In the course of a detailed exploration of the history of Hollywood cinema, I came eventually to the world of genre. Film noir was one in particular which enticed me, its combination of German Expressionism influenced cinematography, gritty drama, and memorable dialogue instantly more appealing than the inherent morality of the western or the choreographed aesthetic of the musical. Offered as a paragon of the noir, Murder, My Sweet was my second of the genre, and first to introduce me to both the private eye and the femme fatale.

Hired by the appropriately named Moose Malloy, private eye Philip Marlowe is tasked with finding his former lover Velma. When a client hiring Marlowe to act as a bodyguard is murdered whilst attempting to purchase back a stolen necklace, the detective finds himself thrust into a world of deception, confusion, and convolution.

A narrative explored through the now-blinded protagonist's flashback, Murder, My Sweet benefits from one of the greatest narrations in cinematic memory. Adapted from the novel Farewell, My Lovely by hardboiled crime fiction legend Raymond Chandler, the film exploits the author's rich dialogue at every chance it gets. Marlowe is the king of the simile, each line coming from him awash with a cynicism-laced hilarity. The script is the kind that, upon a second viewing, will have your lips moving along with it, so unforgettable are the words within. Dick Powell, a musical star, delivers these iconic lines as though he was born to speak them, his straight-faced gaze as important to their effect as their original composition. The plot, in line with this "seeker hero" vein of noir, is distorted, intricate, and demanding. Full attention is a base requirement to understanding the turns in the film's story as Marlowe pursues the answers to questions which have often yet to be asked. Powell's performance—surely the best interpretation of Marlowe set to celluloid; certainly the greatest of what I've seen—finds support in the broad cast of characters which appear regularly throughout his investigation. The archetypal noir relationships are all present here, and well articulated. Not afraid to play on concepts to a degree, the film has us wondering for a time the allegiances of the two central female characters, neither of their motives entirely understood until the film's climactic ending. One of the most cinematographically experimental and entertaining aspects of the film is the inevitable scene in which the protagonist is knocked unconscious by a sadistic thug, Marlowe's awakening from this accompanied by some of the narration's best moments and the camera's oddest tricks and techniques. A particularly enjoyable aspect of the film, to mention yet another, is the ongoing relationship between Marlowe and the police force, the balance of animosity and tolerance—a staple of the genre—given some of its best treatment here.

Thanks to Murder, My Sweet, my undying admiration for this genre was cemented after just two visits. On the more comedic side of the aforementioned, it is undoubtedly the finest example of the delicious dialogue of the novels from which the genre was spawned. Powell's Marlowe is, for my money, the finest, Marlowe himself perhaps film noir's greatest character. Probably the finest of this branch of detective based noir, Murder, My Sweet is just about unforgettable.

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

One of the classic film noirs. And with all the trademarks of style, story, and character. On top of that, it's really good! I can watch any low grade bad film noir and like it, but this one is for everyone. Fast, crazy, dramatic, beautiful. And with such sparkling "noir" dialog you want to see it twice. In a row.

The premise here is that a jade necklace has gone missing and a man hires detective Philip Marlowe to be bodyguard when he goes to buy it back. Things go wrong, but lucky for Marlowe he is now on the inside of a duplicitous bunch of thugs, many of them part of one family. It gets confusing if you don't listen closely and don't get the noir slang, but you realize you don't totally need to follow every nuance of the plot. It's also largely about style, about how this is all told and played out for the cameras.

There are a handful of formative early film noirs going back to "The Maltese Falcon" which has some echoes to this one. Most are based on detective stories like this one by Raymond Chandler. Like most mystery or detective fiction, there is a formula at work, a huge dependency on one main character and his point of view, and a slightly contrived plot without deep emotional stakes. Later noirs can get more personal and involving emotionally (like "Out of the Past" or even the 1945 "Mildred Pierce") but the point of view of the protagonist is still important because it's from a lonely position as the world swirls around. The detective was a perfect starting point for this genre--detectives work alone, after all, and see things the rest of us never dream of.

So Marlowe gets taken for quite a ride. Dick Powell is terrific in the role. He's no Bogart or Mitchum, and he's no looker (no Dana Andrews). And so he becomes a really regular guy, someone you can relate to. He's tough and savvy and he has a great sense of humor in his interior monologues (another feature of noirs, used heavily here). And when he's abused you feel less like it's a Hollywood star up there but just a character. It works well.

There are some really inventive visual things happening. The first happens several times, with black inky pools taking over the screen when he gets knocked out. But there are other distortions, and a fabulous (if technically simple) hallucination sequence that surely had some small influence on Hitchcock in making "Vertigo." When you finally get to the end of this whole up and down adventure you've been a lot of places quickly. It's quite a movie.

Don't expect normal realism. The movie is stylized and made to be illustrative, even as it gets gritty and real. The whole situation is a bit improbable, but forget likelihood. Go for the ride yourself. Get into the dialog (which is as classic as it gets). And watch it. Or watch it twice.

Oh, and if you want a treat, check out the weird and actually terrific remake, hard to find on DVD, with Robert Mitchum in rich "noir" color called "Farewell, My Lovely." With Charlotte Rampling, no less.

Raymond Chandler's novels made great film adaptations based on his strongly written characters. Point in case, Philip Marlowe. He was a practical P.I. man. In the adaptation of the novel "Farewell, My Lovely", by John Paxton, Marlowe gets a great treatment from Mr. Paxton and the director, Edward Dmytryk.

This 1944 film has been dissected by a lot of contributors to this forum. As it happens with films of this genre, the convoluted plots create an aura of mystery without sometimes making too much sense, but the viewer is hooked from the start. One goes along for the ride with this version that proves to be one of the best adaptations of the Chandler novel, something the other version didn't have.

The film works because of the presence of Dick Powell. He was a good actor who came from a different world into playing Marlowe. Mr. Powell is the glue that holds all the action together. He doesn't make us believe he is a super hero, he is just a regular man on a mission for solving the mystery of Velma's disappearance for his client, Moose Malloy, but he gets side tracked by circumstances that bring him back to Velma, after being hit and doped by the people that don't want him to get to the truth.

Claire Trevor contributed to the success of the film with her duplicitous Helen, who we realize is holding out on us. Anne Shirley, who plays Ann Grayle, is of two minds, while hating her attractive step mother, Helen, she will do anything to separate her from the father she adores. Mike Mazurki is the burly Moose Malloy. Otto Kruger and Don Walton have important moments among the supporting cast.

"Murder My Sweet" was given a great look by Harry Wild. His impression of Los Angeles, at night, and the interesting camera angles he photographed, are what distinguishes this film and makes it a classic. The atmospheric music is by Ray Webb. Director Edward Dmytryk showed he was inspired in this production that remains a must see for all fans of the genre.