Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This looks like one of those movies that gets better with age. Raymond Chandler is my favourite author, and all the Marlowe books are favourites except Playback. The best two are probably Farewell my lovely and The long goodbye. Age wise, Mitchum was probably better suited to playing Marlowe in the long goodbye. There was a version before this with Dick Powell playing the legendary private eye. Powell up to then had been known as a crooner. This version was called "murder my sweet" in the states, in case the title "farewell my lovely" gave audiences the idea that it was another Powell musical. Both versions are favourites of mine. I'll have to watch the version again to compare. Mitchum is terrific in the lead role. THe rest of the cast are solid. There is a great 1940's atmosphere. fav

Aging and world-weary private eye Phillip Marlowe (superbly played by Robert Mitchum) gets hired by hulking brute Moose Malloy (a credible portrayal by Jack O'Halloran) to find his missing girlfriend Velma. However, this deceptively simple case ultimately proves to be a lot more complicated than anticipated.Director Dick Richards, working from a sharp script by David Zelag Goodman, keeps the intricate and absorbing story moving at a steady pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the 1940's period Los Angeles setting, and astutely captures an arrestingly sordid and downbeat tone without going overboard on the sleaziness. Better still, Richards avoids sentimental nostalgia by refusing to sugarcoat the more harsh social realities of the 1940's, with the issue of racism in particular being addressed head on.Mitchum brings a winning blend of dry wit, rumbled grace, and bruised integrity to the character of Marlowe, who yearns to find something worth saving in a rotten world. The rest of the topflight cast are likewise on the money excellent: Charlotte Rampling makes for a deliciously sly and seductive femme fatale as the enticing, yet duplicitous Helen Grayle, Sylvia Miles contributes a heartbreaking turn as booze-sodden rundown floozy Jessie Halstead Fabian, and Anthony Zerbe cuts a suavely sinister figure as slimy mobster Laird Brunette, plus there's praiseworthy work from John Ireland as the hard-nosed Detective Lieutenant McNulty, Harry Dean Stanton as crooked low-rent scuzzball Detective Billy Rolfe, John O'Leary as the effeminate Lindsay Marriott, Kate Murtagh as formidable brothel madam Frances Amthor, and Joe Spinell, Burton Gilliam, and Sylvester Stallone as a trio of vicious thugs. In addition, such folks as Richard Kennedy, Harry Caesar, Logan Ramsey, and Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith pop up in small roles. John A. Alonzo's sumptuous cinematography gives this picture a glittery neon look. David Shire's lush score hits the smooth jazzy spot. Essential viewing.

Continuing my attempt to go through all of Sly's filmography in order, I settled down to watch "Farewell My Lovely" tonight. Plot In A Paragraph: Set in 1941, Private Eye Philip Marlowe's (Robert Nitchum) attempts to locate Velma, a former dancer at a seedy nightclub and the girlfriend of Moose Malloy (Jack O Halloran) a criminal just out of prison. Marlowe finds that once he has taken the case, events conspire to put him in dangerous situations, and he is forced to follow a confusing trail of untruths and double-crosses before he is able to locate Velma.Quite a bit in to the opening credits, Sly gets 'Co starring' billing after Joe Spinnell (Gazzo from "Rocky") and an introducing credit for Jack O Halloran (Non from "Superman" and "Superman 2") Sly doesn't appear until 47 minutes in, has a couple of scenes and doesn't have any dialogue. So getting a Co starring credit is generous to say the least. There is a lot to like in "Farewell My Lovely" and it is a movie I would own, even without it being part of my Sly collection. A great voice over (Something missing from a lot of modern day movies) by Mitchum, O Halloran is imposing and intimidating as Moose, and Harry Dean Stanton has a great role too.I was talking to Ridgo in the Lords Of Flatbush thread about 'Flatbush' being a soothing movie, helping us nod off if we have a touch of insomnia. "Farewell" is another to add to that list, just lay down and listen to Mitchum's voice-over it is very calming.It has a few problems with certain scenes, but that is the fault of director Dick Richards, not the cast. It's easy to see why he didn't have a long career as a director. Mitchum not only punched him, he dragged him on to Pacific Coast Highway and said "Let's see if you can direct traffic." Then on "March Or Die" both Gene Hackman and Carherine Deneuvue both hit him, then in 1986 Burt Reynolds knocked him out cold whilst filming "Heat" in Las Vegas. Six Movies and five punch outs!! Says it all.

Farewell, My Lovely (1975) *** (out of 4) Private eye Phillip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum) is hired by a goon just out of prison to track down an old flame of his. As Marlowe begins to investigate he finds himself wrapped up in murder, deceit and one mysterious character after another. This here was the third version of Raymond Chandler's novel following THE FALCON TAKES OVER and MURDER, MY SWEET. The later of those two titles is considered the best of the trio but there's no question that this one here gives it a very good run for its money. One major benefit of making this story in 1975 instead of 1944 is the fact that there wasn't any Hayes Office to deal with so this version here can stay much closer to the original novel and include some major plot points including prostitution but you also get some darker language and violence. Another major factor to the success of this version is the casting of Mitchum who even at the age here was able to be one of the toughest and baddest guys you're going meet. I think it's fair to say that Mitchum was born to play this role with that laid back attitude, the perfect voice for the narration and of course you can believe him in this seedy world. Just take a look at the opening shot of him and that very look lets you know what you're in for and you can't help but crack a smile just by the way the actor's coolness comes across. The screenplay features a lot of dialogue straight from the novel and Mitchum does a very good job with this as well including a running gag about Joe DiMaggio's hit streak. It also doesn't hurt that the supporting cast features some terrific actors including Charlotte Rampling as the femme fetale who comes onto Marlowe. Sylvia Miles is also extremely good in her part as a drunk, John Ireland really packs a punch as a detective and Harry Dean Stanton is fun as a crooked cop who is constantly going against Marlowe. We even get Joe Spinell and Sylvester Stallone playing thugs. The screenplay is pretty strong from start to finish as it does a very good job at capturing the spirit of the film noir movies from the 1940s. Director Dick Richards handles the material very well and he manages to build a very good atmosphere that helps the story. The seedy Los Angeles atmosphere is very thick and mixes perfectly well with the cast. Fans of the novel should be happy with the results here but I think everyone will agree that there was no one better for Marlowe than Robert Mitchum.