The Big Sleep

1. Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class, one of the first things that was mentioned was that Humphrey Bogart starred in yet another film we were going to watch. This intrigued me because I like Bogart's acting style. It was then said that his costar was also well known and that she is supposed to be just like Bogart. Ms. Bacall is indeed Bogart, as a female. Their level of toughness and independence is well played and interesting. I felt like it kept the film going.

2. Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.

The article, Mystery of 'The Big Sleep' Solved, by William Grimes discusses how The Big Sleep became a success. "The 1946 film that audiences have known and loved is actually a revised version of an unreleased ''Big Sleep'' that was made in late 1944 and early 1945 and left forgotten in the Warner Brothers vaults for nearly half a century." The preservation officer of the Film and Television Archive at the University of California at Los Angeles, Bob Gitt discovered the original version. The 1942 version, which is the revised version was cut down so 18 minutes of new material could be added. The new material included more interactions between Ms. Bacall and her sister, Carmen with Bogart.

Since the revised version was cut down, some of the necessary scenes that explained the plot were eliminated. Therefore, making the film hard to follow. However, these new scenes made the film more interesting. ''The original is more linear, a bit clearer and somehow a little less intriguing. Stylistically it's less exotic.''

The original Big Sleep was not released when it was supposed to because World War II was coming to an end and Warner Brothers were worried that war related films would be dated and therefore they rushed the films to be released. Confidential Agent was one of those films, which starred Ms. Bacall. "Unfortunately, the film was a failure that put her career in jeopardy." That is why they added more Bogart-Bacall interactions to show the same insolent and provocative nature that she had in 'To Have and Have Not'.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/09/movies/mystery-of-the-big-sleep-solved.html

3. Apply the article to the film screened in class.

The article relates to the film because it explains why the film is the way that it is. To me, the actual plot was incomplete. I felt like pieces were missing. I thought they focused more on Bogart and Bacall's relationship more than they did on the storyline. This article just clarified my feelings. The parts of the film that explained the plot, were cut out to add in more scenes between Bogart and Bacall because Warner Brothers couldn't afford to lose Bacall.

4. Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

Now that I've read this article, explaining how this film was made the way that it was I don't think it is very good. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but the storyline is incomplete. This film was not about the actual plot, but about saving Ms. Bacall's career. Although the acting was good and intriguing, it takes more than that to be a good film.