The Long Goodbye (1973)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Raymond Chandler (novel)
Leigh Brackett (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 March 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

Nothing says goodbye like a bullet.

Plot:

Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Suicide | Alcoholic | Murder | Arrest

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Elliott Gould	...	Philip Marlowe
Nina Van Pallandt	...	Eileen Wade (as Nina van Pallandt)
Sterling Hayden	...	Roger Wade / Billy Joe Smith
Mark Rydell	...	Marty Augustine
Henry Gibson	...	Dr. Verringer
David Arkin	...	Harry
Jim Bouton	...	Terry Lennox
Warren Berlinger	...	Morgan
Jo Ann Brody	...	Jo Ann Eggenweiler
Stephen Coit	...	Det. Farmer (as Steve Coit)
Jack Knight	...	Mabel
Pepe Callahan	...	Pepe
Vincent Palmieri	...	Vince (as Vince Palmieri)
Pancho Córdova	...	Doctor (as Pancho Cordoba)
Enrique Lucero	...	Jefe

Also Known As:

Der Tod kennt keine Wiederkehr (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Långt farväl (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
A hosszú búcsú (Hungary) [hu]
Det lange farvel (Denmark) [da]
Dlugie pozegnanie (Poland) [pl]
El llarg adéu (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Il lungo addio (Italy) [it]
Le privé (France) [fr]
Mia sfaira, ena antio (Greece) [el]
O Perigoso Adeus (Brazil) [pt]
Pitkät jäähyväiset (Finland) [fi]
Un adiós peligroso (Argentina) [es]
Un largo adiós (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | UK:18 | Canada:A (Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

9000 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

E-K-Corporation

Trivia:

In the commentary on the DVD, Robert Altman talks about how sad he was that Leigh Brackett, the screenwriter, died before the film was released and never saw the completed work. In fact Bracket died in 1979, shortly after completing the first draft of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) for George Lucas, and thus lived long enough to see the finished film.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene where Marlowe is chasing Mrs. Wade in her top-down Mercedes 450 SL convertible, the car goes from having head rests to having no head rests in various shots.

Quotes:

[Marlowe is being interrogated. Green and Farmer watch from behind the mirror]
Det. Green: There he is, a real cutie pie.
Det. Farmer: He's a smartass.
Det. Green: That's what I meant.
Det. Farmer: Why don't you learn to say what you mean?

Movie Connections:

Version of "Climax!: The Long Goodbye (#1.1)" (1954)

Soundtrack:

Hooray for Hollywood

Altman tells a story in a rhythm

Easily one of Altman's best films and an early precursor to other films later in the decade by the director. The Long Goodbye is a fine transition in style to Altmans later films like "Nashville" and "A Wedding" Elliot Gould does an outstanding job portraying the outre detective Phillip Marlowe, using his mumbling, bumbling, smart ass speaking style, as a technique to keep the film under the illusion that everything is in motion, like the ocean waves in the film, Marlowe speaks in a sort of beatnik type "Daddy-O" style combined with a smooth talking private eye, and the result works perfectly. The film works like it is timed by a metronome, it rolls along, seamlessly in a way that only Altman can achieve, and like the rhythm of the waves and Marlowe's speech, the camera is constantly in motion as well. The roving camera does an excellent job of allowing the viewer to feel as though they are witnessing more action than actually exists on screen.

Wade (Sterling Hayden) is a fantastic Hemingway-esque writer in the film. Hayden's size and booming voice, in conjunction with his alcoholism and potential brutality, lend an aroma of unpredictableness to his character. Wade's beautiful wife, who has a mysterious bruise on her face, is like a timid, loyal animal, subjected to the whims of her over bearing master. Henry Gibson, who plays Wade's doctor, is excellent as a sort of despotic mouse, who frightens an elephant into conforming to his will, this irony is one of the films intriguing, bizarre twists.

This film works well as a character study, and is one of the best films of the seventies. A must see for every student of film. 9/10