On Thu, 16 Aug 2001, Mark Sullivan wrote:
> The first time I saw Altman's Long Goodbye, I was
outraged. When I saw
> it again years later, I went in with the attitude,
Okay, go in with no
> preconceptions, just take it for what it is. I now
think it's a great
> movie. But Chandler's Marlowe? Nunh-uh!
Nobody said it was to be Chandler's Marlowe. Chandler wrote
in the thirties, fourties and fifties. The film is typically
the seventies' stuff. Chandler wouldn't have come up with the
same Marlowe he came up in the thirties. I don't know whether
the film will stand the test of time, but I certainly have
enjoyed it. But look for James Naremore's critical view of it
in "More Than Night" - he argues that it's almost
conservative when compared to the political views expressed
in Chandler's novel.
Didn't Leigh Brackett say that she thought that Chandler
would've liked the film? The first appointed director for the
film was by the way Brian G. Hutton, of the Kelly's Heroes
fame.
> "While we're on the subject, the two best casting
choices for a
> literary-to-film detective were both made for Mike
Hammer adaptations:
> Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly and Armande Assante
in I, the Jury."
While I don't particularly care for the Hammer books, I
admire the Aldrich film and think Meeker is just as
unpleasant as Hammer needs to be. And there are no salvaging
moments, he's just bad and someone not be associated
with.
Juri
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