Today I Watched...The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep

Review by Paul Preston

To watch The Big Sleep, I return to The Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA for their Alex Film Society series. The Big Sleep is classic Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, so what better way to scratch that classic off the list than on the big screen?

As usual, the film society provided excellent presentation (a pre-show included film experts expounding on the Bogie/Bacall legend, plus a blooper reel! A blooper reel! For THE BIG SLEEP! However, I actually ran to the bathroom during part of it ‘cause I didn’t want any spoilers…!). One of the speakers at the top referenced Roger Ebert’s review of The Big Sleep as saying something to the effect of ‘who cares what the plot is about, as long as Bacall ends up in Bogart’s arms!’. Turns out I care.

I wasn’t aware until I arrived and listened to the pre-show that The Big Sleep, the further adventures of detective Philip Marlowe, is well-known for being incomprehensible, but is so groundbreaking in style and legendary for the blistering chemistry between Bogie and Bacall that it’s been given a pass. I had a hard, hard time giving it the same pass. I had no idea what was going on in this movie very, very early on. Sure the dialogue is great. Sure, Bogart can pull a gun on a guy and say something cool, but after a while I was so unsure what was happening I might as well have been watching Syriana.

Next up at The Alex – Cool Hand Luke. At least I know going in I can follow that one.