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 aka 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

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:

Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond tried to approximate human vision through the post-production technique of exposing the undeveloped negative to additional pure light, which literally dampens blacks and softens intense colors until they become pastel hues.

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:

Marty Augustine: Your friend was a murderer and a thief.
Philip Marlowe: That's a lie. I know he didn't kill her.
Marty Augustine: Let me tell you something else. It's a minor crime, to kill your wife. The major crime is that he stole my money. Your friend stole my money, and the penalty for that is capital punishment.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country (1993)

Soundtrack:

The Long Goodbye

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