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Year: 1978Plot synopsis: Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by the wealthy Sternwood family to keep an eye on out of control daughter Camilla. While on this assignment, Marlowe finds himself falling for her sister, Charlotte.
Verdict: Remaking a classic film is strike one against this production, and transplanting this quintessentially American novel to contemporary London is strike two. Add in a more-than-usually bored Mitchum, mediocre production values, and voila, a film that's more novelty than entertainment. (Reviewers were quick to dub it "The Small Snooze" and "The Big Yawn.") Of interest (well, to me, anyway) as the only film that pairs Mitchum with Jimmy Stewart and Oliver Reed.
Behind the Scenes: This was Mitchum's second go-round as Marlowe, after the true-to-the-period (and infinitely better) Farewell, My Lovely. As quoted in Lee Server's biography, Mitchum expressed his doubts about his character's strangely suspect behavior, "Marlowe throws Candy Clark out of his bed, resists the advances of Sarah Miles, and has pictures of himself all over his apartment. I kept expecting him to open a closet and find exotic black panty hose and rhinestone shoes and jazz." His further low opinion of the film was evident in his remark to Joan Collins, who worried that she might be hurt in their on-screen tussle. Said the great star, "Honey, I'm an actor, and I know how to play rough ... I'm not about to hurt an actress in a scene 'specially not in this piece of crap."
If You Liked This Movie, You Might Also Like: The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart, The Long Goodbye with Elliott Gould, Marlowe with James Garner, Farewell, My Lovely with Robert Mitchum