Director
Howard Hawks
Leading Actors/Actresses
Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
Supporting Actors/Actresses
John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Regis Toomey, Elisha Cooke Jr.
Genre
Mystery/Thriller/Noir
Language
English
Awards
Date of Release
August 23, 1946
Producer
Howard Hawks
Setting and Context
1940s Los Angeles
Narrator and Point of View
There is no narrator, but the film follows the perspective of private investigator Philip Marlowe throughout.
Tone and Mood
The mood is mainly tense, mysterious, moody, and suspenseful. There are also moments of romance, and even a musical number, but primarily, it has the tone of a thriller.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Philip Marlowe; Antagonist: Eddie Mars
Major Conflict
The major conflict is the solving of the mystery of the murder of Arthur Geiger and the disappearance of Sean Regan. While Marlowe is discouraged from getting too involved in the disappearance of Sean Regan, his curiosity about the nature of the disappearance leads to his revelation of a larger crime.
Climax
The climax occurs when Marlowe gets Eddie Mars to confess to all of his crimes and forces him out of Geiger's house at gunpoint to be shot by his own men.
Foreshadowing
There are a number of moments of foreshadowing. Carmen's permissive and flirtatious attitude upon first meeting Marlowe foreshadows the sordid activities that she participates in later in the film.
Vivian and Marlowe's flirtations throughout (not to mention the image of them smoking cigarettes together during the opening credits) foreshadow their eventual affair.
Understatement
Vivian and Marlowe each saying to the other, limply, “I guess I’m in love with you.”
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Allusions
Ben Hur, Marcel Proust
Paradox
Parallelism
Vivian and Marlowe both profess their love to one another the same way: “I guess I’m in love with you.”
