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IMDbPro

The Big Sleep

  • 19461946
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
784
3,159
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
Theatrical Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures
Play trailer1:49
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Film-Noir
  • Mystery
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
784
3,159
  • Director
    • Howard Hawks
  • Writers
    • William Faulkner(screen play)
    • Leigh Brackett(screen play)
    • Jules Furthman(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Humphrey Bogart
    • Lauren Bacall
    • John Ridgely
Top credits
  • Director
    • Howard Hawks
  • Writers
    • William Faulkner(screen play)
    • Leigh Brackett(screen play)
    • Jules Furthman(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Humphrey Bogart
    • Lauren Bacall
    • John Ridgely
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 308User reviews
    • 121Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos2

    The Big Sleep
    Trailer 1:49
    The Big Sleep
    'Solo' Trailer Breakdown
    Video 2:50
    'Solo' Trailer Breakdown

    Photos103

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Humphrey Bogart, Sonia Darrin, and Louis Jean Heydt in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and Bob Steele in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in "The Big Sleep," 1946 Warner Bros.
    "The Big Sleep" Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall 1946 Warner Bros.
    "The Big Sleep" Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart 1946 Warner Bros.
    "The Big Sleep" Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Martha Vickers 1946 Warner Bros.

    Top cast

    Edit
    Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart
    • Philip Marloweas Philip Marlowe
    Lauren Bacall
    Lauren Bacall
    • Vivian Rutledgeas Vivian Rutledge
    John Ridgely
    John Ridgely
    • Eddie Marsas Eddie Mars
    Martha Vickers
    Martha Vickers
    • Carmen Sternwoodas Carmen Sternwood
    Dorothy Malone
    Dorothy Malone
    • Acme Book Shop Proprietressas Acme Book Shop Proprietress
    Peggy Knudsen
    Peggy Knudsen
    • Mona Marsas Mona Mars
    Regis Toomey
    Regis Toomey
    • Chief Inspector Bernie Ohlsas Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls
    Charles Waldron
    • General Sternwoodas General Sternwood
    Charles D. Brown
    • Norrisas Norris
    Bob Steele
    Bob Steele
    • Lash Caninoas Lash Canino
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    • Harry Jonesas Harry Jones
    Louis Jean Heydt
    Louis Jean Heydt
    • Joe Brodyas Joe Brody
    Trevor Bardette
    Trevor Bardette
    • Art Huckas Art Huck
    • (uncredited)
    Joy Barlow
    Joy Barlow
    • Taxi Driveras Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Max Barwyn
    Max Barwyn
    • Maxas Max
    • (uncredited)
    Deannie Best
    • Waitressas Waitress
    • (uncredited)
    William A. Boardway
    William A. Boardway
    • Casino Patronas Casino Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Tanis Chandler
    Tanis Chandler
    • Waitressas Waitress
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Howard Hawks
    • Writers
      • William Faulkner(screen play)
      • Leigh Brackett(screen play)
      • Jules Furthman(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Due to Humphrey Bogart's affair with co-star Lauren Bacall, his marital problems escalated during filming, and his drinking often resulted in his being unable to work. Three months after the film was finished, Bacall and Bogart were married.
    • Goofs
      When Vivian is telling Marlowe the cover story for Carmen for the night before, her mouth does not match what she's saying. This mismatch is because the movie was re-edited after Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall became a popular team; To Have and Have Not (1944) which brought them to stardom was released after The Big Sleep (1946) was filmed but before it was released. Scenes were re-shot, some new scenes were added and others dropped. The sequence was also changed to accommodate some of the new edits. The audio/visual mismatch is because the scene was kept but minor dialog had to be changed to make the re-sequencing track properly.
    • Quotes

      Philip Marlowe: She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up.

    • Crazy credits
      During the opening credits, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are seen in silhouette, placing cigarettes in an ashtray. At the end, two cigarettes are in an ashtray.
    • Alternate versions
      Originally filmed in 1944, wasn't released until two years later. Some prints derive from a slightly different early preview version with alternate footage.
    • Connections
      Edited into Dirty Harry's Way (1971)
    • Soundtracks
      And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
      (uncredited)

      Music by Stan Kenton and Charles Lawrence

      Lyrics by Joe Greene

      Played by a band at the casino and sung by Lauren Bacall and The Williams Brothers

    User reviews308

    Review
    Top review
    Complex plot, but well written and well scripted with tough dialogue and great characters
    Philip Marlowe is a private detective who is hired by General Sternwood to investigate a case of blackmail involving his youngest daughters' gambling debts. The General has lost his right hand man, Shaun Regan, and needs a man able to do the job. Marlowe investigates the blackmailer, Geiger and tails him to a house. When he hears shots he rushes in to find Geiger dead and Carmen strung out of her head. With Geiger dead, Marlowe follows the trail to Joe Brody, who also gets rubbed out, and then to Eddie Mars, who's wife is rumoured to have run off with Regan. As he digs deeper Marlowe finds only corruption and deceit but also starts to fall for the General's eldest daughter, Vivian Rutledge.

    Despite the fact that this film is overly complicated at times, it still stands out as a classic bit of noir, even if aspects other than the plot are what really makes it as good as it is. The plot starts simply but quickly becomes a much more complex beast that moves beyond the issue of blackmail and into murder and lies. For many viewers, this will be a challenge - so many characters come and go in a short period that it is hard to keep track of how they all relate to each other, and the fact that we're not always supposed to know the connections just makes it more difficult at times. However, if you manage to make it past the midpoint of the film without having totally lost track of people then it becomes clearer towards the end. It may sound silly, but this time I watched the film with a pen and paper to help me keep track of who's who - it really helped; but it is worth noting that, even with help, bits of the plot will make little sense at times.

    The focus of the film is not the plot - the focus of the film I think is the relationship dynamic between Marlowe and Vivian. In this regard the film really works well. The relationship between is tough but trusting no matter what; at times it is a little hard to see the affection between the two being real or realistic but it is the dialogue between the two that makes it work despite this. The writing is fantastic, the scenes between them do fizzle but the dialogue across the whole film is perfect: it is tough, memorable and basically it is the way I'm sure we all wish we could talk at some point in our lives! The material is also quite daring for the period - murder and tough talk was not unusual but the issues of drugs and nymphomania are hardly common subjects for such a mainstream film at the time.

    The performances are fantastic and perfectly fit the material. Although this is not my favourite Bogart performance (I love him in Maltese Falcon) he is still brilliant here, he is cool, tough and intelligent - at times his power over women threatens to be unrealistic but his presence makes it work. His character is not as complex as in Maltese Falcon but Bogart does harried and world-weary better than anyone else. Bacall is great even if I don't personally find her that attractive; she has a great chemistry with Bogart and delivers the goods. Vickers is also good but in a less subtle role. The support cast includes tough turns from Cook, Heydt and Ridgely all of whom convince as tough guys but not to the point where they threaten to eclipse the shining star of Bogart.

    Overall this is a classic film despite the fact that the plot is too difficult at times and doesn't always hang together. The flaws here are covered by a tough script that delivers the goods in terms of both dialogue and characters. The plot is a complex web but the basic energy and relationship dynamics keep the film moving really well through scenes that continue to show their influence in films today. Not a perfect film but a great bit of noir that is likely to be loved by the vast majority of viewers - just keep that pen and paper to hand though!
    helpful•94
    27
    • bob the moo
    • May 2, 2004

    FAQ11

    • What is 'The Big Sleep' about?
    • Is "The Big Sleep" based on a book?
    • What does the title mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 31, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tote schlafen fest
    • Filming locations
      • New York Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,556
    • Gross worldwide
      • $47,912
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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