The Big Sleep
$3.79
Price: $3.79
(as of Aug 03, 2025 00:28:27 UTC – Details)
L.A. private eye Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) takes on a blackmail case…and follows a trail peopled with murderers, pornographers, nightclub rogues, the spoiled rich and more. Raymond Chandler’s legendary gumshoe solves it in hard-boiled style – and style is what The Big Sleep is all about. Director Howard Hawks serves up snappy character encounters (particularly those of Bogart and Lauren Bacall), brisk pace and atmosphere galore. This Blu-rayTM doubles your pleasure, offering two versions of this whodunit supreme: the familiar 1946 theatrical version, full of reshot scenes of incendiary Bogart/Bacall chemistry, and the less-familiar 1945 prerelease version, as a special feature, whose plot and resolution are more linear in fashion.
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 2.47 ounces
Director : Howard Hawks
Media Format : Black & White
Run time : 1 hour and 54 minutes
Release date : February 23, 2016
Actors : Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone
Subtitles: : English
Studio : Warner Archive Collection
ASIN : B01ACP59XA
Number of discs : 1
Best Sellers Rank: #5,045 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV) #76 in Romance (Movies & TV) #201 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
Customer Reviews: 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,264 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers consider this film one of the best film noir movies of all time, praising its fantastic acting, particularly Bogart and Bacall’s chemistry. The movie features sharp visuals and great cinematography, with one customer noting it’s remastered in 1080p HD. They appreciate its atmosphere, with one review specifically mentioning how it captures the grit of Los Angeles, while another notes the beautiful scenery of days gone by. The plot receives mixed reactions, with some finding it a good whodunit while others describe it as impossible to comprehend.
Sharon Talbot –
1940’s setting, mystery, great acting and cast, a classic
This is one of my favorite films, what with the great cast (Bogie, Bacall), script by Raymond Chandler and a great L.A. noir feel. Bogie’s detective is hired by a sick, elderly rich man with two daughters who are very wild, to find out where the older one’s husband went. The plot is so twisted that no one could figure it out after a point, not even Chandler himself! If you like mystery and characters who aren’t easily figured out, then this is a great film for you.
James E Ducoing –
The Best Bogie yet
A great movie, Bogie did a great job. I canât wait for the next film to come out. Shipping was blazing fast, but did not include popcorn.
robin friedman –
The Big Sleep On Film
In 1939, Raymond Chandler introduced his famous Los Angeles private detective, Philip Marlowe, in his renowned novel, “The Big Sleep”. In 1946, Chandler’s novel became a film directed by Howard Hawks and written by William Faulkner, together with two other writers. The film starred the duo of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.The film has become almost as renowned as Chandler’s novel. It is tense and atmospheric with its shadowy black and white cinematograpy and its dramatic musical score by George Steiner. The movie captures the grit of Los Angeles, with scenes ranging from the homes of the wealthy, to the steeets, to tawdry gambling clubs and pornography and drug dens. The characters, beginning with Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of Marlowe are complexly and convincingly portrayed. Bacall plays the older daughter of a millionaire who has hired Marlowe to find the blackmailer of his promiscuous younger daugher, Carmen (Martha Vickers). The gangsters include the sinister Eddie Mars (John Ridgley), the blackmailer Joe Brody, the hitman, Canino, the unfortunate small time crook, Harry Jones, and his unhappy girlfriend, Agnes. The crisp, colloquial, snappy dialogue drives the film along. The plot of the movie is notoriously difficult to follow, more so than Chandler’s book. It becomes clearer with watchings. The atmosphere, dialogue, and character portrayals are more important to the film than the twists and turns of the story. “The Big Sleep” is included in the National Film Registry maintained by the Library of Congress as worthy of preservation for its cultural, historical, or aesthetical significance.I loved getting to know this classic film from the 1940s. There is an earlier 1945 version of the film which was released overseas during the war and re-released in the 1990s. Those familiar with the original and with the 1946 version, reviewed here, often debate their similarities and differences and respective merits..Robin Friedman
deewani2 –
“The Big Sleep” is a Big Deal on Blu-ray.
Rating the Bogart and Bacall films in order of preference is truly a matter of individual taste and personal opinion, but there is no denying that as a prime example of Film Noir, “The Big Sleep” must outrank their other fine collaborations. Based on a terrific novel by Raymond Chandler, the screenplay by William Faulkner (himself a novelist who delved into the darkness of human behavior) and Leigh Brackett simply sizzles, while Howard Hawk’s fast paced direction (which includes racing cars, sudden gun battles, and characters talking over each other like in real life) leaves the audience almost breathless. Detailing the complex plot would take too long, and isn’t necessary anyway. Suffice it to say that Bogart is a private detective (this time Chandler’s Philip Marlow instead of Hammett’s Sam Spade) hired to do a seemingly simple job that quickly becomes very complicated, while Bacall is a member of the client’s family whom he cannot peg as friend or enemy. There’s a lot going on in this film (so much that one of the murders is never actually solved), which is often surprisingly funny and always intense; like all good Film Noir, the setting is dark and claustrophobic, and the viewpoint is definitely the protagonist’s, but Hawks also manages to bring a kind of intimacy into play here. Warner Brothers has done another fine job on this Blu-ray release, which, like “Casablanca” makes the black and white images so crisp that I felt I was watching the film for the first time. The special features are the same as the DVD, including the “alternate” version (really just a few scenes that were ultimately reshot for release), and a look back at making the film, so the selling point here is how close the Blu-ray quality comes to duplicating the experience of the 1940s theatrical release. This is another favorite film that I’ve been waiting years for them to put out on Blu-ray, so I admit my prejudice, but I believe it is worth the price, whether you are replacing the DVD version or buying the film for the first time.
