Grizzled American private detective in England investigates a complicated case of blackmail turned murder involving a rich but honest elderly general, his two loose socialite daughters, a pornographer and a gangster.
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Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Robert Mitchum | ... |
Philip Marlowe
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| Sarah Miles | ... |
Charlotte Sternwood
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| Richard Boone | ... |
Lash Canino
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| Candy Clark | ... |
Camilla Sternwood
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| Joan Collins | ... |
Agnes Lozelle
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| Edward Fox | ... |
Joe Brody
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| John Mills | ... |
Inspector Carson
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| James Stewart | ... |
General Sternwood
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| Oliver Reed | ... |
Eddie Mars
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| Harry Andrews | ... |
Norris
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| Colin Blakely | ... |
Harry Jones
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| Richard Todd | ... |
Commander Barker
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| Diana Quick | ... |
Mona Grant
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| James Donald | ... |
Inspector Gregory
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| John Justin | ... |
Arthur Geiger
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| Simon Fisher-Turner | ... |
Karl Lundgren
(as Simon Turner)
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| Martin Potter | ... |
Owen Taylor
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David Savile | ... |
Rusty Regan
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| Dudley Sutton | ... |
Lanny
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| Don Henderson | ... |
Lou
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Nik Forster | ... |
Croupier
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Joe Ritchie | ... |
Taxi Driver
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| Patrick Durkin | ... |
Reg
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| Derek Deadman | ... |
Customer in Bookshop
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Judy Buxton | ... |
Cheval Club Receptionist (uncredited)
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Clifford Earl | ... |
Police Doctor (uncredited)
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Roy Evans | ... |
Deliveryman (uncredited)
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| Pat Gorman | ... |
Pool Player in Pub (uncredited)
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Walter Henry | ... |
Detective Taking Marlowe's Statement (uncredited)
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David Jackson | ... |
Inspector Willis (uncredited)
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Anthony Lang | ... |
Police Constable Passing Geiger's (uncredited)
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Mike Lewin | ... |
Detective Waring (uncredited)
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Brian Miller | ... |
Casino Waiter (uncredited)
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| David Millett | ... |
Police Detective (uncredited)
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| Norman Mitchell | ... |
Doorman at Eddie's Club (uncredited)
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Barry Purchese | ... |
Eddie's Bodyguard (uncredited)
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| Michael Segal | ... |
George (uncredited)
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| John Tatham | ... |
Casino Patron (uncredited)
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| Cy Town | ... |
Casino Patron (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Michael Winner | ||
Written by
| Michael Winner | ... | (screenplay) |
| Raymond Chandler | ... | (book) |
Produced by
| Jerry Bick | ... | producer |
| Lew Grade | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| Elliott Kastner | ... | producer |
| Bernard Williams | ... | associate producer |
| Michael Winner | ... | producer |
Music by
| Jerry Fielding | ||
Cinematography by
| Robert Paynter | ... | director of photography |
Editorial Department
| Frederick Wilson | ... | supervising editor (as Freddie Wilson) |
| Anthony Sloman | ... | assistant editor (uncredited) |
Casting By
| Maude Spector | ||
Production Design by
| Harry Pottle | ||
Art Direction by
| John Graysmark | ||
Makeup Department
| Stephanie Kaye | ... | hairdresser |
| Richard Mills | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Clifton Brandon | ... | production manager |
| Denis Holt | ... | production executive |
| David Middlemas | ... | production manager (as David Middlemass) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Michael Dryhurst | ... | assistant director |
| Joe Marks | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Richard Amsel | ... | poster artist (uncredited) |
| Roy Pembrooke | ... | props (uncredited) |
| Terry Wells | ... | stand-by property master (uncredited) |
| Barry Wilkinson | ... | property master (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Russ Hill | ... | sound editor |
| Mike Le Mare | ... | sound editor |
| Brian Marshall | ... | sound recordist |
| John Poyner | ... | sound editor |
| Hugh Strain | ... | re-recordist |
| Steve Hancock | ... | dubbing projectionist (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Marc Boyle | ... | stunt double: Mr. Potter (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Eddie Collins | ... | camera focus |
