Big Sleep

The Big Sleep, a 1946 film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, was directed by Howard Hawks and reunited Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It was coldly received by a military audience but later became a classic of film noir. David Thomson argues that the film inaugurated a post-modern, camp, satirical view of movies being about other movies that extends to the New Wave and Pulp Fiction.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 12 November 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Big Sleep, a 1946 film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, is a complex and enigmatic masterpiece that features iconic performances by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Directed by Howard Hawks, the film is known for its mysterious plot and difficult-to-solve screenplay, co-written by Faulkner. The film reunited Bogart and Bacall, who had previously worked together in several films, and gave them two of their most famous roles. The Big Sleep was initially met with a cold reception when it was first shown to a military audience, but Hawks shot additional scenes to replace one in which the film's murders had been explained, leaving the plot unresolved. This decision, according to David Thomson, signaled a change in the nature of Hollywood cinema, inaugurating a post-modern, camp, satirical view of movies that extends to the New Wave and Pulp Fiction. The film's enigmatic nature and its exploration of the darker aspects of human nature have made it a classic of American cinema, and its influence can be seen in countless films that have followed.

Weight: 132g
Dimension: 414 x 140 x 2 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839021596
Edition number: 2 ed