MovieChat Forums > The Long Goodbye (1973) Discussion > I finally watched this on Amazon Prime

I finally watched this on Amazon Prime

posted 4 years ago by BourbonKing (5612)
15 replies | jump to latest

after hearing so much about it but not seeing available in any of my video rental stores from decades past I finally found it online to stream.

I gotta say, of all the film noir movies based on Philip Marlowe the Coen Bros. credited for the inspiration of The Big Lebowski, I think they drew a lot of inspiration from this movie itself.

Altman's vision of Marlowe is also reflected in The Dude from his immaterial concern with money, to his habitual and ritualistic penchant for stimulants (Marlowe's is cigarettes, the Dude's is a White Russian). We also hear a reference to the adherence of Judaism by one of the underworld characters who was miffed that he had to work on Shabbas. Then there were the naked and quasi-spiritualistic women living next door to Marlowe which reminded me a lot of Maude Lebowski and her bizarre life style. The cop interrogation scenes also reminded me of the Dude's interaction with the police. Mind you, all of these elements can be found in old B&W Noir detective films, but the tone and zaniness of The Long Goodbye can be felt in The Big Lebowski.

It was also fun to see Arnold Schwarzanegger in a non-speaking role.

[–] ecarle (14979) 4 years ago

The Long Goodbye seems to have grown its "cult" from its first release in 1973, which was unsuccessful despite attempts to keep re-releasing it with new posters throughout the year.

But a lot of critics...and a lot of fans..."got it." Its very much linked to Altman's MASH through Elliott Gould as the star, its rambling, shambling nature, and the camera always drifting off to look at some bit player or detail beyond the star.

What's funny to me is that with The Big Lebowski now its own...bigger...cult film, it sometimes feels wrongly like Lebowski influenced The Long Goodbye rather than the other way around. I think things are "clinched" with the Malibu beach house scenes, we can forget which scenes go in which movie.

There is another "linked movie" to The Big Lebowski --- Cutter's Way(1981) actually starring Jeff Bridges as a shorter-haired more studly version of the Dude, but with another angry Vietnam vet as his partner in conspiracy unravelling.

Honestly, The Long Goodbye, Cutter's Way(set in seaside Santa Barbara, with a sidetrip to LA) and The Big Lebowski are almost a trilogy.

[–] BourbonKing (5612) 4 years ago

Ah yes, "Cutter's Way" is what I believe another film that the Coen Bros may have found some inspiration.

I remember when I watched Sideways how it almost reminded me of Cutter's Way as well, but I think it had more to do with the setting and that both are about two close buddies in a tumultuous situation.

[–] ecarle (14979) 4 years ago

Ah yes, "Cutter's Way" is what I believe another film that the Coen Bros may have found some inspiration.

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Its possible...surely we can figure that Jeff Bridges saw the connections between the two storylines and scripts.

Comparison: Lee Marvin turned down The Wild Bunch (1969) because he felt on the basis of the script, it was too close to his film "The Professionals" of 1966. Both films had American gunmen going into Mexico with the Revolution as a backdrop. But the movies were really quite different and whereas The Professionals happened AFTER the Revolution, The Wild Bunch happened DURING the Revolution -- with vicious American outlaws replacing the American heroes of The Professionals.

I figure that Jeff Bridges likely saw that The Big Lebowski was as different from Cutter's Way as it was similar. He didn't make Lee Marvin's mistake.

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I remember when I watched Sideways how it almost reminded me of Cutter's Way as well, but I think it had more to do with the setting and that both are about two close buddies in a tumultuous situation.

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Well, Cutter's Way happens entirely in Santa Barbara(with a sidetrip to LA). Sideways, after early scenes in San Diego and LA, settles into Santa Barbara at the coast and some inland Santa Barbara County cities.

Cutter's Way captures more of the "flavor" of coastal Santa Barbara proper, I think. That area is now more popular with movie and TV stars than Beverly Hills in LA.

PS. The 1966 Paul Newman private eye movie "Harper" was based on novels by Ross MacDonald set in Santa Barbara, but weirdly in that movie, they give Santa Barbara a fictional name -- I've never understood why; its confusing to the story, too.

