The screenwriter of this film made it much better than the book; true, as much as I enjoy the Chandler novels, Steve Fisher really nailed it. Chandler had some humor in the book, but Fisher not only added comedy, he really got the essence of being in Los Angeles at Christmastime.
One of the lines that Adrienne and Marlowe bat back and forth is "I'm scared but it's wonderful." They are two characters used to living alone (no matter how many people are around them or how many people they see in the course of business.
I read the novel in the mid-70s but didn't see the film until it was shown at about 2AM on KABC or KTLA in about 1981 and I taped it (wanting to see any movie made from a Chandler novel/story.) It was shown in one of the summer months, June, maybe. In the book, the involvement of the Fromsett character and Marlowe never went anywhere, she stayed with Kingsbury. How interesting is that?
Plus, the effort made to do the film POV worked very well. The cast undoubtably had to memorize the lines as if it was a stage play, pages at a time.
All in all, a remarkable production. I still have one of the original VHS tapes of the late night broadcast... even the ads are entertaining now.
Above all else, about the shift from summer to Christmas, you have to remember that "The Thin Man" (a very faithful rendition of the Hammett novel) took place at Christmas as well. Also, that "The Big Sleep" had been released in 1946, so it was a natural for Hollywood to grab another Chandler novel.
To me, the essence of an LA Christmas is that scene in the house - Marlowe is searching the bedroom before he discovers the body in the shower stall - where the windows are open and there is a soft breeze riffling the translucent curtains... and I could almost feel the warmth and sunshine myself.
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cujo3017-370-726670
9 years ago
Um.... no.
I actually laughed at the "I'm scared but it's wonderful" line. Not only is that an old old movie cliche, but it was out of left field because up to that point Marlowe had treated Ms. Fromsett like dirt. She acted like a mental case with wild emotional swings all over the place. He was a jerk through most of the movie, bitter, rude and making unfunny wisecracks.
In the book, the involvement of the Fromsett character and Marlowe never went anywhere, she stayed with Kingsbury. How interesting is that?
This was the lamentable Hollywood cop out where everything had to be tied up with a bow at the end with everyone living happily ever after, the way all good fairy tales end. A lot of good movies have been spoiled by this (like Gilda and The Blue Dahlia) even when it made no sense.
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