Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye transformed the quintessential detective story parody by taking its mystery seriously. As long as there have been detective movies, there have been parodies that attempt to satirize them. Whether it's Guy Ritchie’s satirical examination of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes or Chevy Chase’s wacky investigative journalist in the Fletch films, sleuths have been played for laughs just as often as they’ve been cold-hearted heroes. While it’s fun to see a mystery through the perspective of a goofball, treating the genre as pure slapstick doesn’t make for very creative comedy. However, Robert Altman didn’t follow those same rules when he made his 1973 classic.
'The Long Goodbye' Delivers a New Take on an Old Character
The Long Goodbye stars Elliot Gould as Phillip Marlowe, a character who has had multiple depictions since the first emergence of the hardboiled detective genre in the 1940s. Like Robin Hood, King Arthur, Dracula, or Zorro, Marlowe is one of the quintessential screen heroes who is bound to have another onscreen adventure every few years; Humphrey Bogart epitomized the role in 1946’s The Big Sleep, and Liam Neeson is taking it on next in the aptly-titled Marlowe. Gould’s version of the iconic private eye is far from the dark, brooding anti-hero that we usually see; he’s casual, laid-back, and has a soft-hearted kindness and eloquence. While Gould is being amusing, the stakes of the mystery are quite legitimate.
Altman understood that treating the mystery storyline as superfluous wouldn’t create a good parody. It’s not a clever genre spoof if the central narrative is simply used as a vehicle to generate laughs, and so the mission Marlowe is on in The Long Goodbye isn’t itself very different from other Raymond Chandler adaptations. However, it’s Gould’s unique slant on the role that makes The Long Goodbye one of the best, smartest, and certainly funniest detective movies of all-time.
'The Long Goodbye' Has a Familiar Set Up
The Long Goodbye begins with a familiar enough setup for a sleuth movie. Marlowe is stopped by investigators, emphasizing his complex relationship with law enforcement, and learns that his close friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) has been accused of murdering his wife, Sylvia. There’s a legitimate reason for Marlowe to take on this case, as he’s called in by a legitimate connection to his past that reminds him of one of the few good people in his world. However, Gould doesn’t immediately grimace and give an internal monologue like Bogart; his nonplussed, casual nature turns into a hilarious state of confusion.
Altman avoided cheap jokes in favor of more subtle humor that rewrote the entire nature of the genre. Rather than smoking in an alleyway or having a private drink alone in a bar, Marlowe is introduced during a routine errand to buy cat food. He doesn’t ogle or disrespect women, and is happy to greet the scantily-clad females in his apartment complex with a casual “hey, ladies” that isn’t suggestive in the least bit. The way that Gould and Altman characterize Marlowe doesn’t just attack the overtly masculine nature of the genre, but it makes him a more engaging leading character. Marlowe isn’t bitter and depressed; he’s just exhausted by the mundanity of his life as he always gets roped into these adventures.
The specificity with which Altman undermines tropes also makes Marlowe a more relatable character than he’s ever been. Like Sherlock Holmes, Marlowe’s brilliance is often challenging for the audience to sympathize with, as he always seems to be several steps ahead of everyone around him. The Long Goodbye is directly shown from Marlowe’s point-of-view, examining how he puts together clues, selects his witnesses to interview, and puts together the details of the case. It sheds more light on the investigative process itself than most straight-laced noirs have done in the past.
Elliot Gould's Compassionate Take on Marlowe Works
It’s Gould’s more compassionate take on Marlowe that gets him intertwined with the actual mystery itself; after learning of Terry’s mysterious death, Marlowe gets a new case involving the sensual, suggestive blonde bombshell Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt). In an inversion of the femme fatale role, Eileen has an energy and lustfulness that directly contrasts Gould’s more subdued reverence. There’s a dichotomy between the two that is engaging and quite funny, and it emphasizes that Gould’s Marlowe has a heart that other iterations lacked.
However, this more wholesome take on a lenient, cat-loving Marlowe isn’t any less clever. He’s still a renowned detective, and it's his inventive investigation into the seedy Los Angeles subculture of drug users and hippies that first places him under the watchful eye of the ruthless gangster Marty Augustine (Mark Rydell). Augustine’s performance is intended to be intimidating in the style of most noir villains, but it's Gould’s bemused reactions to the threats that play against cliche. Marlowe uses this guise of befuddlement to get his suspects to admit more than they want to.
Robert Altman Creates Even More Humor By Taking This Mystery Seriously
The straight-laced nature of the mystery creates even more humor when Marlowe is placed in tragic circumstances. Marlowe is seemingly disappointed, but not surprised to see that he’s put his faith in the wrong people, and it’s no shock when the investigators refuse to believe his logic. Gould’s pensive stares are humorous, as are his one-liners, but there’s a deeper melancholy to the character than even the best noir movies. The fact that the reveal that his former friend is both alive and guilty doesn’t seem to faze him; he's long passed the point of seeing cruelty from both individuals and the institutions they serve.
Altman allows us to understand Marlowe’s psychology by unpacking his cynicism. The third act is easily the most exciting, as Marlowe is drawn into a volatile encounter with Terry in a Mexican villa, but Gould never loses the persona of being an aloof deer in the headlights. It’s as if trying to lower everyone’s expectations, as he clearly isn’t expecting any sympathy. The hilarious return to routine at the very end, which sees Marlowe once again in search of cat food and talking to the “crazy ladies,” shows that this is all in a day’s work for him.
The best parodies don’t just play on the iconography of their genres; they find what makes them so beloved in the first place, and unpack the assumptions that we’ve always had. What if the grimmest detective in literature was just a nice, affable guy? The Long Goodbye doesn’t just stand as a rewarding tribute for long-time Marlowe fans, but a great introduction to the character for those seeing him for the first time.
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