Introduction
As a recent convert to the work of writers like Raymond Chandler and James M Cain, when I saw this DVD was going free with last week's Mail on Sunday, I didn't hesitate to get hold of it. This is a re-make of the original film based on Raymond Chandler's work, which stars Humphrey Bogart and was made in 1946. This particular version, made in 1977, was directed by Michael Winner, who apparently took precautions to change the setting of the film, so that it wouldn't be directly compared to the original. I have a copy of the original on video, but unfortunately my video player has broken, so I cannot comment first-hand on the differences. However, I understand that this version of The Big Sleep is very faithful to the original story, although some liberties have been taken with Philip Marlowe.

The plot
Millionaire General Sternwood is concerned about his daughters, particularly after receiving a blackmail letter demanding that his daughter Camilla's gambling debts are paid. On top of that, his daughter Charlotte's husband, Rusty Regan, who has connections with gun-running, has gone missing. So Sternwood calls in Private Eye Philip Marlowe to find out what is going on.

The characters/actors
Michael Winner could not have thrown any more well-known actors at this film if he had tried. We have Robert Mitchum in the main role as Philip Marlowe, James Stewart as General Sternwood, John Mills as a detective from New Scotland Yard, Edward Fox as Joe Brody, Joan Collins as Agnes and Oliver Reed as Eddie Mars. To my mind, this is a bit of a waste, because apart from Robert Mitchum, the other characters only play very small roles. The other main roles of Camilla and Charlotte, are played by Candy Clarke and Sarah Miles, neither of whom I have heard of.

I'm not really sure what I think of Candy Clarke's performance as Camilla. On the whole, I think she over-acted. Camilla is obviously as mad as a hatter, having some serious mental health problems, which make up to a certain extent for the over-acting and on occasion, she was very good. Her sister, Charlotte, played by Sarah Miles, was much better. She isn't exactly stable either, but I think her performance was much better controlled.

Conclusion
Forgetting about the link with Raymond Chandler, I don't think this was too bad a film. Robert Mitchum gave a pretty good performance as Philip Marlowe, the big names in the film and the plot made it definitely watchable. As a version of a book by Raymond Chandler, I am not sure it quite cuts it. I haven't seen the original film or read the book, but I have read other Chandler books featuring Philip Marlowe and Mitchum's version is not what I would have expected. The facts that the novel is based in London rather than Los Angeles and the story is set much later in the century don't help. I'm looking forward to reading the original version. This is perhaps a little unfair because Mitchum's performance and the plot is good, but I do prefer films based on well-known books should remain as close to the original story as possible. Recommended only if you don't know anything about the original story or characters.