Raymond Chandler

Chandler's books are so egregiously good because of his craftsmanship, his style - everything that has to be left out of a film, in which the 'language' employed is cinematic rather than verbal.

Chandler wrote seven novels.

The Big Sleep, 1939
Farewell, My Lovely, 1940
The High Window, 1942
The Lady in the Lake, 1943
The Little Sister, 1949
The Long Goodbye, 1953
Playback, 1958
Poodle Springs was completed by another writer after Chandler's death.

The Big Sleep, two features:
The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946) Humphrey Bogart, screenplay William Faulkner
The Big Sleep (Michael Winner, 1978) Robert Mitchum

Farewell, My Lovely, three features:
The Falcon Takes Over (Irving Reis, 1942)
Murder, My Sweet (Edward Dmytryk, 1944)
Farewell, My Lovely (Dick Richards, 1975) Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling

The High Window, two features:
Time to Kill (Herbert I. Leeds, 1942) Lloyd Nolan
The Brasher Doubloon (John Brahm, 1947) George Montgomery

The Lady in the Lake: Lady in the Lake (Robert Montgomery, 1946) screenplay Steve Fisher

The Little Sister: Marlowe (Paul Bogart, 1969) James Garner

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973) Elliott Gould

Playback - no adaptation

Poodle Springs (Bob Rafelson, 1998) wr. Tom Stoppard; James Caan

Chandler also wrote these screenplays, only one of which (The Blue Dahlia, 1946) is original to him alone.

Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson; screenplay Billy Wilder & Chandler; based on James M. Cain novella; nominated for Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay

And Now Tomorrow (Irving Pichel, 1944) Alan Ladd; screenplay Frank Partos & Chandler, based on Rachel Field novel

The Unseen (Lewis Allen, 1945) Joel McCrea; screenplay Hagar Wilde & Chandler; based on Ethel Lina White novel

The Blue Dahlia (George Marshall, 1946) Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake; Chandler nominated for Oscar for Best Original Screenplay

Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951) Farley Granger; screenplay Chandler & Czenzi Ormonde; based on Patricia Highsmith novel


Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 29 September, 2021 | Now: 10 July, 2022