The Big Sleep (1946) and the Big Lebowski (1998)

THE BIG SLEEP VS THE BIG LEBOWSKI
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(12, November, 2010)
Film Analysis: The Big Sleep (1946) and the Big Lebowski (1998).
Film Reviews
The Big Sleep: This is 1946 Raymond Chandlers hard-boiled detective mysteries film transformed into a private detective noir film. The film is an adaptation of Raymond Chandler`s 1939 novel which was his first Phillip Marlowe novel. The film was directed by Howard Hawks, scripted by William Faulkner and scored by Max Steiner. The big sleep is a classic mystery film characterized by a dark and Paranoic atmosphere that is filled with suspicion, intrigue and dreads where murders and blackmailing is the order of the day with gambling, pornography, homosexuals and vice a norm in the daily living. Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) single handedly pursues and investigates the pervasive treacherous corruption which is met with threats of extermination, deceit and murder (Silver and Ursini, 83). The film was shot in Los Angeles.
The Big Lebowski: this is an American noir comedy film released in 1998. It was directed and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. Staring in the film is: Jeff Bridges (as "The Dude" Lebowski), John Goodman (as Walter Sobchak), David Huddleston (as Jeffrey Lebowski, the "Big" Lebowski) and Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski. This film is populated with characters from the Howard Hawk`s 1946 "The Big Sleep" film which was based on Chandler`s 1939 Novel. The movie is a story narrated by a cowboy "stranger" played by Sam Elliot and its about a Los Angeles avid bowler referred to as ‘The Dude` which after a case of mistaken identity is introduced to a millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski whose wife is kidnapped (Walters and Tyree, 71). The ‘dude` is then commissioned to secure ransom for her release but the plan becomes awry when "the Dude" friend schemed to keep the entire ransom which was stolen late that night (Dimendberg, 54). The plot then thickens and ensues details about treacherous schemes to get and keep the big money. This leads to a dark underworld on Los Angeles where pornography, seduction, drug abuse, murder, mistrust and kidnapping is part of daily way of life.
I agree that ‘The Dude" is a modern day "Philip Marlow" because in the film ‘The Big Lebowski he is the kind of person who is laid back in life and seems not to be interested in money. He is the guy who lives in a world where there is plenty of sex, lots of women and other vices in the society like drug abuse, pornography, murder, treachery among others. He can not afford to live the lavish lifestyle but he still remains the good guy who plays as the hero and eyes of a society that is not morally rotten. Just like Private Investigator Philip Marlow, "The Dude" is involved in the rescue of the Big Lebowski`s kidnapped wife which he manages after persevering attacks from all quotas of society ranging from seduction (femme fatale) to threats of extermination among other pressures especially from those who wanted to acquire the big money that was used as ransom. He becomes a modern day hero just as Marlow did when he was able to go through the mess of dealing with immoral society and manages to unravel the mystery that surrounded the spree of murders that has taken place in his neighborhood.
Comparisons
In both films the main characters "Marlow" in the The Big Sleep and "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski are portrayed as fellows/detectives who are intelligent and able to critically analyze situations and come up with conclusions that solve puzzles that other members of the society have failed to. These two characters are able to pin things perfectly and become heroes of their own times. The difference between the two is the fact that Marlow occupies tenuous fri...