Based on Raymond Chandler's first novel from 1939, "The Big Sleep" is every bit the quintessential detective Film Noir.

Starring Humphrey Bogart and the young model-turned-actress, Lauren Bacall, directed by Howard Hawks and sporting a crackerjack script by Leigh Brackett and William Faulkner, it'll give you a great night of viewing pleasure.

The story is a straightforward Detective tale. Phillip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired to handle a blackmail case, meeting along the way rich chick Vivian Sternwood (Lauren Bacall), murderers, upscale pornographers, and sex-obsessed spoiled rich kids. When tailing one of the main players a couple of murders take place and this starts the action really happening in and extremely convoluted manner.

Along the way here are great classic lines of dialogue:
- Bogart: (referring to Martha Vickers character Carmen Sternwood) "She tried to sit in my lap, while I was still standing up!"
- Bacall: (comparing Bogart to a Race Horse) "You like to get out in front, take a little breather in the back stretch... than come home free."
- Bogart: "What's wrong with you?"
Bacall: "Nothing you can't fix."
- Bogart with one of my all-time favorite film quotes: "I'm not very tall either. Next time I'll wear a white suit, come on stilts, and carry a Tennis racquet!"
Bogart and Bacall were in love by the time this film was finished and released and the chemistry really shows in their scenes together.

This DVD sports some extra features that should turn on the everyday cinephile:
- "The Big Sleep Comparisons 1945/1946" a documentary on the first 1945 edited version of the film and the subsequent changes that occurred in producing the final 1946 edited and released version.
- Behind the Scenes- background and history on the author Raymond Chandler and the cast and director and writers of the film.
- Theatrical Trailer
It's a wonderful re-mastered print of the two versions of the Suspense Noir flic.

"The Big Sleep Comparisons 1945/1946" has Robert Gitt of UCLA analyzing difference between two edited versions of the film. By comparing the initial 1945 version and later 1946 version with re-shot scenes, and recasting we get a great view of how a very good film is made great with a few changes.

Many of the re-shot scenes were done a year after the first film was cut, and were specifically made to show Lauren Bacall's insolent side next to Humphrey Bogart. This was a real selling point because Bacall could go head to head with Bogart in her ability to smart off!

Ah the tales of the cutting room floor...! Reel Eleven is where the most drastic change appears. The 1945 version has Pat Clark in the roll of Mrs. Eddie Mars, whereas the 1946 version shows the recast actress Peggy Knudson in the roll!

What is enlightening, and will excite any one interested in how movies are made, is the early 1945 version of "The Big Sleep" which is pretty good (it's included in the DVD). To see the ultimate re-edited, re-cast and re-shot version is a real eye-opener!

An additional Section "Behind the Scenes" gives further insight into the making of the film. A quote from Howard Hawks to his writers Brackett and Faulkner, clarifies the approach to transferring Chandler to the screen: "Don't monkey with the book- just make a script out of it. The writing is too good."

There is an enduing question in the plot of "The Big Sleep". During the course of the filming the question came up as to who was responsible for the murder of the Sternwood chauffeur Owen Taylor. Hawks reportedly called Raymond Chandler directly to get the answer. Chandler is reported to have said that with all that's going on in the story, he himself really didn't know who killed Owen Taylor!

I've seen the regular version so many times, that I watch with real glee (I'm a film junkie!) the initial version from 1945 to see all the stuff that got cut out and changed.

Get out your Fedora and that old rain coat from the back of the closet, a bottle of Old Granddad, maybe a filter-less Lucky Strike (this is optional), and get ready to accompany Phillip Marlowe on the underside of Los Angeles society. The lowest price I found for it is at half.com for $9.09 dollars.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older