Review of Farewell My Lovely

Introduction

Forming part of the Carlton Silver Collection, this dramatisation of Raymond Chandler’s famous private detective Philip Marlowe, played by Robert Mitchum, is probably the best known version of the Chandler novels. Humphrey Bogart has also played Marlowe, but it is Mitchum who will usually be remembered for this role.

Set in 1941 in smoky LA, Marlowe is tired and irritable, and finds himself getting involved with two seemingly different cases which don’t seem so far apart from each other as the story unfolds. Charlotte Rampling plays the sultry seductress (“She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket”) who is more mysterious than she first appears, Harry Dean Stanton as the corrupt police officer, John Ireland as the honest cop, and Jack O’Halloran as gentle giant Moose.

Moose Malloy has just been released from prison, and contacts Marlowe to trace his girl, Velma. Marlowe attempts to find her and gets involved in a web of intrigue and deceit along the way. The second case he is involved with starts with the theft of a rare jade necklace, and in the course of his investigations, Marlowe is attacked, thumped and shot at, and even arrested for murder! The plot converges towards the end, and the two seemingly different cases are not as far apart as Marlowe initially thinks.

Video

Video ratio is 4:3 only, and the image quality is quite disappointing.

The picture is too soft, even slightly out of focus at times. Also there are many occasions where the darker scenes get lost on screen and the picture generally is lacking in detail. The first part of the movie is mainly set at night, or in dingy offices of 1940s LA, and this does not help matters, although the feel of the film is mainly set in this period.

As the film progresses, things improve, but then you notice all the pops and clicks on screen. Oh well.

Audio

As you would expect from a period private eye piece, Mitchum’s atmospheric voice over lets the story unfold.

Sound is Dolby Digital mono only, and having been co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who later went on to make ‘Armageddon’, ‘Enemy of the State’ and ‘The Rock’, it is quite unusual to hear his work without the characteristic booms and explosions that has graced so much of his more recent pieces!

Although initially very flat anyway, at about 18 minutes into the film the audio seemed to lose virtually all its remaining treble. Quite disappointing for a film of the mid 70s – surely recording technology of the day was better than this.

Features

No extras at all. This is a budget DVD!

The menus are standard Carlton efforts for this range – mainly static with short clips playing in one corner, with the musical score playing in the background.

Conclusion

This film had several now well known actors in minor supporting roles. Keen eyed viewers will notice a very young Silvester Stallone nestling among the supporting roles! The film will be the most well known version of the Philip Marlowe tales, as Robert Mitchum is well cast in this role.

It is a shame the DVD is let down by poor audio and video and is totally featureless.