It may not make a lot of sense, but it's got layers of mood and ambiance.
"The Big Sleep" was completed in 1945, but it was not released in the United States until a year later. Warner Bros. had their reasons. For one thing, World War II was just ending and the studio was more interested in promoting big war films than a detective story. For another, there was Lauren Bacall. In the year since making the movie, she had become a bigger star, and she had just married Bogart. The studio wanted to expand her part, so the cast and director were called back together to add and re-shoot a number of scenes. Note the racy new exchange between Bogart and Bacall on the subject of race horses.
Altogether, about sixteen minutes of new material was added and some eighteen minutes of old footage deleted. The DVD contains both editions: the 116-minute, 1945 pre-release version and the familiar 114-minute, 1946 theatrical-release version. In addition, the disc includes a fifteen-minute documentary hosted by UCLA film historian Robert Gitt comparing and contrasting the two renderings.
Video:
The black-and-white picture quality is OK but not as spectacular as a print digitally restored. Most of the time the image is sharp and well contrasted. But at a few other times it fades out, especially on the right-hand side of the screen, turning several lighter shades of gray or brown. The 1945 print seems slightly less afflicted than the 1946 one.
Audio:
The monaural sound is mostly noise free, and it has a surprisingly strong dynamic impact for its age. Just listen to those gun shots; they'll have you sitting up and paying attention. And the frequency range is adequate for reproducing Max Steiner's musical score.
Extras:
Warner Bros. provide some production notes to complement the documentary, plus English and French subtitles, scene selections, and a theatrical trailer. English is the only spoken language.
Parting Thoughts:
"The Big Sleep" is fast, witty, and exciting. It may not make a lot of sense, but it's got layers of mood and ambiance. Incredibly, the 1978 remake with Robert Mitchum moved the locale from Los Angeles to London and the time from the mid-Forties to the late-Seventies, effectively destroying the period atmosphere so essential to the story. Stick with the original; few detective yarns have equaled this one.
Altogether, about sixteen minutes of new material was added and some eighteen minutes of old footage deleted. The DVD contains both editions: the 116-minute, 1945 pre-release version and the familiar 114-minute, 1946 theatrical-release version. In addition, the disc includes a fifteen-minute documentary hosted by UCLA film historian Robert Gitt comparing and contrasting the two renderings.
Video:
The black-and-white picture quality is OK but not as spectacular as a print digitally restored. Most of the time the image is sharp and well contrasted. But at a few other times it fades out, especially on the right-hand side of the screen, turning several lighter shades of gray or brown. The 1945 print seems slightly less afflicted than the 1946 one.
Audio:
The monaural sound is mostly noise free, and it has a surprisingly strong dynamic impact for its age. Just listen to those gun shots; they'll have you sitting up and paying attention. And the frequency range is adequate for reproducing Max Steiner's musical score.
Extras:
Warner Bros. provide some production notes to complement the documentary, plus English and French subtitles, scene selections, and a theatrical trailer. English is the only spoken language.
Parting Thoughts:
"The Big Sleep" is fast, witty, and exciting. It may not make a lot of sense, but it's got layers of mood and ambiance. Incredibly, the 1978 remake with Robert Mitchum moved the locale from Los Angeles to London and the time from the mid-Forties to the late-Seventies, effectively destroying the period atmosphere so essential to the story. Stick with the original; few detective yarns have equaled this one.
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[release]3815[/release]