The Long Goodbye
The final film in our Philip Marlowe Marathon is “The Long Goodbye.” Robert Altman’s classic 1973 take on Raymond Chandler’s novel features Elliott Gould as a Marlowe unlike any other. Let’s take a closer look.
If watching “Marlowe” is like eating a McDonald’s hamburger, watching “The Long Goodbye” is like eating a perfectly cooked $50 filet mignon. They’re the same animal, but they’re not in the same league.
I don’t want to rip “Marlowe” too much; I already took a lot of shots in the full review of that film. But it does serve as a useful comparison to Robert Altman’s 1973 classic.
All that “Marlowe” did was take a genre and place it into a different time, specifically the late 60s. It’s not trying to update the genre, nor is it trying to do anything interesting with the character of Marlowe. He’s basically a less-interesting version of the Marlowe of the past. He’s a 1940s detective living in the late 1960s. Some of his surroundings have changed, but he, in essence, has not.
In “The Long Goodbye,” however, the conventions we’ve gotten to know in Marlowe films of the past have been subverted, turned on their head, blown to bits entirely. The entire atmosphere of the film has shifted. You can feel it from the opening minutes. This story- and this Marlowe- might as well be from another planet. Where “Marlowe” is an unoriginal genre exercise, “The Long Goodbye” is an innovative, satirical work of art.
A lot of the conventions and beats of the detective picture are on display in “The Long Goodbye,” but only on a superficial level. Altman and screenwriter Leigh Brackett (who also co-wrote “The Big Sleep”) subvert genre cliches at every turn. When Marlowe’s being questioned by the cops, he pokes fun at the techniques he knows they’re about to break out, the techniques we’ve all seen countless times before. When Marlowe takes a case for the beautiful Eileen Wade, he solves it before the day is out. While further mysteries reveal themselves later in the film, when Marlowe returns with Wade’s husband in a matter of minutes of screen time, you can’t help but wonder “Well where do we go from here?” It’s a skillful shakeup by the filmmakers.
Elliott Gould as Marlowe is a revelation here. He is wildly unlike the Marlowes of the past. If you had to describe his Marlowe in one word, it might be “disheveled.” While his mind is obviously sharp and his investigative skills are still very much in tact, he eschews the efficient manner of past versions of the character. Instead he wanders sleepily through the world, cigarette perpetually hanging out of his mouth, often muttering observations to himself. He’s like the Marlowe for nihilists. Everything comes and goes, and he’s just there observing. Many times throughout the story he mutters “It’s okay with me,” and it’s less a response to anything happening than it is a proclamation of his worldview.
What’s fascinating to me is that Altman conceived of this Marlowe as an anachronism; his attitudes and habits are seemingly more in line with a man of the 50s than the 70s. His chain-smoking and insistence on always wearing a tie speak to this trait. In this way, he is somewhat similar to the James Garner version in “Marlowe.” But to me, these characters are still worlds apart. At least when looking back on this picture 40-odd years later, Gould’s Marlowe seems to fit perfectly in the era. Okay, his outfit is a bit old-fashioned and he drives a vintage car, but his calm demeanor and carefree attitude make him a man of his times. Portraying a modern detective in a modern world-and doing it successfully- was a big gamble and a bigger payoff for this film. It’s something a film like “Marlowe” didn’t even attempt.
As different as Gould’s Marlowe is, he doesn’t lose the trademark wit of the character. This movie isn’t very overtly funny, but there are a number of comedic moments, many of them provided by Gould. He loves nothing more than giving shit to hoods when they’re trying to shake him down or give him a hard time. When the sadistic gangster Marty Augustine tries to goad Marlowe into punching him in the stomach, Marlowe quips to Augustine’s concerned goons, “No, I’m not going to punch him in the stomach, I wouldn’t do that. Maybe another time though…” He also hilariously screws with the dumbest member of Augustine’s crew. Marlowe knows the guy has been waiting overnight to follow him, so he gives him the address where he’s heading and deadpans, “ I’m proud to have you following me, Harry.”
From a directorial standpoint, Altman adds many small touches that really make this film a standout. The opening sequence with the cat is incredible. It immediately gives you a lot of info about the main character without any bloated exposition (Marlowe might look like a lazy schlub, but look at the lengths he’ll go to not only to feed his cat, but to try and fool it into thinking he bought the right brand of food). Also, during the initial introduction of Augustine, the audience might be wondering just what kind of character Marlowe’s dealing with. Moments later, he breaks a coke bottle across the face of his mistress while declaring to Marlowe, “Now that’s someone I love. You I don’t even like.” It’s a shock-value move, no doubt, but it’s character-building, so it’s not just empty violence.
One scene in particular I’d like to focus on is when Marlowe returns to the Wade residence to talk to Roger. Eileen enters the scene and Roger asks Marlowe to head outside fir a bit so he can talk in private with his wife. Marlowe does as he’s asked and we’re treated to a scene between the couple. In a film where Marlowe is part of nearly every scene, this is a rare and somewhat strange shift. The perspective moves to the Wades for this short time, and it fills in what the viewer needs to know about the couple, namely that Eileen is disgusted by her husband and her drinking and that Roger thinks she should just accept him for what he is at this point.
The scene is shot wonderfully, with Altman shooting from outside in. At different times during the scene, white light obscures husband and wife. To me this is a great use of camera and lighting as subtext. You don’t quite know who to believe in this couple. Roger being blown out by white light foreshadows his fate not long after in the story, while a similar effect happening to Eileen might speak to the ambiguous nature of her character. Is she harmless or complicit in her husband’s brand of madness?
Meanwhile, Marlowe can be seen pacing on the beach in the window’s reflection. He’s not in the same room with the Wades, but he’s the only one who has the ability to figure out what’s going on between them, and for Eileen, he’s lurking right outside the door, restless, just a step or two behind the mystery. Altman eventually moves inside with the Wades and the scene immediately feels more intimate. You can really sense the history of the couple just from this small shift. In all, it’s a masterful scene. We learn things from the dialog, sure, but Altman divulges more information and creates such a tense atmosphere just in the framing of the scene.
As for the ending, all the Marlowe films have been neatly bow-tied at the finish, and this one is no exception. But again, convention is turned on its head here with the nature of the conclusion. I won’t spoil the finish for those who haven’t seen it, but it’s a bit of a shock. However, it speaks to the fact that Marlowe has a code all his own, and he’s going to do what he believes is right, consequences be damned.
“The Long Goodbye” is reputedly the most complex of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels. This film, then, stands as a testament to Leigh Brackett and Robert Altman’s utter skill at their respective crafts. They took what they needed, and nothing else, to tell a great story on film. For me, this was the easiest of the five marathon films to follow, and, I think, the greatest achievement of them all. All the little touches I’ve described make this a cut above most films noir, and most modern, color-filmed detective films aren’t going to be this atmospheric and well-crafted. If you enjoy this genre, or you just enjoy timeless film-making, you owe it to yourself to check out “The Long Goodbye.”
