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IMDbPro

The Big Sleep

  • 1946
  • Passed
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
88K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,220
4,385
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
Theatrical Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures
Play trailer1:49
1 Video
99+ Photos
CrimeFilm-NoirMystery

Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.

  • Director
    • Howard Hawks
  • Writers
    • William Faulkner
    • Leigh Brackett
    • Jules Furthman
  • Stars
    • Humphrey Bogart
    • Lauren Bacall
    • John Ridgely
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    88K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,220
    4,385
    • Director
      • Howard Hawks
    • Writers
      • William Faulkner
      • Leigh Brackett
      • Jules Furthman
    • Stars
      • Humphrey Bogart
      • Lauren Bacall
      • John Ridgely
    • 319User reviews
    • 128Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    The Big Sleep
    Trailer 1:49
    Watch The Big Sleep

    Photos127

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Humphrey Bogart, Sonia Darrin, and Louis Jean Heydt in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and Bob Steele in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in "The Big Sleep," 1946 Warner Bros.
    "The Big Sleep" Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall 1946 Warner Bros.
    "The Big Sleep" Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart 1946 Warner Bros.
    "The Big Sleep" Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Martha Vickers 1946 Warner Bros.

    Top cast

    Edit
    Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart
    • Philip Marlowe
    Lauren Bacall
    Lauren Bacall
    • Vivian Rutledge
    John Ridgely
    John Ridgely
    • Eddie Mars
    Martha Vickers
    Martha Vickers
    • Carmen Sternwood
    Dorothy Malone
    Dorothy Malone
    • Acme Book Shop Proprietress
    Peggy Knudsen
    Peggy Knudsen
    • Mona Mars
    Regis Toomey
    Regis Toomey
    • Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls
    Charles Waldron
    • General Sternwood
    Charles D. Brown
    • Norris
    Bob Steele
    Bob Steele
    • Lash Canino
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    • Harry Jones
    Louis Jean Heydt
    Louis Jean Heydt
    • Joe Brody
    Trevor Bardette
    Trevor Bardette
    • Art Huck
    • (uncredited)
    Joy Barlow
    Joy Barlow
    • Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Max Barwyn
    Max Barwyn
    • Max
    • (uncredited)
    Deannie Best
    • Waitress
    • (uncredited)
    William A. Boardway
    William A. Boardway
    • Casino Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Tanis Chandler
    Tanis Chandler
    • Waitress
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Howard Hawks
    • Writers
      • William Faulkner
      • Leigh Brackett
      • Jules Furthman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Due to Humphrey Bogart's affair with co-star Lauren Bacall, his marital problems escalated during filming, and his drinking often resulted in his being unable to work. Three months after the film was finished, Bacall and Bogart were married.
    • Goofs
      When Vivian is telling Marlowe the cover story for Carmen for the night before, her mouth does not match what she's saying. This mismatch is because the movie was re-edited after Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall became a popular team; To Have and Have Not (1944) which brought them to stardom was released after The Big Sleep (1946) was filmed but before it was released. Scenes were re-shot, some new scenes were added and others dropped. The sequence was also changed to accommodate some of the new edits. The audio/visual mismatch is because the scene was kept but minor dialog had to be changed to make the re-sequencing track properly.
    • Quotes

      Philip Marlowe: She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.

    • Crazy credits
      During the opening credits, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are seen in silhouette, placing cigarettes in an ashtray. At the end, two cigarettes are in an ashtray.
    • Alternate versions
      Originally filmed in 1944, wasn't released until two years later. Some prints derive from a slightly different early preview version with alternate footage.
    • Connections
      Edited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
      (uncredited)

      Music by Stan Kenton and Charles Lawrence

      Lyrics by Joe Greene

      Sung by Lauren Bacall and The Williams Brothers

      [A band accompanies Vivian singing the song at the casino]

    User reviews319

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Classic private eye tale with Bogart and Bacall in fine form
    This classic of American cinema, actually made during the war and released in 1946, got a whole nation of young men affecting Bogey mannerisms, raising their eyebrows or showing their teeth while grimacing, and especially pulling on their earlobes while deep in thought, a smoking cigarette dangling between their lips. It was the genius of Howard Hawks, who directed, to do everything possible to make Humphrey Bogart a matinée idol, including having Lauren Bacall slump down in the car seat so as not to tower over him. With this movie a new kind of cinematic hero was created, the existential PI, a seemingly ordinary looking guy gifted with street smarts and easy courage, admired by men, and adored by women.

