The Big Sleep [DVD] [1977]

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2006-02-22 rating:
Who thought this was a good idea and how drunk were they at the time?
The Big Sleep has to be the most bizarre pitch of the 70s: giving Michael Winner carte blanche to transfer Philip Marlowe from LA's mean streets to the Green Streets of suburban England. With so many of the stellar supporting cast just so terribly wrong for their parts - a drunken Richard Boone with his leg in a cast as an unintentionally comical Lash Canino, Sarah Miles with the worst wardrobe and the biggest Afro you've ever seen on a white woman displaying all the sex appeal of a decomposing antelope in the Lauren Bacall role, Edward Fox as a bookie, John The Thief of Bagdad Justin as a glass-eyed gay blackmailer and Richard Todd as the police commissioner - it's only Robert Mitchum who keeps the thing afloat, even managing to keep a straight face when confronted with such dangerous characters as Dudley Sutton and Derek Deadman. On one level it is perversely watchable without ever being gleefully bad, but like almost all of Winner's films it shows his amazing ability to flatten any material he gets his hands on. Still, at least Mitchum amused himself on the set telling any passing Arabs he saw that Michael Winner was forcing the cast to give 25% of their salary to Mossad and then giving them the director's home address - "You can't miss it, it's the one with the effigy of Yasser Arafat hanging from the chimney." br / br /No extras on the DVD.

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review by: Michael Brett date: 2006-01-26 rating:
This film is dire, don't buy it!
The Big Sleep is a modern American classic, a great book with a wonderful 1946 film noire based on it-though with some distortions of the book's character and plot to produce a Hollywood happy ending. pThe 1977 version is just plain awful. Robert Mitchum is either too old, too tired or not interested in the screenplay (and who can blame him?) The direction is plodding and the whole thing wades through porridge. -Buy the 1946 one with Bogey and Bacall!

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review by: captainclean date: 2004-09-13 rating:
Stands the test of time.
With a screen adaptation from Raymond Chandler's book by Michael Winner this movie has more twists and turns that the Great Ocean Road. Although it was released in 1977 it does not have that aged looked that older movies sometimes have. brThis was the second time that Robert Mitchum took on the role of Philip Marlowe. The first was in Farewell My Lovely released in 1974. Although Mitchum was in the twilight years of his career when The Big Sleep was made it seems like a role that was tailored just for him. Mitchum did an excellent job of portraying the older jaded Marlowe who always manages to hold onto his ethics. brMitchum was supported by an excellent ensemble of fellow actors. James Stewart who was also in the twilight years of his career did an excellent job portraying Marlowe's client General Strenwood. Oliver Reed was perfectly cast as the 'heavy', while Joan Collins managed to pre-empt the Dynasty stage of her career by playing an ethically devoid bitch.brThis is a movie that has stood the test of time and it is well worth watching. I give this one the thumbs up.


review by: The Good Captain date: 2002-08-27 rating:
not as bad as you'd think!!
this film takes a real panning in most guide books but it is really not too bad.brmitchum is just right as an ageing marlowe and, once you get used to the english seting, the action rattles along at a cracking pace.brthe cast is good (especially oliver reed)and the story follows chandlers' book much more closely than the 40s version (which is indeed a classic).brif you expect art you wont find it here, what you will find is a well made, solidly entertaining movie.

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Similar categories

Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Crime, Thrillers Mystery . All Crime, Thrillers Mystery
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 15
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 2
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1970 - 1979
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English

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