MovieChat Forums > The Long Goodbye (1973) Discussion > An honest, outdated private eye stuck in...

An honest, outdated private eye stuck in the Bizarro world of modern L.A.


This is a crime drama/mystery with Altman’s art-film style that takes Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel and transports it to twenty years in the future with muttering Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) being anachronistic in modern sun-drenched L.A. with its nude sunbathers, all-night supermarkets, swank beach houses, eccentric artists, hedonists, medical quacks, avaricious gangsters and fitness nuts. (Speaking of the latter, watch out for a young Arnold Schwarzenegger in his second film role, although it’s just a glorified cameo).

Screenwriter Leigh Brackett naturally changed a few things in the story with the most radical being a slightly different ending, which offends purists, but totally works for me (for reasons I can’t explain because I don't want to spoil anything). These changes plus Altman’s quirky flair turned off critics upon the film’s initial release, although both Siskel & Ebert gave it a ‘Thumbs Up’ with Gene liking it even more than Roger. The movie was rereleased with a more accurate ad campaign, utilizing Mad magazine’s Jack Davis to do the poster (Google it), wherein it was received better, gaining back some money. It has gone on to become a deserved cult movie in the decades since. Nevertheless, this was pretty much the end of Gould’s career as a leading man (although he continued to be a successful working actor).

It took me a while to acclimate to the muttering private eye trapped in the Bizarro world of Southern Cal approach, not to mention the improvisational feel, but the flick won me over. Being a cat lover, the opening sequence caught my interest, but there’s a LOT to like here, including the idea of an old-fashioned honest man pushed around and underestimated by everyone, yet ultimately revealing his expertise and strength (which brings to mind Columbo). To appreciate it, you have to be braced for something different, which of course Altman is known for.

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I agree, it's a beautiful movie. I noticed that feeling of anachronism as well. Many characters felt like ghosts of a bygone era, behaving slightly out of sync with their time, or as hypnotized, including the washed-up writer who seemed like a parody of Ernest Hemingway, and the guy making old movie star impressions. Even the same song that repeatedly played in different versions throughout the movie, added to that absurd feeling. Elliott Gould was also perfectly cast.

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