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

eleased to the big screen by MGM with director / star Robert Montgomery as the serious
Philip Marlowe of the story. The plot unfolds from Montgomery’s point of view in an
attempt to replicate Chandler’s first-person narrative style (Montgomery performs his
entire role in voiceover). The lead character is only seen on-screen from a subjective
perspective, that is, through reflections in mirrors and windows, and as the narrator, he
speaks directly to the audience (fig. 5). This created a rarity in techniques of film
representation and it is still considered one of the most revolutionary styles of filmmaking
since the introduction of the talkies.
Figure 5. Lady in the Lake
One of the archetypical noir films is Edward Dmytryck’s Murder, My Sweet
(1944), the original release title of Chandler’s novel, Farewell, My Lovely. In fact, the film
opens with a masterly moment in film noir when over a disorienting shot of an obtrusive
ceiling light voices level accusations of murder at someone. Sitting with bandaged eyes,
we soon meet Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell), as the camera comes down to his face. A
policeman is by his side, next to a small table in an old room, where the questioning is
going on (see fig. 111 on p. 378). As spectators, we too feel unsettled by the first scenes,
thanks to the camera movements, showing different angles at the same time (from the
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