Rent The Big Sleep (1946)

Is it a classic? I'm not sure.... - The Big Sleep review by RJ

Try as I might, I can't quite bring myself to love this film. I like it - a lot. It is very entertaining, but something is holding me back from really falling for it. I rented this having just watched The Maltese Falcon which put me in the mood for more Bogart, but in my personal opinion The Big Sleep is not quite as good.

In trying to put my finger on why I have come up with the following.

Firstly, the plot of The Big Sleep (both novel and film) is famously convoluted. Numerous reviews go along the lines of: "don't worry about making sense of the plot, just enjoy the film noir atmosphere, the iconic performance and the wisecracks" etc. I'm fine with this up to a point, and indeed I did enjoy all of those elements, but I found that after about an hour I was so uninvested in what was going on that the combination of atmosphere, performances and sharp dialogue was struggling to keep me fully engaged.

Secondly, aside from Bogart, I found the supporting characters in The Big Sleep less memorable than in The Maltese Falcon. TMF's combination of Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre is pretty unbeatable in my opinion (both films benefit from the presence of Elisha Cook Jr.). In The Big Sleep, the only supporting player (aside from the aforementioned Elisha Cook Jr) that made much of an impression on me was Dorothy Malone, who pretty much steals the one scene she has in the film. Martha Vickers may have had more of a chance if her role had not been reduced due to concerns that she was overshadowing Bacall.

I know that this is bordering on sacrilege, but I am not totally sold on the 'crackling chemistry' between Bogart and Bacall. No doubt they were good together, but actually I think the relationship between Bogart and Mary Astor in TMF is more interesting and ambiguous than that of Bogart and Bacall in The Big Sleep. It may have been daring in its time, but the scene in which Bogart and Bacall discuss horse-racing, using it as a risqué euphemism for sex, was a bit laboured for my tastes. This was one of a number of scenes shot after the original filming had wrapped in order to capitalise on the public fascination with the Bogey/Bacall relationship and, whilst I realise of course that golden era Hollywood films were all about public fascination with its stars, I just wonder whether the obsession with B&B slightly knocked this film off balance. Alternatively, maybe I am just a contrary pain in the neck seeking problems where others find only pleasure.

Finally, I much preferred the pleasingly bitter ending to The Maltese Falcon than the more overtly romantic ending of The Big Sleep.

So there it is - I seem to have written a very negative review of a film that I actually enjoyed a lot. It's good, you'll enjoy it - but The Maltese Falcon is better.

Stylish but what the hell is going on? - The Big Sleep review by GD

The twists and turns of this incomprehensible plot were impossible to follow with far too many crooked characters complicating things even more. But what a treat to watch Bacall and Bogart together on the silver screen.

My advice is forget about the plot and enjoy the performances.