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Murder, My Sweet (released as Farewell, My Lovely in the United Kingdom) is a 1944 American film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor and Anne Shirley (in her final film before retirement).[4] The film is based on Raymond Chandler's 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely. It was the first film to feature Chandler's primary character, the hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe.[5]
Murder, My Sweet is, along with Double Indemnity (released five months prior), one of the first noir films, and a key influence in the development of the genre.[5]
With his eyes bandaged, private detective Philip Marlowe is interrogated by police lieutenant Randall about two murders.
Marlowe tells how he was hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to locate Malloy's former girlfriend Velma Valento. They go to Florian's, the nightclub where Velma last worked as a singer, but no one remembers her. Marlowe tracks down Jessie Florian, the alcoholic widow of the nightclub's former owner, who hides a photo of Velma and says Velma is dead. Marlowe steals the photo and sees Jessie making a phone call as he leaves.
The next morning, Lindsay Marriott hires Marlowe to be his bodyguard while he acts as a go-between to pay a ransom for some stolen jewels. During the job, Marlowe is knocked unconscious from behind. When he comes to, a young woman shines a flashlight on his face, then runs away. The money is gone, and Marriott has been brutally clubbed to death with a blackjack. When Marlowe reports the murder, the police ask him if he knows a Jules Amthor, and warn him not to interfere in the case.
Ann Grayle tries to pry information out of Marlowe about the murder. She mentions that the jewels were jade, and introduces him to her weak, elderly, and wealthy father, Leuwen Grayle, and his seductive second wife, Helen. Grayle collects rare jade and was attempting to recover a stolen necklace. Jules Amthor, a psychic healer who treated both Helen and Marriott, shows up just as Marlowe is leaving. Helen retains Marlowe to try to recover the jade, but Ann tries bribing him to drop the case.
翡翠の所在を突き止めるため、アムソーはムースを騙し、マーロウがヴェルマの居場所を知っていると思い込ませる。ムースはマーロウを襲って制圧し、その後アムソーはマーロウをソンダーバーグ博士の療養所に連れて行き、そこでマーロウは薬を投与されて3日間拘束される。マーロウは脱出し、アムソーに騙されたことをムースに納得させ、アンのもとへ向かう。
マーロウは、警察がマリオットが借りていた家族のビーチハウスについてアンの父親に尋ねたと知ると、マーロウとアンはそこへ行き、そこでヘレンが警察から隠れているのを見つける。アンは行方不明の妻の居場所を父親に伝えるためにその場を去る。マーロウは、ヘレンがアムソーの尋問に彼を陥れるために雇ったのであり、アンは彼をその罠から救おうとしていたのだと推測する。ヘレンはマーロウを誘惑してアムソー殺害に協力させようとする。マーロウは彼女の計画に賛同したように見えるが、アムソーはすでに死んでいるのを発見する。ムースは事務所でマーロウを待っている。マーロウはジェシーから奪った「ベルマ」の写真をムースに見せるが、彼の予想通り、それはベルマを探している者を惑わすための偽物だった。実際、ヘレンがベルマだった。マーロウはムースに次の夜まで身を隠すように言い、その夜にムースをベルマのところへ連れて行くと言う。
ビーチハウスで、マーロウはネックレスの行方を確かめるためヘレンと会う間、ムースを外で待たせていたが、ヘレンは彼に銃を突きつけた。ジェシー・フロリアンがマーロウがヴェルマを探しているとヘレンに密告していたため、ヘレンはマーロウを殺すために強盗と身代金の受け渡しを偽装していたのだ。マーロウが峡谷に降りている間にヘレンはマリオットを殺害し、マーロウを殺そうとしたところに、嫉妬深い父親がマリオットを殺そうとしているのではないかと心配したアンが現れた。
ヘレンがマーロウを撃とうとしたその時、恋に悩むグレイルがアンを連れて現れる。グレイルはマーロウの銃を奪い、ヘレン／ヴェルマを射殺する。ムースは銃声を聞きつけて駆けつけ、ヴェルマが死んでいるのを発見する。グレイルは自分が彼女を撃ったことを認め、ムースはグレイルに襲いかかるが、グレイルはムースを撃つ。マーロウが止めに入ろうとした瞬間、銃が発砲され、閃光で目が焼ける。さらに2発の銃声が響く。
話が終わると、一時的に視力を失った私立探偵は、ムースとグレイルがマーロウの銃を奪い合って撃ち合ったと聞かされる。マーロウはナルティ刑事に付き添われて建物から出て行くが、アンは彼らの後を追い、会話をすべて聞き耳を立てる。マーロウは刑事にアンへの好意を告白する。タクシーの後部座席で、包帯を巻いたマーロウは彼女の香水の匂いを嗅ぎ分け、二人はキスをする。
The rights to Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely were bought by RKO Radio Pictures for $2,000,[2] and the novel provided the essentials of the plot for The Falcon Takes Over, released in 1942. Another of Chandler's novels had been purchased as well, but in 1944 no studio had yet used Chandler's antiheroprivate detectivePhilip Marlowe as the protagonist of a film. RKO's studio boss, Charles Koerner, recognized the value of the character and of Chandler's style, and decided to use the rights RKO already owned to make a true adaptation of the novel.[6] He was able to convince RKO's management to make a new version of the book so soon after the previous one by pointing out that the book did not need a great deal of adapting to create a screenplay.[2]