CanuckTeach –
There are 2 versions of the film on this BluRay: the original (1945) & the revised, enhanced (1946), with a feature that walks you through the âalteredâ scenes. That process was undertaken to improve Lauren Bacallâs role & impact in the film, and to add a bit more spice between her & (future hubby) Bogie.How many Directors would love to take a second crack at re-shooting and re-editing a major project after months of consternation over how the final product could be improved? This is a film-loverâs bonanza. Sadly, the plot of Big Sleep remains as muddled & mysterious as ever, but thatâs only a drawback if you need all the loose ends tied up. Ray Chandler himself apparently could not explain to the screenplay guys exactly who did what, so why worry about it? There was originally a scene where Bogie explains the muddle, but it was chopped by the Director & never restored. So, this âMasterpiece of film noirâ is like that classical unfinished symphony. Enjoy it for the rapid pace and untouchable style. (I did find some websites of amateur sleuths who seem to be able to explain everything.)What a find!
Cragdad –
Great product shipped well and on time
Abraxas –
Bogart / Bacall comme si vous y étiez. Howard Hawks aux manettes. Raymond Chandler au scénario, aidé par Faulkner. Le remake des années 70 est bien, mais là , on est dans le mythe à l’état pur. Le noir et blanc est admirable.
Niclas Grabowski –
Worüber man sich nicht streiten kann, ist, dass dies ein herausragender, brillanter und unterhaltsamer Film ist. Und dass der Film über weite Strecken lustig ist und einfach gut aussieht. Worüber man sich aber streiten kann, ist, wovon dieser Film eigentlich handelt.Vorgeblich geht es um eine Detektivstory. Der Privatdetektiv Philipp Marlowe von General Sternwood beauftragt, sich um die Geldforderungen eines dubiosen Geschäftsmannes namens Geiger zu kümmern. Dieser hat beim General Schuldscheine von dessen wilder Tochter Carmen vorgelegt. Darüber hinaus ist auch noch der engste Freund des Generals seit einem Monat verschwunden. Also ist viel zu tun für Marlowe. Doch schon auf dem Weg aus dem Haus heraus wird alles noch viel komplizierter: Die zweite Tochter des Generals, Vivian, versucht herauszufinden, womit der General Marlowe beauftragt hat, und zeigt, dass sie selbst offensichtlich etwas zu verbergen hat. Kompliziert? Ja, kompliziert. Aber abwarten, es wird nämlich noch viel besser, es gibt da auch noch einen Chauffeur, der in Carmen verliebt ist, einen obskuren Buchhändler mit Hinterzimmer, der merkwürdige Photos von Carmen macht, einen Nachtclubbesitzer, die Angestellte des Buchhändlers, dessen Fahrer und dann plötzlich noch drei Leichen. Ja, jetzt ist es wirklich kompliziert.Und damit kommen wir zur eigentlichen Handlung. Es geht nämlich darum, wie die schöne Vivian (wunderbar ruppig gespielt von Lauren Bacall) den eigentlich schwer zugänglichen und mit beiÃendem Humor ausgestatteten Marlowe langsam rumkriegt. Und so sollte man sich von den Wendungen des Plots nicht zu sehr ablenken lassen. Es geht nicht um die Frage nach dem Mörder. Es geht um Verführung. Und um coole Dialoge, die zur Verführung dienen. Und um wunderbare Kleider, die bei der Verführung helfen. Und um das Eis, dass zwischen zwei Menschen langsam bricht, die beide schon eine schwierige Biographie hinter sich haben.Ich finde es unglaublich faszinierend anzuschauen, wie sich Bogart und Bacall hier die Bälle zuspielen. Und man merkt, wie sich beide während des Films auch privat näher gekommen sind. Natürlich hat Bogart dann seine Frau verlassen, und dann die Bacall geheiratet. Zu seinen Gunsten muss man allerdings sagen, dass Bacall immerhin zwei Filme gebraucht hat, um ihn in der Wirklichkeit herumzukriegen (Haben oder Nichthaben war der erste Film der beiden). Und man merkt auch, dass auch der Regisseur Howard Hawks sich ziemlich in die Bacall verknallt hatte, und dass so die ebenfalls herausragende Darstellerleistung von Martha Vickers als jüngere Schwester Carmen unverdient etwas untergegangen ist.Nebenbei ist “Tote schlafen fest” auch noch ein grandioses Beispiel für Selbstironie in einem Film. Auf Deutsch: Obwohl der Film als prägend für das Genre des Film Noir gilt, veräppelt er sich und das Image des harten Detektivs regelmäÃig selbst und wirkt damit unglaublich modern. Nur ein Beispiel: Marlowe alias Bogart kann kaum an einer jungen Frau vorbeigehen, ohne dass diese ihm nicht sofort zum Opfer fällt. Und natürlich sind in diesem Film alle Frauen jung und hübsch, selbst Taxifahrerinnen, Buchhändlerinnen oder die Dame in der Ausleihe der städtischen Bibliothek. Ein weiteres Beispiel: Bogarts kurze Wandlung zum Professor in Geigers Bücherladen.Was braucht ein Film noch mehr als schöne Bilder, klasse Darsteller, eine spannende (wenn auch verwirrende) Handlung, Humor, Ironie, Leidenschaft, Sex, schöne Kleider, gute Dialoge und ein Happy End? Mir fällt nichts mehr ein.
JH –
Super fast service, and wonderful movie