MovieChat Forums > Marlowe (1969) Discussion > This movie has aged rather well

This movie has aged rather well


I first saw this in the Seventies and was very disappointed. They had taken, I felt at the time, too many liberties with Chandler and the 60's fit wasn't a good one. Having revisited the film, I think it looks quite a bit better now. It is still imperfect...the sets are a bit obvious, there really isn't much variation in shots, the intrusion and quick elimination of Bruce Lee (who obviously did much better work in other films) is a time-waster, and there isn't the "sense of place" Chandler (or MacDoanald) could give. But the look of the film isn't bad otherwise, Garner makes an engaging Marlowe, the sisters are played well, and Rita Moreno is sensational. As far as taking liberties with Chandler, well, it's "The Little Sister", for crying out loud, not "The Big Sleep" or "The Long Goodbye." (And I am still angry about what Altman, who I love, did with the latter novel.) The movie sits a bit better with me now.

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James Garner aged well. In more ways than one. He did, and the overwhelming majority of his work does as well.

He refused to be driven by fads. He probably created more fads than he bowed to.

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I loved it when it first came out and like it even better today. Garner was great and had a strong supporting cast with a complex and interesting storyline. Terribly underrated on this site IMHO

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I agree that it has aged well. The 1960s milieu, the colors, the clothes are enjoyable, and the casting is very good. I especially like Rita Moreno and Sharon Farrell, but everybody is good. My criticism is that the plot is so convoluted. I had to watch the ending twice to understand it.

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