[–] BourbonKing (5612) 4 years ago

I gotta check Harper out myself. Perhaps the name change was pushed by the City of SB in exchange for allowing permits to shoot there. On a related note, Santa Cruz CA somehow got the producers of The Lost Boys to change the city name to Santa Carla because they felt that the movie's theme about Vampire youth and child abduction was too negative.

[–] Knish (1721) 4 years ago

Your second paragraph makes no sense to me.

I am not sure what you mean but the dude was inspired by a guy the coens knew.

[–] BourbonKing (5612) 4 years ago

[–] ecarle (14979) 4 years ago

Yes, I know about Jeffrey Dowd, I'm talking about the parallels between Marlowe's detective persona and the Dude's persona as he tries to solve the mystery of behind his rug being peed on and the missing girl/money and how he weaves his way around the story. I'm not talking about all of the Dude's personality (being a burned out Boomer)

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I suppose the Coens in selecting Jeffrey Dowd as their role model for the Dude made sure that their protagonist matched neither Gould's Marlowe nor Bridges in Cutters Way, but whether they intended it or not, The Big Lebowski carries reminders of The Long Goodbye and Cutter's Way if you know those movies(Malibu from The Long Goodbye; Jeff Bridges from Cutter's Way.)

[–] BourbonKing (5612) 4 years ago

I think they chose Dowd's outer shell, but the guy himself is a bit of a goofball and not really 100% of what we see in The Dude. Just like any adaptation we won't get a complete reflection or re-enactment but a translation infused with outside sensibilities. Jeff Bridges brought a lot of himself into the Dude and as you noticed it echoes some of his past performances like in Cutter's Way. Even those youth movies he did in the 60s/70s you can almost imagine that was the Dude back then.

[–] Redsfan001 (6004) 4 years ago

Interesting analogy.

I must say though, I really disliked this movie. Having heard stories about Elliot Gould's childish behavior on set in the early 70's, along with the main character of Philip Marlowe really not having a 💓 at all just turned me off in this film.

Your analogy is interesting though... both share a detachment to the material world, both can be highly cynical of others ("..and which one is Logjammin?)

But the main difference is 💓.

The Marlowe character would be Lebowski if Jeff lost his 💓.

[–] BourbonKing (5612) 4 years ago

The intention to set the movie outside of a Marlowe detective environment envisioned in the books or older film adaptations was part of Altman's vision from what I've read. Altman also colors with his films by parodying the very subject matter of his own movies. It's not for everyone and it certainly wasn't a direct adaptation of Chandler's book.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5947) 4 years ago

The film is good enough, but really wish someone would film it set in the time period of the book.

[–] ecarle (14979) 4 years ago

But the main difference is 💓.

The Marlowe character would be Lebowski if Jeff lost his 💓.

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I would ascribe that to both Robert Altman as the director and Elliott Gould as the star of "The Long Goodbye." Both men were only a few years out from collaborating on the rather "heartless" movie version of MASH; they were cynical men without much faith in any system.

Its hard to say exactly why The Long Goodbye was a failure on release. 1973 was the year of such blockbusters as The Sting and The Exorcist, along with nostalgia movies like American Graffiti and The Way We Were. The second Dirty Harry movie(Magnum Force) was a big Christmas hit, and Walter Matthau did gritty back-to-back crime thrillers with Charley Varrick and The Laughing Policeman. Eastwood and Redford were outpacing Gould as a "new star"; and Paul Newman was on the comeback trail. (Matthau, by the way, was CONSIDERED for the lead in The Long Goodbye, and might have fit as well as Gould.)

I suppose "versus" all those movies, The Long Goodbye simply ambled and rambled on too much for its own good. Marlowe takes hardly any heroic action at all until the very end of the film(at no risk to himself) -- and the gangster who so brutally attacks his girlfriend pays no price for his villainy(as I recall -- I might be wrong.) This is a "mystery thriller" with not much of a mystery and no thrills at all -- a character piece in the main.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5947) 4 years ago

It certainly didn't capture the fans of the book, who probably expected something like The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon, but instead got something quite different. All the romance of Marlowe is taken out of it.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (71430) 4 years ago

A fine example of why 70s films bit into you and never really let go

Much like Taxi Driver there is violence, inane situations and a final act that makes the viewer question the protagonist

Top Shelf movie!

[–] Jones70 (6195) 4 years ago

I agree i like this movie quite a bit and wish they made more movies similar to this nowadays.