For Murder, My Sweet Koerner assembled a creative staff who were ready to make the move up from B-movies, specifically producer Adrian Scott and director Edward Dmytryk; for Scott, the film was his first as producer. Koerner also revitalized the career of Claire Trevor – who was making Westerns in which she had fourth or fifth billing– and intended the film to be a showcase for the actress, who played a femme fatale.[6][1] At one point, the studio had considered Ann Dvorak for one of the female leads.[1]
Both Shirley and Trevor tried to convince the studio that they should both play "against type", with perennial good girl Shirley cast as the femme fatale Helen, and Trevor cast as the nice girl, Ann, but their pressure did not convince the studio.[2]
コーナーは、ディック・パウエルがクルーナーからハードボイルドな役柄を演じる俳優へと変貌を遂げた立役者でもあった。パウエルは1930年代から1940年代初頭にかけて軽喜劇やミュージカルで知られていたが、10年間その型にはまった役柄から抜け出そうとしていた。彼はもう年を取りすぎていると感じており、『二重賠償』でフレッド・マクマレーが演じた役を演じたいと思っていた。コーナーはパウエルをRKOと契約させてミュージカルに出演させたかったが、パウエルは他の役柄も演じられるなら契約すると言い張ったため[ 5 ]、コーナーはパウエルに希望する役柄を与えた。しかし、プロデューサーのスコットと監督のドミトリクは（チャンドラーと同様に）パウエルの起用には強く反対していた。ドミトリクは後に「『チューリップをそっと通り抜けて』を歌った男がタフな私立探偵を演じるなんて、想像もできなかった」と書いている。[ 5 ] –パウエルはスクリーンテストを受けなければならず、その結果、コーナーは俳優にスタジオとの複数作品契約を提示した。[ 6 ] [ 1 ]映画の成功とパウエルの演技の質を考慮して、コーナーはパウエルをミュージカルに起用する考えを捨て、代わりに他のタフガイ役やアクション映画に起用した。[ 2 ]
パウエルのフィリップ・マーロウ役の演技は、チャンドラーやフィルム・ノワールのファンの間で大いに議論されている。軽薄でコミカルすぎると考える人もいれば、映画におけるマーロウの最高の解釈だと考える人もいる。[ 7 ]チャンドラー自身は、当初はパウエルのキャスティングに反対していたが、この演技を非常に気に入っていると述べており、『三つ数えろ』でハンフリー・ボガートが演じるマーロウを見て、ボガートに忠誠を誓うようになった。[ 8 ]
彼が演じた役を得るためにオーディションを受けなければならなかったもう一人の俳優は、元プロレスラーで俳優に転身したマイク・マズルキだった。ドミトリクは真の俳優にその役を演じてもらいたかったが、スタジオの食堂での話し合いでマズルキに説得され、彼にチャンスを与えた。パウエルは彼の努力を支援した。[ 8 ]
The film's screenwriter, John Paxton– a former reporter and publicist whose only previous full-length feature was My Pal Wolf, a girl-and-her-dog film – closely followed Chandler's novel, as well as Chandler's advice: "When your plot hits a snag, have somebody come through the door with a gun."[6] Some aspects of Chandler's plot had to be underplayed because of the Production Code, such as Marriott's homosexuality, or the fact that Amthor and Sonderborg were providing drugs to the elites of Los Angeles. Other parts of the novel, such as a plot thread involving a fleet of gambling boats off the L.A. coast, were dropped completely, but not because of the Code: in real life mobster Anthony Cornero ran such a fleet outside the three-mile limit, and hosted many of Hollywood's movers and shakers, and there was concern about drawing unwanted attention to him. Finally, Florian's, the club Moose first brings Marlowe to in his search for Velma, was originally a club with an exclusively African-American clientele located on Central Avenue in the heart of L.A.'s black district.[8][2] Making the change meant that the scenes in the club, and with Jessie Florian, would not have to be cut when the film was distributed in Southern states.[2]
Another change made in the adaptation from the book to the film was in the character of Ann Grayle. She was originally the daughter of an honest cop, but changing her to the step-daughter of Trevor's seductress helped to show the differences between the two types of women.[2]
It was producer Scott's idea to shoot the film as an extended flashback, which kept the book's first-person narrative style.[2]
