Film Review: The Long Goodbye. (1973)
Cinema goers have always been interested in the private detective film, even since Sherlock Holmes pursued Professor Moriarty we have been gripped by the "whodunit?" storyline. In recent years the television dramas "The Rockford Files" and "Magnum.P.I." have continued this compelling tradition. However, since revisiting the film "The Long Goodbye" recently and possibly because I now look on it with my art student eyes I consider this film together with the film, "Chinatown" to be important milestones in cinema history.
There are a number of reasons for me to make this statement, re: "The Long Goodbye." The story at first appears simple. A private eye, (Philip Marlowe) faces the most unusual case of his career when a friend's suicide turns into a double murder and as he tries to unravel the mystery, he discovers a maze of sex and deceit in his quest for the truth. However, it is principally the collaboration and combination of Robert Altman / Elliot Gould / and the cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond which has created this remarkable achievement and, in my opinion, taken this film to another level.
The opening scene with Philip Marlowe and his cat (which is given extended exposure) indicates the importance in setting the tone and atmosphere for the rest of the film. It is deceptive in its simplicity. This iconic scene was an addition, Altman was told this story by a friend that his cat would only eat one type of cat food (1) - this small domestic scene is brilliant. The director decided that the camera should never stop moving and put it on a dolly. (2) The clever use of defused lighting used in this scene, together with the postcard framing technique is continued throughout the rest of the film.
Altman used this pastel look to compensate for the harsh light of southern California. (3) This twilight effect was used in the 1889's by Lavery and Whistler who achieved through painting, a dusky atmosphere of mystery and suspense. (4)(5)(5). At the time the film was not fully understood by the critics. (7) This is not unusual in the art world, look at how the works of Van Gogh and Turner were perceived and more recently Emin and Hurst; they were all ground breaking in their day, but all initially shunned by the critics.
As mentioned previously, I class The Long Goodbye and Chinatown as important influences on 20th century cinema. Both have similarities i.e. Private detectives in suit and tie, with wise cracking dialogue, both actors setting the pace with a laid back attitude, chain smoking, except in The Long Goodbye, Marlowe was the only person to smoke, (anti establishment gesture?). Both films contain scenes of gratuitous violence which are used to catch the attention of an unsuspecting audience.(8).
Neo-Noir Films both having unexpected endings as dose this review!
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References:
1 Thompson 2005, page 75
2 Thompson 2005, page 77
3 Thompson 2005, page 77
4 Cat. 102 John Lavery, The Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888 (oil on canvas)
5 Fig. 2 James Abbott Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket, c. 1875 (oil on canvas)
6 Cat. 66 John Lavery, The Tennis Party, 1885 (oil on canvas)
7 McGilligan 1989, page 365
8 McGilligan 1989, 365
Bibliography:
McGilligan, Patrick. Robert Altman: Jumping off the cliff. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1090.
Thompson, David. Altman on Altman. London: Faber and Faber. 2005.
Exhibitions:
The Glasgow Boys. Royal Academy 2010-2011.
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