Howard
Hawks’ classic The Big Sleep, written
by Leigh Brackett, might not have a regular femme fatale, but the women in it,
all of them different, complex, and absolutely fascinating, more than make up
for it. A film about process more than results, it chronicles private eye
Philip Marlowe’s journey into the heart of crime, gambling, murder, and
blackmail often masked by genteel manners in the world of rich urbanites.
Although we have little more of an idea of what just happened and who killed
whom and why at the end than we did in the beginning, the movie is a pleasure
to watch, a black and white symphony conducted in the rich and smoky atmosphere
of the post-WWII noir. With its moody, expressionistic chiaroscuro lighting,
long and heavy shadows cast by the ubiquitous Venetian blinds, its classic,
hardboiled romantic hero and the shady, powerful, beautiful women around him, The Big Sleep submerges us into darkness
but, surprisingly, helps us see the light as well. While Bogart gave up
everything in Casablanca for the
greater good, here he might be even braver; instead of seeking redemption in a
corrupt, chaotic world through self-sacrifice, he finds redemption and
stability in an adult relationship of equals with the woman he loves.***Spoilers ahead (although I can't really give away the plot; like both the film's director and writer, I have no idea what the solution to the murders is)! This is an analysis of Vivian's character as a noir woman and her relationship with Bogart's Marlowe.