Production on Murder, My Sweet took place from May 8 to July 1, 1944.[1] Shooting on the first day was so hectic that Claire Trevor was being sewn into her dress while the first scene was being set up. A makeup person was left off of the call, so Trevor did her makeup herself. During breaks between scenes, Dick Powell would entertain the other actors with imitations of himself as a singer earlier in his film career.[2]
Night location shooting took place in the Hollywood Hills.[1]
The film was first screened on December 18, 1944 in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the title Farewell, My Lovely, and also played in previews in New England with that title. A survey by Audience Research Inc. indicated that viewers thought that the title suggested a Dick Powell musical, so the film's name was changed, delaying its release. It opened in New York City on March 8, 1945 as Murder, My Sweet.[9][7][1][5]
James Agee, critic writing in The Nation in 1944, stated, "I suppose a lot that I like about it is not really good except by comparison with the deadly norm ... Nevertheless, I enjoyed the romanticism of the picture, and its hopefulness and energy, and much of its acting—that of Miles Mander, Claire Trevor, Ralfe Harald, and Dick Powell especially. Even its messiness and semi-accomplishment made me feel better about it than about the much better-finished, more nearly unimpeachable, but more academic and complacent Double Indemnity."[10]Leslie Halliwell gave it three of four stars, stating: "A revolutionary crime film ... One of the first films noirs of the mid-forties, a minor masterpiece of expressionist film making ... " [11]Pauline Kael wasn't impressed: " ... the movie is energetic enough, but its crumminess can't all be explained by fidelity to the material. Edward Dmytryk directed, in the brutal, fast style popular in the war years ... " [12]
Alison Dalzell, writing for the Edinburgh University Film Society, notes:
Of all the adaptations of Chandler novels, this film comes as close as any to matching their stylish first person narrative and has the cinematic skill and bravado of direction to carry it off. Since the '40s countless mystery and neo-noir films have been made in Hollywood and around the world. Murder, My Sweet is what they all aspire to be.[13]
According to film critics Ellen Keneshea and Carl Macek, the picture takes Chandler's novel and transforms it into a "film with a dark ambiance unknown at [the] time". Dmytryk was able to transcend the tough dialogue and mystery film conventions by creating a "cynical vision of society". As such, the film enters the world of film noir.[9]
When the film was released, Bosley Crowther, the film critic for The New York Times, appreciated the adaptation of Chandler's novel and lauded the acting and writing:
Practically all of the supporting roles are exceptionally well played, particularly by Mike Mazurki, the former wrestler, as the brutish Moose Malloy; Otto Kruger as Jules Amthor, quack-psychologist and insidious blackmailer; Anne Shirley as an innocent among the wolf pack, and Don Douglas as the police lieutenant. In short, Murder, My Sweet is pulse-quickening entertainment.[4]
The staff at Variety magazine also gave the film kudos, writing:
Murder, My Sweet, a taut thriller about a private detective enmeshed with a gang of blackmailers, is as smart as it is gripping ... Performances are on a par with the production. Dick Powell is a surprise as the hard-boiled copper. The portrayal is potent and convincing. Claire Trevor is as dramatic as the predatory femme, with Anne Shirley in sharp contrast as the soft kid caught in the crossfire.[14]
The film made a profit of $597,000.[15]
Murder, My Sweet won four 1946 Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America: