The Long Goodbye 1973

A chain-smoker with a wise sense of humour, a very cool calm character, Philip Marlowe is a detective trying to find out the real story behind his best friends wife’s killer. The music played a key part in this film; it works perfectly throughout, relating to each scene with ease and without any questioning. Except the last, you could say that after Marlowe shot his best friend the choice in music would be solemn, to solute the end of something, be it someone. Yet Marlowe brings out the harmonica and happily plays it as it walks away from his dead ‘best friend’.I think the eye for detail throughout the film is key, the camera itself is constantly moving, ever wrestles which works for me personally, I’m drawn into the story this way, as the scene arises when Eileen Wade and Marlowe are talking by the window, her drunk husband in the background begins to walk towards the violent waves, all eyes on the screen viewers watch in anticipation as it works up to Eileen spotting her husband then an dangerous struggle to find her husband and save him from the violent sea which failed.

Yasmin states in her film review on her Blog that ‘you see Wade’s husband stumble into the sea, Marlowe only noticing when we, the audience, notice. Only seeing and knowing what is going on once Marlowe finds out, allows the audience to empathize with his character.’ We as the viewer sit and watch as if we are the person on-looking the situation, we feel the tense atmosphere, we predict what’s about to happen yet sit in anticipation waiting for that moment.

Yasmin’s blog post: http://yasminfchelseadays.blogspot.com/2011/02/film-review.html

I read up on an online film review by Robert Nijman with Elliot Gould, he states in the interview that ‘Marlowe’s cool comes from being different in other ways than we usually find in cinematic heroes. He’s offbeat. Idiosyncratic. Quirky. He doesn’t fit into the Chandleresque social circles we find him in, be it the county jail, the bad guy’s lair or the Hollywood style lavishness of a gated community.’ He is his own person which works perfectly for this film.

Quote Link: http://www.liveforfilms.com/2010/12/08/the-long-goodbye-review/

Overall I believe the sensitivity in this film is key, the music, in general the noises through out the film are important and really help the viewer feel what Marlowe is expressing depending on the music type. John Wynne has an exhibition in the Saachi Gallery, His installation uses sound and sculptural assemblage to explore and define architectural space and to explore the borders between sound and music. This piece links perfectly taking into consideration sensitivity towards Marlowes character and the music element throughout.

Saatchu gallery – Jhn Wynee; http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/john_wynne.htm?section_name=new_britannia