On 9/30/98, Enrique asked for comments on the following
movies:
The Harper (Lew Archer) movies: I liked *Harper* better than
*The
Drowning Pool*, but *Pool* isn't bad. Despite *Harper*'s
highly-lit,
TV-movie look (courtesy of director Jack Smight), I'd put it
on my
list of top ten PI movies on the basis of the great William
Goldman
script (which won an Edgar) and the terific cast.
The Mitchum Philip Marlowe: I prefer the Powell/Dmytrik
version of *Farewell,
My Lovely*, but Mitchum's version is damned good. Mitchum
himself is a little
too old for the part, but one is struck by what an awsome
Marlowe he'dve been in
his prime. Never saw the Mitchum version of *Big Sleep*. Put
off by the London
setting I suppose.
The Glass Key: Alan Ladd version is good not great. Never saw
the
George Raft version.
The Spiral Staircase (Dorothy McGuire): Not hard-boiled, but
a very
good damsel-in-distress suspenser. Ms. McGuire plays a
physically
disabled woman (she's mute) menaced by the villain, laying
the
groundwork for movies like *Wait Until Dark* and *See No
Evil*.
Phantom Lady and the other 1940's Cornell Woolrich: *Phantom
Lady*
isn't bad, and it's fairly faithful to the book, but it's not
nearly as
good as the book. The best 40s Woolrich adaptation is 1949's
*The
Window* based on the short story "The Boy Cried
Murder."
The Mike Shayne movies: The only one I've seen is *Sleepers
West* which was
based on *Sleepers East*, a Frederick Nebel novel. Fun, but
not all that true
to the books.
Hope this helps. - Jim Doherty
--UNS_gsauns2_2966389481--
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