| Keith Hamshere | ... | still photographer |
| Ronnie Taylor | ... | camera operator |
| George Binnersley | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
| Danny Eccleston | ... | rigging gaffer (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Ron Beck | ... | wardrobe |
| Babs Gray | ... | wardrobe (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Jerry Fielding | ... | conductor (uncredited) |
| Greig McRitchie | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Lennie Niehaus | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Dan Wallin | ... | scoring mixer (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Pamela Carlton | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Lew Grade | ... | presenter (as Sir Lew Grade) |
| Roy Beck | ... | lead stand-in (uncredited) |
| Matthew Binns | ... | production runner (uncredited) |
| Freddy Clark | ... | stand-in (uncredited) |
| Crispian Sallis | ... | director's assistant (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Winkast Film Productions (filmed on location by)
- ITC Entertainment (from)
Distributors
- ITC Film Distributors (1978) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1978) (United States) (theatrical)
- Europa Film (1978) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Minerva Film AB (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Tuschinski Film Distribution (1978) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Constantin Film (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical) (as Neue Constantin Film)
- Sofilmes (1979) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- CBS (1980) (United States) (tv)
- CBS Electronics (1984) (Greece) (VHS)
- TV Tokyo (1985) (Japan) (tv)
- CBS/Fox (1986) (West Germany) (VHS)
- Shochiku Home Video (1987) (Japan) (VHS)
- Avid Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- Live Home Video (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (DVD)
- Elfra Film (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
- Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
- Concorde Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (DVD)
- Timeless Media (2014) (United States) (DVD)
- Divisa Home Video (2017) (Spain) (Blu-ray)
- Divisa Home Video (2017) (Spain) (DVD)
- Shout! Factory (2018) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Shout! Factory (2018) (United States) (DVD)
- Pidax Film (2020) (Germany) (DVD)
- 4 Front Video (1996) (United Kingdom) (VHS) (Budget reissue repackaged)
- CBS/Fox Home Video (1984) (Australia) (video)
- Channel 5 Video (1986) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Moon Light (Brazil) (VHS)
- PolyGram Video (Australia) (VHS)
- Precision Video (1981) (United Kingdom) (VHS) (Betamax)
- Rai 2 (1988) (Italy) (tv)
- Spectrum-PolyGram Video (1989) (United Kingdom) (VHS) (budget release)
- The Criterion Channel (2021) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
- Tubi TV (United States) (video) (streaming)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- ATV Film Scores (original music copyright: MCMLXXVII)
- Panavision Equipment (filmed with)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Philip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum) is asked by the elderly General Sternwood (James Stewart) to investigate an attempt at blackmail on one of his daughters. He soon finds that the attempt is half-hearted at best, and seems to be more connected with the disappearance of the other daughter's husband, Rusty Regan (David Savile). Rusty's wife seems unconcerned with his disappearance, further complicating the mystery. Only General Sternwood seems concerned as mobsters and hired killers continue to appear in the path of the investigation.
Written by John Vogel |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Some days business is good - and some days it's murder! See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | GBP3,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | James Stewart had difficulty saying his lines on time due to hearing and possibly memory problems. Some of the cast were shocked by his aged appearance. Robert Mitchum recalled, "The picture was all about corpses, but Jimmy looked deader than any of them." Stewart actually outlived Mitchum by one day, nearly 20 years later. See more » |
| Goofs | When Marlowe takes the gun from Camilla after she unloads it on him with multiple blank rounds, he grabs the barrel with his bare hands. That should have proved to be very painful as the barrel would be extremely hot. EDIT: This is incorrect. Blank cartridges in a small calibre gun will not heat the barrel to any great extent. A gun barrel gets hot mainly due to the friction of the bullet going through the barrel, not from the powder in the cartridge. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in James Stewart, Robert Mitchum: The Two Faces of America (2017). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Won't Somebody Dance With Me See more » |
| Quotes |
Charlotte Sternwood:
[when Marlowe declines to blackmail her]
Wha-? You don't want money? Philip Marlowe: Oh sure. All I itch for is money. I'm so greedy that for fifty pounds a day plus expenses on the day I work, I risk my future, the hatred of the cops, of Eddie Mars and his pals, I dodge bullets and put up with slaps and say "Thank you very much. If you have any further trouble please call me: I'll just put my card here on the table." I do all that for a few pounds. And maybe just a little bit to protect what little pride a sick and broken old man has in his family, so that he can believe his blood is not poisoned. That his little girls - though they may be a trifle wild - are not perverts and killers. See more » |