up." The very sick Sternwood wants Marlowe to look into a little matter involving blackmail and his daughters.

As Marlowe follows the trail of gambling debts, he finds one body after another and tries to extricate the daughters from the mess. Marlowe and Vivian have a spark that gives him incentive to get the job done, but he may not be able to head off the rollercoaster headed for the little kitten Carmen, who may turn out to have some very large claws. Dorothy Malone has a brief but sexy role as a clerk who shares more than a drink with Marlowe.

Hawks filmed this as moody dream of dialog and images hard to forget. Bogart's Marlowe has his hands full trying to keep Carmen out of trouble. The sparks that begin to fly between he and Carmen's big sister, Vivian, is complicated by her involvement with some of the players for the other team. Trying to find a way to keep the fast rising body count from getting any higher, while keeping Vivian and her little sister Carmen in the clear, will take some dangerous turns for Marlowe.

Bacall has never been more beautiful or inviting than when she is slumped down in the seat of Bogart's car, just waiting for him to kiss her. You have to see this film to really appreciate it. No description could ever do it justice. You'll never see anything else like it in American cinema. A true noir classic, and one of Howard Hawks' masterpieces. A must see film for noir fans.

The same could be said of the second film in this collection directed by Howard Hawks, "To Have and Have Not." The summer of 1940 in Martinique as people began to choose sides is the setting for another Howard Hawks masterpiece. William Faulkner, who had adapted Raymond Chandler's complex novel for the director's other Bogart screen classic, "The Big Sleep," expanded a thin Hemingway story with writing partner Jules Furthman into another. This is sort of "Casablanca" with grit rather than gloss, and is just as enjoyable. "To Have and Have Not" does, in fact, outshine that film with its upbeat ending, and marks the real contrast between the two films, despite their similarities.

Bogart is Harry Morgan, trying to stay neutral about the local politics while he and his pal Eddie (Walter Brennan) take tourists ocean fishing in the waters of Martinique. His pal Frenchy (Marcel Dalio) wants him to use his boat to pick up a couple that will put him square in the middle of all that's going on both in Martinique and the rest of the world as the Germans make their move across the globe.

Morgan is fending off getting involved just fine until his latest fishing customer gets knocked off by accident before he can pay up. Complicating things further for Morgan is a newcomer named Marie Browning (Lauren Bacall) who sort of attaches herself to him from the moment they meet. She has come from Brazil by way of Trinidad and ends up in Martinique only because she doesn't have money to go any further. They seem a perfect fit despite all the sparring between them; a point driven home by her response to Eddie's question about bees. The viewer knows at that moment that she and Harry are a match made in Hollywood heaven.

Brennan is just terrific as Harry's old pal in constant need of a drink to keep the shakes at bay. He thinks he's looking after Harry when in fact it's Harry who's looking after him. The trademark male world of Howard Hawks is much in evidence here, as Bogart's autonomy begins to crack only when he finds his match in Bacall. Like many of Hawks' characters, Morgan lives by his own code and his own rules, and only breaks them out of loyalty to someone else. Another Hawks trademark of the sizing up of people from the inside out is also much in evidence here. Bogart and Bacall never even speak the other's name in this film: she calls him "Steve" and he refers to her as "Slim" throughout the entire film.

When Harry finally agrees to pick up Frenchy's pals in the Resistance to earn enough money to get Slim home, he gets more than he bargained for in more ways than one. It convinces Slim to stay on because she now knows for sure that "Steve" is the right guy. She gets a job singing for the piano player at the Hotel Martinique, Cricket (Hoagy Charmichael). And after a patrol boat takes a potshot at one of his passengers, his very beautiful wife begins to warm up to Harry in a big hurry, causing a bit of jealousy on Slim's part. Doloros Moran is very nice and quite pretty as that wife, Hellene de Bursac.

