Joaquim da Silva Fontes, Significação e Estabilidade do Género no ...

In this definition of the ideal detective, Chandler’s hero, as I have noted, is directed
by his own code, morally flexible but not corruptible, preserving his integrity while
resorting, if necessary, to violent behaviour and double-dealing. Marlowe may seem just a
fallen idealist, capable of being physically worn out or romantically duped, but he is
neither “mean”, “tarnished, nor afraid”. Chandler’s hero, whether he was called Dalmas,
Mallory, Carmady, or Marlowe, has much the same tough-guy posture as Hammett’s the
Continental Op and Sam Spade, and like Spade and the others, he too is sexually
ambiguous, in the sense that beautiful women come on to him and find him appealing, but
he remains sexually unapproachable. However, Marlowe is not a conventional “tough
guy”, but rather a multifaceted (and occasionally sentimental) figure who speaks Spanish.
He appears to understand something about classical music and, somewhat against the
norms of his profession, normally refuses money from clients if his ethical requirements
are not met.
All of Chandler’s novels have been adapted for film. The most notable one is his
seminal work of hard-boiled fiction, The Big Sleep (1946), directed by Howard Hawks,
starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Chandler discussed the plot with other
screenwriters, namely Leigh Brackett, William Faulkner and Jules Furthman, and even
wrote a new ending which was not used: “This one similarly had Marlowe and Carmen
[Carmen Sternwood, played by Martha Vickers] in Geiger’s house, with Marlowe, but not
Carmen, realizing that the first person to walk out the door would be gunned down.
Disliking the role of “playing God” with Carmen’s life, he decides to flip a coin to decide
if he should tell her. He does not, but is about to stop her when she pulls a gun, ready to
shoot him. As she opens the door, machine-gun fire tears her to pieces” (in McCarthy
2000:379).
Warner Bros. feared that the plot involving a pornography racket, the homosexual
relationship between Lundgren and Geiger, Carmen’s nymphomania, police corruption and
allusions to drug use, among others, would actually be turned down by the censors. The
plot indeed is very complex and not easy to follow at times (it is said that Chandler himself
would not know the answer to several situations or the causes behind certain events), with
many characters all double-crossing or betraying one another, so much so that even the
screenwriters were forced to consult Raymond Chandler for advice. The film evokes
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