Long Goodbye [VHS]

Long Goodbye [VHS]
by Robert Altman

List Price: ~~$19.98~~
Category: VHS Video
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Product details

Actor: Elliott Gould, Henry Gibson, Mark Rydell, Nina Van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden
Director: Robert Altman
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 112 minutes
Release Date: 1998-09-01
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

VHS Movie Reviews of Long Goodbye [VHS]

Movie Review: Very disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars

Didn't read the book, not a student of film, and I thought the movie was awful! Elliot Gould smokes and mumbles his way through the film as a bumbling, staggering doofus, the very embodiment of uncool. It's as though by making him a chain-smoker he would be cool or mysterious but it sure doesn't work. The other characters are more like caricatures, poorly and/or overacted. Was very excited to get this film; could barely finish it.

Movie Review: Leigh Brackett Blew It
Summary: 1 Stars

Leigh Brackett also co-wrote the screenplay for the Howard Hawks "Big Sleep" movie, wherein Philip Marlowe repeatedly shot an unarmed Eddie Mars - a departure from the book and out of character for Marlowe. She completed her "Long Goodbye" script five years before her agonizing death, and G. Goodman's review is spot on in every way! Brackett's story and Altman's movie desecrate both the character of Chandler's Philip Marlowe and the novel's plot that should outrage anyone devoted to Raymond Chandler's work and character intent. Of the movie's ending, she said: "The original ending, the one in the novel, was pretty inconclusive and didn't please any of us; so we thought we'd go for broke and see what happened." For the record, Chandler's ending is conclusive and he knew what he was doing with character, plot and ending. Brackett and Altman didn't, so read the book instead.

Movie Review: Brilliant, but not for the Chandler purists! (See the 1-star reviews for much teeth-gnashing from the anti-Altman camp)
Summary: 5 Stars

The truth is that Raymond Chandler purists who have a rigid view of his work are never going to like this brilliant little film. One has to be able to understand the artistic merit inherent in variation, parody, and reimagining. The fact that several reviewers gave this film ONE star out of five tells me one of these things are true: 1. These folks have an axe to grind and they let that get in the way of seeing this film for what it is, or 2. They sincerely have no taste. Or very, very limited taste. Oh, a third alternative just occurred to me: 3. Hollywood has ruined these people's brains, such that they can no longer appreciate a wider spectrum of pace in a film; everything needs to happen in a rapid-fire, linear fashion replete with gunfire and explosions every few minutes or they get bored because they are accustomed to having filmmakers cater to their short attention span and high tolerance for violence.

Sorry, soul cats. Try again. Or, rather, don't post vindictive and shallow reviews. Your reviews reveal more about you than they do about the movies you write about. Don't you realize this?

Movie Review: A poor translation of an interesting book
Summary: 1 Stars

There's no doubt that Raymond Chandler is a wonderful writer. But this film version of The Long Goodbye does not do the book any justice. It throws out the 1930's historical context and sets the book in the 1960's. This does not work. Elliot Gould is totally miscast as Philip Marlowe, Chandler's famous private eye. Gould lacks the toughness and wit of Chandler's Marlowe as well as the mannerisms and philosophy. Not surprising, The Long Goodbye is a complete flop. Don't waste your time and money on this film even if you love Chandler, Marlowe and film noir. Thomas Lee.

Movie Review: not bad, not bad at all, its worth watching,
Summary: 4 Stars

HELLO, THIS IS QUIET A GOOD MOVIE FROM 1973, ITS WORTH WATCHING, REMEMBER ALL THE GREAT , GREAT MOVIES, WERE MADE IN THE 1970, TIES THANKS AGAIN TAKE CARE.

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Summary of Long Goodbye [VHS]

Raymond Chandler's cynically idealistic hero, Philip Marlowe, has been played by everyone from Humphrey Bogart to James Garner--but no one gives him the kind of weirdly affect-less spin that Elliott Gould does in this terrific Robert Altman reimagining of Chandler's penultimate novel. Altman recasts Marlowe as an early '70s L.A. habitu?, who gets involved in a couple of cases at once. The most interesting involves a suicidal writer (Sterling Hayden in a larger-than-life performance) whom Marlowe is supposed to keep away from malevolent New-Ageish guru Henry Gibson. A variety of wonderfully odd characters pop up, played by everyone from model Nina Van Pallandt to director Mark Rydell to ex-baseballer Jim Bouton. And yes, that is Arnold Schwarzenegger (in only his second movie) popping up as (what else?) a muscleman. Listen for the title song: It shows up in the strangest places. --Marshall Fine

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Long Goodbye [VHS]

Long Goodbye [VHS]by Robert Altman

Product details

VHS Movie Reviews of Long Goodbye [VHS]

Movie Review: Very disappointingSummary: 1 Stars

Movie Review: Leigh Brackett Blew ItSummary: 1 Stars

Movie Review: Brilliant, but not for the Chandler purists! (See the 1-star reviews for much teeth-gnashing from the anti-Altman camp)Summary: 5 Stars

Movie Review: A poor translation of an interesting bookSummary: 1 Stars

Movie Review: not bad, not bad at all, its worth watching,Summary: 4 Stars