    Hawks fashioned this, part of the Bogart legend, with a noire script penned by William Faulkner, et al., adapted from Raymond Chandler's first novel, that sparkled with spiffy lines, intriguing characters, danger and a not entirely serious attention to plot detail. Hawks surrounded Bogey with admiring dames, beginning with the sexy Martha Vickers who tries to jump into his lap while he's still standing (as Marlowe tells General Sternwood), and ending with the incomparable Lauren Bacall, looking beguiling, beautiful and mysteriously seductive. In fact, every female in the cast wants to get her hands on Bogey, including a quick and easy Dorothy Malone, bored in her specs while clerking at a book store. Hawks also employed some very fine character actors, most notably Elisa Cook Jr., and Bob Steele, the former as always, the little guy crook, (Harry Jones), and the latter, as often seen in westerns, the mindless heavy with a gun (Canino). Charles Waldron played the world-weary general and Charles D. Brown was the butler.

    I was reminded somehow of the old Charlie Chan movies with the dark, mysterious, ornately-decorated interiors heavily carpeted and studded with ethnic statuettes, especially the house on Laverne Terrace that Bogey keeps coming back to, and the glass-paned doors and glass-separated cubicals of his office and others. The atmospheric L.A. created here has been much admired and imitated, cf., Chinatown (1974) and L.A. Confidential (1997), two very superior movies that continued the tradition.

    In comparing this to the book, I have to say it's a little on the white-washed side, and not as clearly drawn--'confused' some have said. Of course liberties were taken with Chandler's novel to make it romantic. Chandler's novel emphasizes cynicism, and romance takes a back seat to manliness and loyalty to the client. An especially striking difference is in the character of General Sternwood's younger daughter, Carmen. She is vividly drawn in the book as something of monster, a degenerate sex kitten who would try and do just about anything. She is twice encountered butt naked by Marlowe, once in his bed. Being the sterling guy he is, he turns her away. (Right. I could do that.) Another difference is in all the sleazy details about the low-life underworld of Los Angeles that are omitted or glossed over in the film, including Geiger's homosexuality and his gay house guest, Carol Lundgren. (Of course there was a code in those days.) Bacall's character in the movie is actually a fusion of Vivian and Mona Mars from the book, made nice for movie fans. In the book, Marlowe kisses Vivian, but turns down her invitation for more intimate contact. In the movie, of course, there is no way Bogart is going to say 'no' to Bacall. In the book Marlowe seems to prefer whiskey to women.

    Most of the sharp dialogue comes right from Chandler's novel, including Bogart's grinning line, 'Such a lot of guns around town, and so few brains.' Interesting is the little joke on Bogart in the opening scene. In the novel, Chandler's hero is greeted by the purring Carmen with the words, 'Tall, aren't you?' Well, the one thing Bogey ain't is tall, and so in the movie Carmen says, 'You're not very tall, are you?' Bogart comes back with, 'I try to be.' In the novel, Marlowe says, 'I didn't mean to be.'

    By the way, the film features Bacall singing a forties tune and looking mighty good doing it.

    (Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)
    helpful•104
    19
    • DennisLittrell
    • Dec 12, 2001

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    FAQ11

    • What is 'The Big Sleep' about?
    • Is "The Big Sleep" based on a book?
    • What does the title mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 31, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tote schlafen fest
    • Filming locations
      • New York Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,556
    • Gross worldwide
      • $47,912
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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