I don't think of Marlowe as flippant or a wise-ass. I think
his wisecracks are more of a defense mechanism, keeping the
sadness of the world at bay. He also uses them to needle the
other characters, for example the cop he nicknames Hemingway
in, ah, THE LONG GOODBYE (??).
THE MALTESE FALCON is probably the best Marlowe movie, but
Bogart's Marlowe is a friendly guy who seems at ease around
others. Chandler's Marlowe strikes me as a person who has a
hard time making friends, a reserved person who likes to keep
his distance. We've all known people like that, friends who
are "difficult" but tremendously loyal and dependable.
In a recent essay, Roger Ebert was talking about the films of
the French director who made "Bob Le Flambeur" (recently
remade as "The Good Thief") and he said that the characters
in these films are not as interested in success or failure as
they are in "living properly", which I think is a perfect
description of Marlowe.
And I think Ed Harris would be great in the role. Or Don
Cheadle.
Graham
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