This stinkbomb is currently getting a lot of airplay on the digital cable stations. Don't waste your time with it.
This movie spares ALL expense. It has the look and feel of early 70s-TV crime drama, but with cheaper production values. The clumsy editing is a constant distraction, and removes any possibility of the fast-pace repartee normally expected from Chandler characters.
If you're a fan of Mitchum, Stewart, or Reed, I urge you to pass on this. All three phone it in on the rotary-dial phones of that era. Unfortunately, Clark does not phone it in. Her nude scene is sub-par -even by 1978 standards- and cannot redeem the worst acting ever recorded.
Film adaptations rarely, if ever, do a book justice. In no instance is this more true than in the case of The Big Sleep. The book is fantastic and a relatively short read. In fact, you could get through most of it in the time it would take you to watch either film version.
This movie spares ALL expense. It has the look and feel of early 70s-TV crime drama, but with cheaper production values. The clumsy editing is a constant distraction, and removes any possibility of the fast-pace repartee normally expected from Chandler characters.
If you're a fan of Mitchum, Stewart, or Reed, I urge you to pass on this. All three phone it in on the rotary-dial phones of that era. Unfortunately, Clark does not phone it in. Her nude scene is sub-par -even by 1978 standards- and cannot redeem the worst acting ever recorded.
Film adaptations rarely, if ever, do a book justice. In no instance is this more true than in the case of The Big Sleep. The book is fantastic and a relatively short read. In fact, you could get through most of it in the time it would take you to watch either film version.