“There is indeed a dream-like quality to the convolutions of the narrative”. [Walker: 1993 (ed. Cameron)] Walker made this comment on the film “The Big Sleep” (1946), yet it can easily be applied to other early film noir, such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), and “Scarlet Street” (1945). Films are probably the closest medium we have to experiencing the inexplicable quality of the dream in our waking lives. Rich in symbol, metaphor, movement and mystery, films like dreams, enable us to participate in another reality, and, through that participation, to be transformed. Just as we may ask ourselves, “what did my dream mean?” many too may seek the meanings to examples of early film noir, and just as people find the need to interpret dreams, so too do film noir movies, with their witty, ‘round-about’ dialogue and their complex plots, need to be interpreted. We, in a sense, become the detectives seeking “to express meanings that lie beneath the surface.” [Walker: 1993 (ed. Cameron)]
In the early 40’s a new form of cinema emerged in America. Dark and gloom laden, it reflected the anxieties of a country entering a new era. Cynical and subversive in attitude, here was the antithesis of Hollywood’s glamour productions of the 30’s. French cr
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Often we need to inquire about the motives of narrative voices, how much they know and whether they are telling the truth, and when and to whom they are speaking. The photography is equally distinctive. htm) With this in mind, it is clear that it is up to viewers to seek the hidden agendas in these films, just as they would in their dreams. Perhaps even the title itself alludes to the “dream-like quality”.
The Big Sleep's narrative convolution is, far from being frustrating, rather a major source of joy in the film. Because of this apparent breach of the Production Code, the city of Atlanta, Georgia, tried to stop the film from screening there. The theme of the film is deceit and manipulation, and you have no idea who's on whose side. No one is who he or she seems to be. One of The Big Sleep's greatest strength is its delightfully witty dialogue. " - "You're not very tall, are you?" "I try to be. When Marlowe enters General Sternwood’s mansion he has to negotiate several obstacles in order to reach the General, namely, the door, the butler, Carmen, and finally the greenhouse. In the end he decide that his honour must be upheld in lieu of love and he ends up broken hearted after making the decision. This we owe to Marlowe's periodic explanations of events, without which the movie would indeed be nonsensical. These women were black widows who slowly drew in the heroes with sexual glances and breathless voices, and always used them to get exactly what they wanted.
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