There are a ton of great exchanges between Bacall and Bogart here, the most famous being the "just whistle" scene. There are many others equally as good, however, including an exchange about strings that has Bacall walking around Bogart, and a great line from Bacall about walking home if it weren't for all that water. It is this latter exchange, and one other about Slim's lack of a reaction when being slapped that Hawks uses to highlight the personal baggage both Harry and Marie are bringing to the table.

A young Bacall looks gorgeous in gowns by Milo Anderson, and Sid Hickox's photography gives the film a real feel of a tiny island with palm trees lining the streets. Bogart's Harry will eventually engage in the fight when he decides he likes the people on one side and doesn't like the people on the other side. It is very much both a Hawks and Bogart type moment, the personal moral code of the anti-hero coming fully into play.

This is a fun film with great characters, lots of atmosphere, and an ending the polar opposite of "Casablanca." The song "How Little We Know" from Hoagy Charmichael and Johnny Mercer never amounted to much compared to the more famous "As Time Goes By" from "Casablanca," but works nicely with the mood Hawks created for his second film with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. If you're looking for a big dose of Bogie and Bacall, and want the kind of ending "Casablanca" didn't have, then "To Have and Have Not" is a sure bet to please you. A fine film and a true screen classic.

Last but by no means least is the somber, "Key Largo." John Huston crafted this very fine film with the underlying theme of isolation from a play by Maxwell Anderson. The backdrop of a gangster taking over a hotel in the Florida Keys is filled with inner emotional depth rather than a lot of action, making this the most mature and realistic of romances Bogart and Bacall would have on screen.

Major Frank McCloud (Bogart) shows up at the Largo hotel in the Keys to see his war buddy's father and widow to give them some news about how George died a hero. McCloud himself is disillusioned from trying to save the world and has been drifting since the war in both a personal and literal sense.

Nora (Bacall) had been drifting before she met George and begins to feel this same connection to Frank as they talk about their lives since the war. There is a maturity here as Huston shows a deeper aspect to caring about someone instead of the fireworks of physical attraction. The themes of loneliness and isolation run through every aspect of this film.

Frank once again must decide whether to save the world when the Largo is taken over by fallen gangster Johnny Rocco (Robinson). Rocco was once big and despite his deportation back to Cuba by the United States government as an undesirable, plans to be big again. Frank had gone to war as an idealist, hoping to rid the world of gangsters like Rocco but now views it as a lost cause.

But as Nora keeps telling Frank, your head may say one thing but your whole life says another. As the tension of being held hostage as a hurricane approaches the sweltering Keys builds, Frank slowly begins to go with his whole life rather than his head, breaking his own personal isolation from the fight he gave up. The turning point comes when Rocco humiliates his former girlfriend Gay Dawn by making her sing for a drink and then refuses to give her one when she comes across.

Claire Trevor gives a great performance as a girl much like Nora who got hooked up with the wrong guy and became a lush. She will have her own turning point when she slips Frank a gun before he takes Rocco and his pals back to Cuba. Lionel Barrymore gives a good performance also as George's disabled father, holding on to his son's memory and his beliefs.

A great score by Max Steiner complements the lonely mood of this film perfectly. Bacall is terrific as she waits for Frank to return against the odds, so she can open up the shutters of her loneliness and let the light in once more. This is a somber and mature film that deserves to be viewed more than once. Bogart and Bacall fans will love this film but find more here than just Bogie and Bacall. A minor masterpiece and one you need to own.

All three of these films are just fabulous in their own ways, and are indeed screen classics. This set of films is for romantics, and no one is more romantic than noir lovers. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are the image of a noir couple in the minds of many moviegoers, and they will find a lot to love here with these three magnificent films.

Average customer rating:

Its a Big Big World - The Big Big Sleep
Starring: It's a Big Big World
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000RJO53M
Release Date: 2007-08-21

Product Description

It's a Big Big World, created by three-time Emmy®-winner Mitchell Kriegman, is set in a lush rainforest, where Snook, a giant dancing sloth, lives in the World Tree with his diverse group of animal friends. Together they investigate the world around them and learn about science, nature, and environmental stewardship.

