The Big Sleep (1946)
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A private detective becomes entangled in a web of blackmail and murder while investigating a series of mysteries surrounding a wealthy family.
The story
Philip Marlowe, a private detective in Los Angeles, is hired by General Sternwood to resolve a series of debts owed by his daughter, Carmen. However, the investigation takes a complex turn when Marlowe's involvement is complicated by the presence of Sternwood's other daughter, Vivian. As Marlowe navigates the murky underworld of blackmail and crime, he must untangle a web of secrets involving a missing protégé, a series of mysterious deaths, and a dangerous local gangster. The investigation quickly evolves from a simple debt resolution into a dangerous game of survival where the lines between allies and enemies are constantly blurred.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood to resolve debts involving his daughter Carmen. The case becomes complicated when Sternwood's other daughter, Vivian, reveals she suspects the General is actually looking for a missing protégé, Sean Regan. Marlowe's investigation leads him to the body of a murdered bookseller, Arthur Geiger, and a drugged Carmen. He subsequently discovers the body of the General's driver, Owen Taylor, and encounters a local gangster, Eddie Mars, who runs a blackmail and auto theft ring. After a series of dangerous encounters and a shootout with Mars's henchman, Canino, Marlowe eventually confronts Mars. He discovers that Carmen had killed Regan in a mental haze, and Mars had been covering it up. The film concludes with Marlowe and Vivian acknowledging their feelings for each other while Marlowe realizes the complexity of the cases they have just navigated.
- First release year
- 1946
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Howard Hawks
- Writers
- William Faulkner · screenplay; Leigh Brackett · screenplay; Jules Furthman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Humphrey Bogart · Philip Marlowe; Lauren Bacall · Vivian Rutledge; John Ridgely · Eddie Mars; Martha Vickers · Carmen Sternwood; Sonia Darrin · Agnes Lowzier; Dorothy Malone · Acme Bookstore proprietress; Regis Toomey · Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls; Peggy Knudsen · Mona Mars
- Genres
- film noir; crime; detective
- Themes
- corruption; identity; noir morality
- Tone and mood
- noir; mysterious; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- detective; mystery; noir
- Source material / true-story basis
- Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming a classic of the noir genre.
- Awards and nominations
- AFI · greatest hero · 2003 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was delayed over a year to prioritize war films.; The 1945 cut was restored and released in 1997.; The film features wartime details like a 'B' gasoline rationing sticker.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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