Tuesday, July 21, 2009

What I Think Of: The Big Sleep (1946)

Bogey and Bacall, Bogey and Bacall- just their mere presence can transform a good film into a great film. This was the second of four films the on/off-screen pair starred in together. There are two different versions of this film, the 1946 theatrical release and the 1945 pre-release. While the 1945 pre-release makes the film a more straight forward detective story, the theatrical release, while being confusing as all hell, has nearly 18 more minutes of Bogey and Bacall. The problem for most people is that the theatrical release changes a simple whodunit story, into a non-linear, "what the hell is going on story"- but you know what? I'd prefer more scenes of Bogey and Bacall together than any sensible and more coherant story. So yeah, this is a true film noir classic and is one of the few instances where things sizzle on the screen. Bacall looks enchanting as always and Bogey, well he's every guys hero- the gumshoe who answers to no one but himself, who stays one step ahead of the villians and who always gets the girl, no matter how femme fatale she is, and no matter how many they may be. I love this film so much, the picture to the left is my desktop background on my laptop. Bogey and Bacall!

No comments: