Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

This, the second adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, is much closer to the source text than the original - Murder, My Sweet, which tended to avoid some of the sleazier parts of the plot... See full summary »

Director:

Dick Richards

Writers:

David Zelag Goodman (screenplay), Raymond Chandler (novel)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Mitchum	...	Philip Marlowe
Charlotte Rampling	...	Helen Grayle
John Ireland	...	Det. Lt. Nulty
Sylvia Miles	...	Jessie Halstead Florian
Anthony Zerbe	...	Laird Brunette
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Det. Billy Rolfe
Jack O'Halloran	...	Moose Malloy
Joe Spinell	...	Nick
Sylvester Stallone	...	Jonnie
Kate Murtagh	...	Frances Amthor
John O'Leary	...	Lindsay Marriott
Walter McGinn	...	Tommy Ray
Burton Gilliam	...	Cowboy
Jim Thompson	...	Judge Baxter Wilson Grayle
Jimmy Archer	...	Georgie (as Jimmie Archer)

Storyline

This, the second adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, is much closer to the source text than the original - Murder, My Sweet, which tended to avoid some of the sleazier parts of the plot - but still concerns private eye Philip Marlowe's attempts to locate Velma, a former dancer at a seedy nightclub and the girlfriend of Moose Malloy, a petty 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.

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Plot Keywords:

nightclub | murder | private eye | dead woman on couch | interracial relationship | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adieu ma jolie

Filming Locations:

1024 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

EK, ITC Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack O'Halloran receives an "introducing" credit.

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Goofs

When the boat captain, Marlowe, and Malloy are negotiating about the boat rental fee, the captain's cigarette suddenly disappears between shots.

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Quotes

Philip Marlowe: [voiceover] The house itself wasn't much. It was smaller than Buckingham Palace and probably had fewer windows than the Chrysler building.

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Connections

Followed by The Big Sleep (1978)

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Soundtracks

"I've Heard That Song Before"
Words and Music by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn

User Reviews

My favorite adaption of Raymond Chandler

This is an extremely underrated film. It has a deliciousness, shot in whiskey tones. Mitchum's voice-over, with all the wry Chandler-esque tired wisdom, strikes a great balance of period, humor and self-awareness. Charlotte Rampling lives up to the sad, irresistible breathtaking beauty that you try to imagine reading some of Chandler's books. There was another Mitchum-Marlowe (The Big Sleep), and he was certainly born to play this role, but it missed the taste. Not so with this one. It's positively redolent. Great mystery story and lots of fun.