Thursday, March 21, 2019

Thursday Movie Picks-Private Eye


Talk about a huge list, last week was a tough one for me, this time, I was wondering which movies to pick and where to go..so many choices! I'll be interested to see what the others have chosen and, if you head on over to the brainchild of this weekly event, Wandering Through The Shelves, you can find out:) . I did do a theme within a theme so here we go...

1. THE BIG SLEEP-1946


How can one not choose a Humphrey Bogart Film?! This is his area of expertise and one can understand why, hell, I could have just done a Bogie salute here but I went a slightly different route. This is his second pairing with his wife, Lauren Bacall and he has the tough, hardened P.I. down to a science. He plays Philip Marlowe (Raymond Chandler wrote a series of books about this detective) who is hired by an elderly General to find the General's daughter which leads him into a plot that no one can truly figure out but no one cares. You have blackmail, murder, gambling and, of course the older sister, played by Bacall. There is a famous scene where Bogie and Bacall are talking about horse racing..yeah and I want to sell you swamp land in Florida. To get by the censors, who were dumb asses, their sex talk devised  around horse racing, can make one hot and bothered. This is a great Film Noir that no one should miss.

2. LADY IN THE LAKE-1947


Robert Montgomery (Elizabeth Montgomery's dad-you know, Bewitched) plays Phillip Marlowe who is fed up with the P.I. business and decides to write a book. He is asked to a publishing house only to find out they don't want his book but his P.I. abilities to find a woman. The lady wants Marlowe to find her boss's wife (even though she has the hotsies for her boss)and Marlowe is on the search. Of course there are twists and turns and what is a Film Noir without a evil bitch, I mean, duplicitous Femme Fatale. The uniqueness of this film is that Montgomery, who is the director of this movie, shot it from a first person perspective so, even though he is the star of the film, you only see him twice, when he is looking in the mirror. This was his last film for MGM after being with this studio for almost 20 years. It is worth seeing although I think there are better movies, but I chose this because of its uniqueness.

3. THE LONG GOODBYE-1973


Elliott Gould plays ...guess? ...Yup, Phillip Marlowe,  as a down on his luck, out of step with time, P.I. hired by his good friend to drive him near the Mexico border...before any wall was even mentioned except for the one in Berlin.  As soon as Marlowe returns, 2 cops pick him up questioning him about his friend's wife who is murdered. The cops throw Marlowe in jail but release him 3 days later when they find Marlowe's friend dead in the desert, ruled a suicide. Of course, Marlowe doesn't buy it which leads him down a trail of more murder, twists and a Femme fatale. This is updated to the present time(well, for that time) but it has the feel of  a 40's Film Noir with major updates. Gould is excellent as the P.I. and you have to love all the verbal bantering that Robert Altman, the director, is famous for. Love the fact that Gould and Sterling Hayden's scenes together were mostly ad-libbed because Hayden was drunk and stoned on pot most of the time.

Which P.I. Movies would you choose?

38 comments:

  1. I've seen two of those.
    Got to go with a funny one - Fletch. Not technically a private investigator, but he ends up one.
    And of course, my favorite of all time, which is actually a television show - Psych!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fletch is great! I forgot about that movie and would love to see this one again.

      Delete
    2. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










      i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
      or
      call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

      Delete
  2. Of course Humphrey Bogart had to be listed in this film list. That's a good film and the only one in your list I have seen. Hmm, detective films. I need think about that. Just tired this morning and my brain is not engaged. But I love reading your list. Happy Thursday. hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks that you like my list and I know what you mean about brain fog. Bogie must be listed

      Delete
  3. We had it all
    Just like Bogie and Bacall
    Starring in our old late, late show
    Sailing away to Key Largo

    Hi, Birgit!

    Based on the trailer and your review, The Big Sleep is certainly not a "snooze fest." :) I love a good Film Noir murder mystery, and do not shy away from black & white films as many younger fans tend to do. I appreciated the way the Big Sleep trailer was set up. I also appreciated the teaser for Lady in the Lake, a film that I remember watching during my year-long Film Noir binge of the 2000s. That's great movie making! I have not seen Elliott Gould as Marlowe in The Long Goodbye. Can a movie truly be considered Film Noir if it is shot in color? I appreciate ad-libbed scenes when they work. I also love the technique of hiding a camera and capturing candid footage of actors when they don't know they're "on." Great film moments have resulted from such tricks.

    Thank you, dear friend BB!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked the film Picks I chose. The set ups are pretty clever and I think you will like the Elliot Gould film which I do think is a more modern film noir even though it is in colour but those are few and far between. Thanks for visiting

      Delete
  4. Hi Birgit - I've not seen them ... but from your notes I can see I should give them a watch. We're getting some different films in now at a new venue - so should be interesting ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you get a chance to see these. Love to know what films you are getting at the new venue

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Oh gosh...you have to see a couple of Bogart films...you would love or, at least, appreciate, them I think.

      Delete
  6. Love the theme within the theme!

    The Big Sleep isn't my favorite Bogie & Bacall film, that's Dark Passage, but even though it's terribly confusing it's a good film and Martha Vickers as nympho sister Carmen is a scene stealer.

    Again Lady in the Lake isn't my favorite of Montgomery's detective films, I like Ride the Pink Horse more. The first person gimmick gets in the way after a while but Audrey Totter is her usual great self.

    I wasn't sure about The Long Goodbye when I sat down to watch it. Gould seemed an odd choice but once it began his shaggy dog persona fit the part well and the film overall was enjoyable.

    I had the same trouble as you, SO many choices!, and only managed to get down to three. And yes I have a Bogart film in the mix.

