Talk:The Big Sleep

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Contents 1 Plot analysis 2 Who killed Owen Taylor? 3 2nd book with Phillip Marlowe 4 "Marlowe's car" 5 The film 6 Incorrect summary?

[edit] Plot analysis

I wrote a large, somewhat too large plot analysis of the Big Sleep. Maybe it should be moved to Wikibooks... I fixed all links on other pages to distinguish between the two films and the book. --Alexs letterbox 03:46, 27 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Who killed Owen Taylor?

Owen Taylor was killed by Joe Brody. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 62.212.107.235 (talk • contribs).

No-one knows who killed Taylor, though Brody would be a good suspect. Why not Canino? Why not what's-his-name the pornographer? Why not Carmen Sternwood? And it was the Lido Pier. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dino (talk • contribs).

I may have to re-read it, but if I recall correctly the coroner was wrong; Taylor had been bludgeoned but not killed, and committed suicide when he realized that the incriminating photos had been stolen - hence the confusion on what happened to him. Blackmyron 21:58, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

Nonsense. --MonkBirdDuke 05:21, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Who cares? All that matters is that he's dead. --Alexs letterbox 06:17, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

The following statement is made in the intro:

During the making of the 1946 film, Chandler was asked to help when no one involved with the film could figure out who killed one of the characters, only to reply that he didn't know either.

The reference is to Owen Taylor and the point is that Chandler left it open as to if he was murdered or committed suicide. The problem is that this statement implies the plot is incomprehensible. Though this is often said it is bogus and should be removed.--Jack Upland 05:48, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

The specific incident was regarding the chauffeur. Bogart asked Hawks what the significance was of the Packard in the bay and the dead chauffeur therein. Hawks asked Faulkner, who had worked on the script, and he did not know either. Faulkner called Chandler at home, and Chandler could no longer recall. I can find a source for this story, and that should settle the matter. ---Charles 14:29, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

I heard that Chandler was out of town at the time and they couldn't reach him. We need a good source for this. -- Beardo 01:39, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 2nd book with Phillip Marlowe

So the open paragraph to this entry says it's the second book to have Phillip Marlowe, but it is Chandler's first novel, right? So I'm suspecting some sort of short story compilation is being referenced?

It seems a bit confusing....-—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Berchca (talk • contribs).

I re-wrote that a bit. It was Chandler's first novel. dino 22:26, 4 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] "Marlowe's car"

On the way to the safe house, Marlowe's car has a flat tyre, so he visits a mechanic. The mechanic owned for Eddie Mars, and Marlowe is knocked unconscious by Canino and brought to the house where Mona is staying. When he wakes, he sees her, and she frees him after he says the famous line:

The bolded part doesn't look right. Should it be "works for Eddie Mars"? Motor 21:47, July 25, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] The film

"During the making of the 1946 film, Chandler was asked to help when no one involved with the film could figure out who killed one of the characters, only to reply that he didn't know either." Is there a source for this tale ? I heard a different version. -- Beardo 07:24, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Incorrect summary?

I just read the book and am not sure if the sentence "She is under the impression that he is looking for her fathers previous private detective and friend, Sean "Rusty" Regan who had disappeared about a month ago" is correct. I think it should be noted in the article that Marlowe refers to Vivian throughout the novel as Mrs. Regan, not Rutledge. Also I do not remember Rusty Regan being a detective in the book, just the 1946 film. He is mostly described as an ex-bootlegger along with his history with the IRA. I think it's more important that Rusty is Vivian's latest husband rather than Rusty was the General's friend. I could be wrong on all of these points, so someone should probably check the novel. MrBananaGrabber 06:24, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

MrBanana-- Just finished the novel for the first time myself. You're right on all points regarding Rusty. I'd love to hear more on Chandler being called in to consult on the movie, though that may be more appropriate for the movie page. We might want to include Owen's name if it's kept. 71.199.115.160 06:19, 22 September 2006 (UTC)Tom Miller

Regan was a soldier, and that's what Sternwood holds on to - his life lived through a sweaty, brandy-swilling soulmate. So Regan's absence dominates the novel. Neither movie reflects this, nor shows Carmen in her true light. In the first movie Bacall is sexy, but her casting destroys the story. The second movie is superior, but still doesn't get it. The scene with Carmen down in the oil field is crucial: she looks along her eyelashes - Hisss!. There's a bio of Chandler that confirms his couldn't-care-less confusion over the plot during the writing of the original screenplay. I brood over this stuff on long winter evenings. Conclusion? The final paragraphs of the novel rank with Joyce's "faintly falling" passage in The Dead.--Shtove 00:22, 29 September 2006 (UTC)