POODLE SPRINGS

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(EN CASTELLANO DEBAJO)

TO PEANUT CASES OF "FILM NOIR"


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle_Springs_(film)

Above you will see the link of “POODLE SPRINGS”, a movie based on the last and unfinished novel by Raymond Chandler -creator of private eye Philip Marlowe-. This novel was completed by Robert B. Parker, an author I quite enjoyed & to whom we owed him private eye Spenser –a kind of a "clone" of Marlowe, but funnier, without the sad and bitter touch of the latter-. This film was directed by Bob Rafelson –of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” fame-, a director sort of specialized in "film noir", produced by Sydney Pollack –a famous director of such big budgeted movies as  “Out of Africa”- and the script was by a certain Tom Stoppard, an English playwright who has also written film scripts. All in all, it was a very well looked after production that did not have the expected success. The script was based in the novel "completed" by Parker. I remember the novel did not have much logic but, then, Marlowe's novels, as a rule, they never did. I liked those novels because of their dialogues, descriptions (or rather their "atmosphere") and their sense of humour.

Well, this movie, in my opinion, is an undiscovered gem and for those of us with a certain age, a catalogue on getting old. Marlowe is already a detective past his prime -somebody getting old, let's put it clearly-, whose golden times in the forties and the fifties are over as the action in the movie takes place at the early sixties of the past century (Watch out! there is a priceless scene where it appears an "ad" of a Bond film that shows times have definitely changed as the heroes of movie audiences are no longer private eyes but secret agents...). Besides, our Marlowe here is married though most of the time he does not seem to understand what this implies... And, to top it all, he is reluctant about giving up his profession -that is, getting into other people's business- because this is the only thing he can do and that gives some sense to his life.  

James Caan is superb as Marlowe. He is the third one. First there was Bogart in “The Big Sleep” -“El Sueño Eterno”- (1946), who gave a performance that had a legion of imitators. The second one was Robert Mitchum in “Farewell my lovely” –“Adios muñeca” (1976). Both Bogart and Mitchum played Marlowe in his time, that is, in the forties of the past century –while Caan, instead, as we had mentioned, plays Marlowe in the early sixties, that is, already past his time. In the case of Mitchum, it was interesting because he played in a movie portraying the forties in 1976 but, as he himself had  lived through the forties, he knew the time he was portraying in the movie. That, of course, gave his Marlowe quite an unique perspective and irony. I particularly would have loved that Mitchum had played again and again this character  -no matter the plots of the original novels were quite unintelligible- because it was a delight to see him acting  in "Farewell my lovely" -“Adios muñeca”-. Nevertheless, Mitchum retook the character of Marlowe in a contemporary adaptation  of  "The Big Sleep" -“El Sueño Eterno”- in 1978. This new version was set up in the English countryside and it tried to be a "literal adaptation" of the book  –despite the fact that the novel didn't make much sense-. Needless to say, the result was quite demented. 

Regarding Caan, his is a Marlowe in his maturity. Following an actual trend, it wouldn't have bothered me if  they had made a TV series out of this movie as a detective past his time…  

Besides the  films mentioned above, Marlowe's character has had a lot of "failures" in movie adaptations. Usually they failed  because either they were contemporary adaptations  -the action was "transplanted" to the sixties or seventies, that is, to the times where they were filmed-, with the result that the plots lost credibility ("plausibility" we would say nowadays) because the action took place in a different time from that of the novels, or they had the wrong guy as Marlowe.  

 Both “The Big Sleep” -“El Sueño Eterno”- (1946) and  “Farewell my lovely” –“Adios muñeca” (1976) had impossible plots. At the end you would find out who the murderer was but you wouldn't understand all what had happened. Those were films whose strong points lie in the dialogues and their atmosphere. Instead, in the case of “Poodle Springs” –and in contrast to the novel-, the plot is well explained and,at the same time, it gives you an interesting portrait of the relationships between power and corruption in that time.

Of course, such a "deep" movie could not be understood by American audiences and, therefore, "Poodle Springs" went rather unnoticed.  