The Big Big Sleep shows how and why the characters of the World Tree get their rest.

Go to Sleep Wartz: Wartz has so much fun playing with his marmoset friends that he decides he wants to play all the time and never sleep again. Snook isn't so sure about this, however, and brings the little frog to visit different animals in the tree, learning how each one gets their rest. Wartz is still convinced that he is one frog that doesn't need to sleep, but when he and Snook sit down at the end of the day, Wartz finds out that the nighttime sounds of the forest are a perfect lullaby, and drifts off to a long-overdue slumber.

Sleepover:When Wartz hears that a storm is coming, he thinks he'd rather stay in his own log than go to a sleepover at Smooch and Winslow's hut. He doesn't want the marmosets to laugh at him for being afraid. After Oko reminds Wartz that everyone gets scared sometimes and Snook explains what causes lightning and thunder, Wartz decides to go to the sleepover after all. When he arrives and the thunder begins, he learns that Smooch and Winslow are also a bit scared, so he shares Snook's explanation of the weather and everyone settles in for a fun night!

Sounds of the Forest: Wartz moves into a new log, but after his first day there he is exhausted - he keeps hearing mysterious whistling and knocking noises and he can't sleep. Madge explains the cause of the whistling (wind passing over holes in the log), and later Wartz discovers the source of the knocking noises - it's Winslow! He was making music by hitting wooden blocks together. After Wartz explains that he learned about sound and vibrations from Madge, the two entertain Snook and Madge with a jungle vibrations concert.

Hot Enough For You?: There is no breeze in the hot World Tree and Winslow hypothesizes that if he can find out who in the tree is cool, he will know who has taken the missing breeze. He goes to visit the other animals, learning how everyone handles the heat, but he can't find the breeze thief anywhere. Finally, Snook explains that if there isn't air moving from one place to another as part of the weather, there isn't any wind to make a breeze. But there is something they can do to beat the heat - take a nap!

Sloth Lessons: After Winslow tells Bob that he should try being more carefree, Bob decides that since Snook is the most laid back animal he knows, he is going to become Bob the sloth. But, after spending some time with Snook eating, moving, and sleeping like a sloth, Bob realizes that he isn't made to be a sloth, and there are some really neat things about being an anteater.

Average customer rating:

The Stupendous Yawn
Marlowe belongs in California
MITCHUM VERSUS BOONE MAKES "BIG SLEEP" WORTH WATCHING.
Robert Mitchum - a first class Marlowe
Try It, You Might Like It

The Big Sleep
Starring: Robert Mitchum , Sarah Miles , Richard Boone , Candy Clark , and Joan Collins
Director: Michael Winner
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004U0D5
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Description

Robert Mitchum is back as the legendary private investigator, Philip Marlowe. This adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic hard-boiled detective mystery features an all-star cast, including: Richard Boone, Joan Collins, Sir John Mills, James Stewart, and Oliver Reed. Marlowe is hired by a retired general (James Stewart) to find out who has been blackmailing the old man's wild daughters (Sarah Miles and Candy Clark). At the same time he has to try to locate the missing husband of one of the daughters. Marlowe's search leads through a dangerous thicket of murder and suicide in the seedy criminal underworld straight to the head quarters of the notorious nightclub owner and gangland boss, Eddie Mars (Oliver Reed). Expert story teller Raymond Chandler spins a masterful web of deceit, creating an intricate, spellbinding mystery full of bare-knuckle action and heart-pounding suspense.