    The Maltese Falcon (1941)-Private eye Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) takes on the case of the beautiful, secretive Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor). When Miss Wonderly is revealed to be Brigid O’Shaughnessy trouble begins. Sam's partner is murdered and he is accosted by Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) who demands he locate a valuable statuette which is being pursued by others including the Fat Man (Sydney Greenstreet). Entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue Sam soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejeweled Maltese falcon. This fourth version of the story is proof that remakes aren’t necessarily bad things but you should stop once you get it right.

    Murder, My Sweet (1944)-P.I. Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is working what he thinks are two minor cases but suddenly someone is dead and he discovers they are dangerously connected. As he is drawn deeper into a complex web of machinations by the mysterious Helen Grayle (Claire Trevor), Marlowe finds his own life in increasing jeopardy.

    Harper (1966)-Struggling private eye Lew Harper (Paul Newman) takes a simple missing-person case that quickly spirals into something much more convoluted. Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall), recently paralyzed in a horse-riding accident, wants Harper to find her missing oil baron husband, but her stormy teenage stepdaughter Miranda (Pamela Tiffin) thinks Mrs. Sampson knows more than she's letting on. Fun detective film with Newman at his coolest and a loaded supporting cast-beside Bacall it includes Julie Harris, Shelley Winters, Janet Leigh and Robert Wagner.

    Chinatown (1974)-When Los Angeles private eye J.J. "Jake" Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is hired by Evelyn Mulwray to investigate her husband's activities he believes it's a routine infidelity case. Jake's investigation soon becomes anything but routine when he meets the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) and realizes he was hired by an imposter. Mr. Mulwray's sudden death sets Gittes on a tangled trail of corruption, deceit and sinister family secrets as Evelyn's father (John Huston) becomes a suspect in the case. Dark, complex and twisted with amazing performances and flawless direction by Roman Polanski this is a great film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was almost going to choose The Maltese Falcon but it didn’t go with my theme and I was on a mission. I almost went with Sherlock Holmes but I just wasn’t sure which way to go. I almost chose the Dick Powell film but it has been so long since I saw this film that I can hardly remember so I didn’t choose it but I’m glad you did. I almost went with Chinatown too! It is a brilliant film...so warped and John Huston was never more slimy.

      Delete
  7. Nice theme within a theme. You would kind of have to do that with a genre so broad as this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes and I had so many ways to go I was at a loss.

      Delete
  8. Hi Brigit, only seen the Bogie film and it is a wonderful one, I love him and Lauren Bacall, just perfect together, Kate x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are great and Bogie and Bacall are one of the classic love stories

      Delete
  9. You can't go wrong with a film noir or a Phillip Marlowe movie. I've never heard of the middle one and will save it for later. Thx!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are all good...well the first and last are great. I enjoyed Lady in the Lake but , like Joel, it did get to me after a while but I was still happy to watch it

      Delete
  10. Chinatown definitely. One of my top ten favorites. Can't remember if I have seen the three you mentioned. If I did, it was ages ago.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I haven't seen any of those.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Big Sleep and Lady in the Lake are films I still haven't seen as I hope to yet I'm glad we love The Long Goodbye as I think it's one of Robert Altman's best films.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 2 for 3 at our sea. Fletch, Clean Slate, Monk, and Psych all pop in, even though later are TV.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love your take on this theme. Although I've never seen any of these films, I really enjoyed the synopses and how you tied the films together.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I don't get to the movies much, if at all, but I would pick Magnum P.I. (the one with Tom Selleck), Sherlock (with Benedict Cumberbatch), and Rockford (with James Garner).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ever see The Man with Bogart's Face? Fun film, although (as usual) the book was better. Of course, the film always makes me think of a comic character I created a few years later, Shamus ( not Seamus) O'Shaughnessy. Wavy blonde hair, pencil-thin mustache... but if you were in a darkened room listening to him, you'd swear that you were having a conversation with Bogie himself! Shamus was introduced in a story called "The Man with Bogart's Voice." ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. thank you for interesting introduction...
    I wish to watch no.2.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Intriguing! I know the first one, but not the other two and they both seem to have interesting quirks.

    ReplyDelete
  19. BIRGIT ~

    There have been so many good ones that it's really hard for me to narrow down the list.

    So, just off the top of my head, I'd say...

    Well, ANY of the installments in 'THE THIN MAN' series!

    'MURDER, MY SWEET'

    'DEAD AGAIN' is a good, fun Neo-Noir.

    And Steve Martin's 'DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID' was a clever and funny satire / spoof of the Film Noir genre. I liked that way better'n I thought I would, and had to get a DVD copy of it.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
  20. I had no idea there were different actors and movies featuring Marlowe. Why not? There's James Bond. I like how in older movies couples kiss without slurping.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I’ve seen a couple of these. They were classic. If you had asked me a few years ago I would have said I didn’t enjoy old movies. I would never say that now.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is one of my favorite genres. I've seen all of your picks and they're all good ones. Some of my favorites are those with Dick Powell, including one that I saw recently You Never Can Tell about a murdered dog who comes back as a detective to solve who murdered him. Also a favorite film of all time is Kiss Me, Deadly about P.I. Mike Hammer.

    I could go on but I won't. I think I'll go back to see what others said.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yes, Bogart is the classic P.I.
    Hope your weekend is wondrous.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I figured this would be an easy theme for you. I haven't watch many if any, oldy type of PI movies so my choices were limited.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I was surprised by how good the Get Smart movie was. I expected it to be dumb, but actually enjoyed it. Hopefully that counts.

    I don't watch many serious P.I. movies, so I guess my other picks would have to be the original Austin Powers (before the series just got dumb and gross) and the Pink Panther. Hopefully it's withstood the passage of time, because I haven't watched it since I was a kid. Back then, it was hilarious.

    ReplyDelete