(EN CASTELLANO)

PARA CHALADOS DEL CINE NEGRO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle_Springs_(film)

Adjunto arriba el link en cuestión. “POODLE SPRINGS” está basada en la última novela inacabada de Raymond Chandler -el creador del detective Philip Marlowe-. Dicha novela fue completada por Robert B. Parker, un autor que me gusta bastante y que creó el detective Spenser –un clon de Marlowe, pero más divertido, sin el punto tristón y un tanto amargado de Marlowe-. La película está dirigida por Bob Rafelson –el de “El Cartero llama dos veces”-, un director especializado mas o menos en cine negro, producida por Sydney Pollack –un afamado director de superproducciones como “Memorias de África”, y con guión de un tal Tom Stoppard, un dramaturgo inglés que también ha escrito guiones. Se trataba, pues, de una producción muy cuidada, que no tuvo el éxito esperado. El guión se basa en la novela “completada” por Parker. Recuerdo que la novela no tenía mucha lógica pero las de Marlowe nunca la tenían; me gustaban por sus diálogos, descripciones (o más bien “atmósfera” de novela negra) y su  sentido del humor.  

Bueno la peli para mí es una joya descubrir y, para los que tenemos cierta edad, un catálogo de cómo envejecer.  Marlowe es un detective ya mayor –viejo, digámoslo claro-, al que ya le ha pasado su época dorada de los 40 y 50, pues la acción transcurre al principio de la década de los sesenta del siglo pasado  (¡Atención! Hay una escena impagable donde aparece un anuncio de una peli Bond: los tiempos han cambiado y los héroes del público ya no son los detectives privados sino los agentes secretos…); además se ha casado aunque la mayor parte del tiempo no parece entender lo que esto significa y,  por último, se resiste a abandonar su profesión -meterse donde no le llaman- porque es lo único que sabe hacer y le da cuerda.

James Caan lo borda como Marlowe: es el tercero. El primero fue Bogart en “The Big Sleep” -“El Sueño Eterno”- (1946), en una interpretación que dio lugar a un sinfín de imitadores; el segundo, Robert Mitchum en “Farewell my lovely” –“Adiós muñeca” (1976). Ambos interpretaban a Marlowe en su época, en los años cuarenta del siglo pasado –a diferencia de Caan, que como lo hemos dicho, lo interpreta en los años sesenta, es decir, pasado su época-. En el caso de Mitchum, era  interesante porque interpretaba en 1976 una peli de los cuarenta pero tenía la ventaja que él había vivido la década de los cuarenta. Por lo que conocía la época que interpretaba. Lo que  le daba a su Marlowe una perspectiva e ironía única. A mí  me hubiera encantado que Mitchum hubiera repetido el personaje -aunque las tramas de las novelas no se entendieran- porque era una gozada verlo actuar en “Adiós muñeca”. Sin embargo, Mitchum retomó el personaje de Marlowe en una adaptación contemporánea del “Sueño Eterno” en 1978,  ambientada en la campiña inglesa que pretendía ser una adaptación literal del libro –cuando la novela no se entiende mucho- y el resultado  fue demencial.

En cuanto a Caan, el suyo es el Marlowe de la madurez. Siguiendo una manía actual, no me hubiera disgustado que le hubieran hecho una serie televisiva como detective al que ya le ha pasado su época…  

Además de los citados, el personaje de Marlowe ha tenido numerosas adaptaciones cinematográficas fallidas porque o bien eran adaptaciones contemporáneas –la acción se trasladaba a los  años sesenta o los setenta en que se rodaron- con lo que las tramas perdían credibilidad ("plausibilidad", diríamos ahora) porque la acción se situaba fuera de la época de las novelas) o los intérpretes no eran adecuados.   

Tanto “The Big Sleep” -“El Sueño Eterno”- (1946) como “Farewell my lovely” –“Adiós muñeca” (1976) tenían tramas imposibles; al final descubrías el asesino pero  no acababas de entender lo qué había pasado: son películas cuyo mérito radica  en los diálogos y en la ambientación. Por contra, en “Poodle Springs” –y a diferencia de la novela-, la trama está muy bien explicada y no deja de ser una interesante radiografía de las relaciones de poder y corrupción de su época. 

Naturalmente, una peli tan profunda no pudo ser entendida  por el público americano por lo que  “Poodle Springs” pasó con más pena que gloria. 



 
En La Guàrdia Lada, a 21 de Noviembre de 2017.



    

 

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