Patrick King wrote:
Bogart certainly brought more substance to the role
than Powell. There's an element of comedy to
Dick
Powell's Marlowe rather like William Powell's
Nick
Charles, which I find out of keeping with the
Chandler
character. With all the wise cracks and
double
entendres in the script, Bogart's Marlowe is
still a
character we take seriously. He commands respect
from
everyone who meets him. Even in the script,
Dick
Powell's Marlowe gets little respect from
authorities,
and the criminals assume they can outsmart
him.
Patrick King
...... Hi Patrick,
I agree entirely with your summary of Powell's vs. Bogart's
portrayal of Marlowe. I had this debate with my podcasting
partner, Richard Edwards, in our episode on "Murder My
Sweet," and made, grosso modo, the points you made above
(though you make them more clearly and concisely). Rich, on
the other hand, found Powell to be the perfect Marlowe. I
just can't stomach a Marlowe--arguably the most morally
weighty of all literary PI's--tap dancing his way glibly
through a film adaptation. But Rich found those comic touches
to be the proof of a man with a nuanced sense of morality.
Which I suppose proves one thing: it's a memorable
performance, no matter how you cut it.
Shannon Clute www.noircast.net
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