Kevin said:
>It was at least an honest attempt on Gould and
Altman's part to re-think
>the character in a more contemporary period. How
would a Marlowe fare in a
>world that could only view him as a relic, a
throwback to a very different
>era?
This is something I think Lawrence Block does really well in
the Scudder series. I've been rereading my way through the
series off and on since our little 70's month and have liked
the books just as much the second time. Scudder is a decent
and noble guy, but Block always drops in reminders here and
there that Scudder (especially early Scudder) is a failure in
so many ways. The heartbreaking thing is that Scudder knows
this too.
Altman/Gould's Marlowe is similar. Chandler's Marlowe set the
standard for the lone wolf who cares not for worldly
possessions and that model has been put to good use many
times over since then. That's well and good, but Altman does
a great job of showing that this is not without its
sacrifices. That crummy apartment Gould's Marlowe lives in
sums up a ton about his life and is consistent with the type
of place Marlowe would have. That's just one example from the
movie of this. (I should talk. My own place is no better and
since I don't have Marlowe's neighbors, I'd have to say that
it's worse!). I like this approach better than having the
protagonist somehow lucking into insurance money or an
inheritance so that they can have trendy stuff while, unlike
the rest of us, still remaining untarnished by
commerce.
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