One of the most eerie scenes I've ever seen in my life - about 30 minutes into the movie, when Marlow is in the house by himself and goes upstairs and into the bathroom....
Maybe this is a gimmick movie, maybe not. But that little sequence never fails to freak me out.
I agree with you - that was the one scene where I really felt the POV gimmick worked well and created an unsettling, memorable scene. The musical score, overbearing at times in other scenes, was also spooky here. I wish I could say I liked the rest of the movie, but felt it was just a failed try at something different otherwise. Robert Montgomery, who I like very much in some films (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, They Were Expendable) does not convince as Philip Marlowe. He's just surly and bullying, and his mostly off-camera presence doesn't make the impact it should. Audrey Totter too often came across in her scenes like she was doing some kind of exercise at the Actor's Studio and Montgomery was just feeding her lines. Jayne Meadows overacted wincingly at the end and showed us the reason why she is better known as a game show contestant than an actress. Only Tom Tully and Lloyd Nolan came off decently to me. Mostly I just wondered who at the studio okayed this tedious experiment?
shareMontgomery is not good in this, it sounds like he is sitting at a table just saying the lines.
This was something new and different, which is why IMO many of the cast come off "awkward", I agree it is tedious.
I must say, I agree with ya. The tension and pace, added with the cool music made it a great scene. It was actually one of the only scenes where the first person POV worked. To me, anyway. Good stuff.
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"D...uhhh ASTROTURF!! You know who's responsible for that, dontcha?! The Jews!"
i concur!
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