After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
- Awards
- 1 win total
Donald Douglas
- Police Lt. Randall
- (as Don Douglas)
Ernie Adams
- Bartender at 'Florian's'
- (uncredited)
Bernice Ahi
- Dancer at the 'Cocoanut Beach Club'
- (uncredited)
George Anderson
- Detective
- (uncredited)
Edward Biby
- Club Patron
- (uncredited)
Jack Carr
- Dr. Sonderborg's Assistant
- (uncredited)
Tom Coleman
- Police Clerk
- (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn
- Detective
- (uncredited)
Sam Finn
- Headwaiter
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFor the scene in which Marlowe is drugged, Edward Dmytryk showed Dick Powell falling through a sea of faces. He borrowed a trick from Saboteur (1942) by having the camera pull back from the actor to make it seem like he was falling. He also had the camera accelerate as it pulled back, to intensify the horror.
- GoofsIn the opening montage the men sitting around the interrogation table are not wearing hats. The camera zooms in on a reflection of the lamp on the glass table top, but when it pulls back, all three other than Marlow are wearing hats. Actually, there are only three men's heads shown - Marlowe on the left without a hat and two others who do have hats and a fourth man, but only his hands can be seen. When the camera pulls back, Marlowe is now at the front instead of at the left.
- Quotes
Philip Marlowe: She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud. I gave her a drink. She was a gal who'd take a drink, if she had to knock you down to get the bottle.
- Alternate versionsExists in color-computerized version.
- ConnectionsEdited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
Featured review
This is considered one of the classic film noirs ever made and some think THE film noir. In recognizing that before I had seen it, perhaps I was disappointed because I expected more.
What I found was a very confusing film, at least in the last third of the movie as everything started to be explained. It almost got ridiculous in the last 10 minutes when Dick Powell ("Philip Marlowe") explained the whole story. He talked too fast and it was next to impossible to follow. I guess I will have to view this more often to understand it better, or find someone who can explain it for my feeble brain.
The best part of the film was the cinematography, which really comes to life on the DVD. Someone did a very nice job restoring this film. That, and the general dialog by Powell, were fascinating. You could make a short book with all the wise-guy remarks made by "Marlowe" in this film - a lot of great stuff. I just wish they had made a simpler story and made it easier for the viewer to digest all the facts at the end.
What I found was a very confusing film, at least in the last third of the movie as everything started to be explained. It almost got ridiculous in the last 10 minutes when Dick Powell ("Philip Marlowe") explained the whole story. He talked too fast and it was next to impossible to follow. I guess I will have to view this more often to understand it better, or find someone who can explain it for my feeble brain.
The best part of the film was the cinematography, which really comes to life on the DVD. Someone did a very nice job restoring this film. That, and the general dialog by Powell, were fascinating. You could make a short book with all the wise-guy remarks made by "Marlowe" in this film - a lot of great stuff. I just wish they had made a simpler story and made it easier for the viewer to digest all the facts at the end.
- ccthemovieman-1
- May 12, 2006
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El enigma del collar
- Filming locations
- Sunset Tower Hotel - 8358 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, California, USA(apartment of Jules Amthor)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $400,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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