The rhythmic structure of the film is less like a traditional mystery and more of a dreamlike sleepwalk through L.A., a city brought to life by cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. He’s constantly out of his element, but he has a preternatural capacity for punishment, and the smug grin on Gould’s face is a constant reminder that he’s at his most comfortable when he’s being underestimated. Though his investigation puts him through the wringer physically and mentally, Gould never loses the disaffected swagger that Marlowe carries with him, observing and reacting incredulously to the world’s shifting cultural landscape. Why would he? Isn’t that what friends are for?Īfter being manhandled by crooked cops in connection with the brutal murder of Terry’s wife Sylvia, Marlowe doubles down on his convictions and decides to solve the crime, resolute in his belief that his friend is innocent. When his friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) shows up in the middle of the night nursing scars and asking for a ride to Tijuana, Marlowe asks few questions before taking off. The loyalty and stoicism that had once sanctified him now clung to his back like a “kick me” sign even Marlowe’s cat takes advantage of his good nature and coaxes him into wandering out for fancy food at 3:00 am.
Both Gould and Altman saw him as a relic of the ‘40s, reawakened in a time of rapid social transformation. Contemporary audiences were perplexed by its narrative formlessness and wry humor, but over 50 years later, The Long Goodbye is a cult classic, and its unforgettable ennui has paved the way for an entire genre of melancholic anti-noirs.Ĭrucial to the film’s enduring legacy is the pitiable charm of Elliott Gould's Phillip Marlowe, a sleepyheaded, mumble-mouthed slacker with more of a resemblance to Seth Rogen than Humphrey Bogart. He began to realize the story’s potential as a satirical odyssey through the rosy facade of Hollywood, skewering everything from fascist cops to pretentious novelists to noir itself. However, he was drawn to Brackett’s shocking ending and the updated setting of ‘70s Los Angeles.
When Altman first encountered Leigh Brackett’s screenplay, he was disinterested in the hard-boiled edge of Chandler’s detective novel.
It was a match made in heaven, but for fans of Raymond Chandler, it was an unacceptable one. Gould was an actor prone to fits of sudden inspiration, and Altman was a filmmaker who nurtured spontaneity. On the first day of shooting for Robert Altman’s 1973 film The Long Goodbye, Elliott Gould sauntered onto set and improvised four simple words: “It’s okay with me.” On-screen, they reflected a certain uneasy acceptance of the eccentric paradoxes of contemporary American life, but off-screen, they were a testament to the laissez-faire energy between director and actor.
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