"Farewell, My Lovely"
Credits: Director
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland and Sylvia Miles
Studio: Avco Embassy Pictures
Release: 1975
Set against the shadowy streets of 1941 Los Angeles, "Farewell, My Lovely" follows private detective Philip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum), hired by recently-paroled bank robber Moose Malloy to find his long-lost love, as he navigates through the murky layers of the city's criminal world. Bolstered with classic noir voice over, Marlowe runs into some shady characters, including the seductive Helen (Charlotte Rampling), who definitely has a secret or two... Replete with ruthless mobsters, corrupt officials, and duplicitous lovers, the film follows Marlowe while he untangles an intricate web of lies that challenges his own sense of justice.
Accolades
Academy Award, Best Supporting Actress, Sylvia Miles,1976
Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Best Picture, 1976
Richards elevates classic noir with "Farewell, My Lovely" starring Robert Mitchum
I need another drink. I need a lot of life insurance. I need a vacation. And all I’ve got is a coat, a hat and a gun...
This critically-acclaimed adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s classic noir novel, “Farewell, My Lovely” stars Robert Mitchum as the iconic detective Philip Marlowe. Richards' direction style would continue to focus on character performances, cementing his legacy as an "actor's director."
About the Film
Richards had an instinct for authentic 1940's drama, and his version of Marlowe followed DiMaggio's hitting streak while dodging punches and chasing justice. His vision breathed new life into classic characters, and Mitchum said of the movie, "This kid Richards, the director, he's got something. It'll be a good picture." Sylvia Miles portrayal of the washed-up Mrs. Florian earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, and the film won Best Picture from the Edgar Allen Poe Awards in 1976.
Reviews
“Dick Richards proves he’s a blockbuster of a talent. I think [Farewell, My Lovely] was the kind of movie Bogart would have stood in line to see.”
~ Rex Reed, New York Post
"These opening shots are so evocative of Raymond Chandler's immortal Marlowe, archtypical private eye, haunting the underbelly of Los Angeles, that if we're Chandler fans we hold our breath. Is the ambience going to be maintained, or will this be another campy rip-off? Half an hour into the movie, we relax. Farewell, My Lovely never steps wrong...in the genre itself there hasn't been anything this good since Hollywood was doing Philip Marlowe the first time around. One reason is that Dick Richards, the director, takes his material and character absolutely seriously. He is not uneasy with it, as Robert Altman was when he had Elliott Gould flirt with seriousness in The Long Goodbye. Richards doesn't hedge his bet."
~ Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Mitchum...plays Marlowe with a delicious ease. He sounds just like Marlowe should sound."
~ Gene Siskel
"The film's success lies in Mitchum's hard-boiled portrayal of Marlowe, its twisty plot and the moody atmosphere it creates through John A. Alonzo's photography. Los Angeles looms as a nighttime playground for hoods, beautiful women and suckers ready to be taken by all the glitzy signs leading them astray."
~ Dennis Schwartz
Ebert, R. (1975, January 1). Farewell, My Lovely. *Chicago Sun-Times*.
Ebert, R. (1975, June 17). Robert Mitchum: "Bring me a Miltown, sweetheart." *Roger Ebert*.
Siskel, G. (1975, August 22). Mitchum turns a remake into a 'lovely' experience. *Chicago Tribune*, Section 3, p. 3.
Schwartz, D. (2019, August 5). Farewell, My Lovely. *Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews*.
