The Long Goodbye (1973) (Classic Film Review)

The Long Goodbye (1973) is a satirical neo-noir film written by Leigh Brackett. It is based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Raymond Chandler. The film revolves around detective Philip Marlowe, whose friend Terry Lennox is accused of the murder of his wife and is chased by the police.

PLOT

Detective Philip Marlowe (Elliot Gould) has to leave his house late at night to buy food for his cat. When he comes back, his friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) is at his house asking him for a ride to Tijuana because he fought with his wife, Sylvia, and he is in trouble. When Marlowe returns, two policemen ask him about Terry, since Sylvia was killed, and Terry is accused of murder. He refuses to answer any questions during the interrogation and he is sent to jail for three days. Later he is released, as Terry committed suicide, so the case is closed.

Marlowe, who knows his friend more than anyone else, cannot believe Terry committed suicide or that he might have killed his wife. He thinks that he was murdered. Meanwhile, Terry’s neighbor Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt) hires Marlowe to find her alcoholic husband, Roger (Sterling Hayden, The Killing) who is suffering from writer’s block. He occasionally goes missing because of his addiction and inner emotional struggles. Roger is brought back home by Marlowe and these three start hanging out more, especially when he finds out that there could be some important information concerning Terry. At the same time, Marty Augustine, a lunatic gangster to whom Terry owed a large sum of money, is threatening Marlowe to find the stolen money….

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The Long Goodbye is a movie with a slow pace, but an engaging plot, combining the genres of satire with the basic elements of classic film noir. Terry’s and Sylvia’s murder, Terry as a character, and the hidden secrets of the Wades, are all mysteries that the viewer feels the need to untangle before the protagonist, Marlowe does. My only complaint is that the characters were a little underdeveloped. Apart from Marlowe, we do not really learn much about the rest of the side characters, especially Eileen.

CHARACTERS

• Philip Marlowe is a detective, that is very loyal to his friend Terry, otherwise he would never help him at his difficult times, when he wanted someone to drive him to Tijuana. Also he really cares for him, which is the reason why he never gives up on him, even when the case is closed.
• Terry Lennox is Philip’s friend. He seems deceitful and selfish. In general he has a bad reputation and was abusive towards his wife, Sylvia. The police is after him accusing him of her murder, but the case is closed after his suicide.
• Eileen Wade is Terry’s neighbor, an affluent and alluring woman, burdened by her husband’s self destructive behavior. She seeks consolation in Philip’s arms.
• Roger Wade is Eileen’s husband and a novelist suffering from writer’s block. He is an emotionally unstable alcoholic.
• Marty Augustine is a very dangerous and erratic gangster. He terrorizes Philip after the death of Terry, since the deceased person owed him a large sum of money. He believes Philip has it and will do everything to have his money returned.

ACTING

Elliott Gould delivered an amazing performance as detective Philip Marlowe. He was very convincing and portrayed his character in such an engaging way. I also appreciated Nina Van Palandt’s acting as Eileen Wade, the femme fatale of the film. The chemistry of these two is really worth mentioning! Veteran of film noir and gangster films Sterling Hayden was incredible as erratic Roger Wade! Jim Bouton and Mark Rydell were very good at the roles of Terry Lennox and Marty Augustine respectively. Unfortunately, Jim Bouton did not have much screen time to show us more from his acting potential.

DIRECTION/CINEMATOGRAPHY

Direction by Robert Altman was well done, establishing a mysterious, suspenseful, and eerie atmosphere. The camera movements are in opposition of the actors’ movements “so that the audience would feel like a voyeur.” Cinematography was gloomy most of the times, with many grey and brown tones, and the soundtrack “The Long Goodbye” by John Williams was very aesthetic.

THE END

The film ending deviates from the one of the novel, and personally I was satisfied with what I saw. It was a decent epilogue!

The Long Goodbye was released in theaters in the U.S. on March 8, 1973

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• Rating Certificate: R
• Studios & Distributors: Lion’s Gate Films | United Artists
• Country: USA
• Language: English
• Run Time: 112 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Director: Robert Altman
• Written By: Leigh Brackett | Raymond Chandler
• Original Release Date: 8 March 1973 (US)