Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

“[voiceover] The house itself wasn’t much. It was smaller than Buckingham Palace and probably had fewer windows than the Chrysler building.” – Philip Marlowe

Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 May 2019)

Brief Synopsis – Private Detective Philip Marlowe is hired to find the girlfriend of a thug who disappeared 7 years earlier.

My Take on it – This is yet another film that I knew absolutely nothing about before seeing that it was on the list of films with Oscar nominated performances.

I’ve seen a few Philip Marlowe films over the years, but had no clue that this film was also part of that series.

They do a nice job keeping this film interesting as they explore a story that fits perfectly into the genre of film noir thriller.

Robert Mitchum is quite good as the lead role of Philip Marlowe even if he’s a bit too old for the part.

The way that the story is presented works well even when it goes in some very strange directions along the way.

Liked the way that this film was able to take two very diverse detective cases and connect them in a round about way so that it all comes together as one larger story.

Sylvia Miles was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this film even though she really doesn’t manage to stand out enough in the role.

Bottom Line – Interesting film noir thriller that does a fine job keeping things intriguing. Mitchum as Marlowe works really well even if he is much older than the part really calls for. The story moves in some very strange directions yet manages to find a way to put it all together in a round about way. Miles was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this film.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The dark pin-striped suit worn by Robert Mitchum in the film was the only one available from the wardrobe department, with no backup suit available if needed. Originally made for Victor Mature during the 1940s, Mitchum hated the outfit, and complained constantly during production about having to wear “Victor Mature’s old farted-up suit.” (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)