Customer Reviews:

The Stupendous Yawn.......2006-02-28

Unbelievably awful. Crammed with big names of the day who sleep their way through a failed GCSE English script. Terrible, terrible, terrible. To believe an audience could be entertained by such a banal film is to have a conceit that cannot be pricked. Poor old Mitchum, doing his stuff, but on the way out - despite the script telling us how handsome he is. Arch Sarah Miles being what Winner thought was 'sexy', makes you go funny with embarrassment... bet she never views this codswallop. Fox being, er, 'zany', dear old Mills doing his stuff for the loot.

Much more enjoyable to put your head in a bucket of vomit.

Marlowe belongs in California.......2004-08-28

This is the second film of Mitchum as Marlowe (the first being "Farewell, My Lovely") and the man excelled in bringing to life the character created by Raymond Chandler. While his first film was placed in LA in the 1940s, this film is set in the swinging London of the 1970s. While it does follow the story-line of the novel, the setting is a distraction that might be too much for some viewers. For me, Marlowe belongs to and in the LA area. If you can accept an American, ex-vet working as a PI in London, this might work for you.

MITCHUM VERSUS BOONE MAKES "BIG SLEEP" WORTH WATCHING........2002-06-11

Okay, Mitchum isn't Humphrey Bogart but the 1979 "Big Sleep" is a great way to kill 90-minutes. This version of "Sleep" begins with Marlowe (Mitchum) visiting Gen. Sternwood (a pallid Jimmy Stewart) at his palatial estate in England. Sternwood wants Marlowe to help him resolve a blackmail sceme involving one of his daughters. This is easily the most sleazy film Stewart ever appeared in; however Mitchum, Sarah Miles, Joan Collins and Oliver Reed seem right at home here. Richard Boone clearly has a hell of a time playing Mitchum's toughest adversary since Robert Ryan in "The Racket." For Michael Winner's best directorial effort take a look at "Lawman," with Burt Lancaster, Ryan and Lee J. Cobb.

Robert Mitchum - a first class Marlowe.......2001-05-22

Though I agree that this DVD is not as good as "Farewell, My Lovely", it still is superior to the Humphrey Bogart version. Bogart was very good at playing many roles, but 'The Big Sleep' comletely missed the mark. The ending of the Bogart version is almost criminal and completely corrupts the rest of the movie. Compare the 'Hollywood' ending of the Bogart version with the novel's famous last paragraph being read by Mitchum in this one. It's unfortunate that the rest of the movie was not up to Mitchum's level but it is worth owning another Marlowe movie with Robert Mitchum. Watch the original because you like Bogart/Bacall, but if you want to experience The Big Sleep, watch this one and buy the book (you'll hear Mitchum's voice as you read).

Try It, You Might Like It.......2000-11-10

Not being particularly fond either of Raymond Chandler or of the "classic" 1946 adaption of THE BIG SLEEP, I am perhaps more disposed than most to like Michael Winner's 1978 re-make. Shorn of Bogart and Bacall, the earlier film isn't much more than a routine detective saga. (The screenplay was co-written by William Faulkner, but if I absolutely have to deal with Faulkner, I'd prefer to do it with one of his lugubrious novels.) Still, if you choose to re-make an icon, even one made of brass, you're practically begging for trouble.

If you can get past the gall of trying to re-make a "classic," you can see that Winner's film, while no masterpiece, is decently entertaining. It ably uses the English locations, takes advantage of the greater freedoms of the 1970s and boasts a first-rate cast. Mitchum, in his way, is every bit as good as Bogart. Sarah Miles isn't in Bacall's class as a larger than life image, but she's a superior actress and does a creditable job. Many of the supporting performances are at least as good as their counterparts in the 1946 film, including Jimmy Stewart, Harry Andrews, Edward Fox, Colin Blakely, Oliver Reed, and Joan Collins. Even Richard Boone, usually a bit of chore, uses his over-sized presence to good effect.

If you've seen any of Winner's other films, like DEATH WISH or SCORPIO, you know pretty much what to expect. His direction is, as usual, obnoxiously showy and rushed. There are sudden, incomp