RARA-AVIS: Re: A Whiff of Sulphur -- Eureka!

From: JIM DOHERTY ( jimdohertyjr@yahoo.com)
Date: 08 Dec 2007


Eric,

Re your question below:

"Given that Altman worked with many top screenwriters, does anyone know who actually wrote the script of 'The Long Goodbye' and if Altman deviated from it?"

Leigh Brackett, who was also one of the co-writers of the '46 THE BIG SLEEP, was credited with the script for THE LONG GOODBYE.

And, yes, Altman DID deviate from Ms. Brackett's script significantly. As Brackett orginally wrote him, Marlowe was much more tough and assertive. Altman rewrote him into the ineffectual nebbish Gould portrayed on-screen.

Despite this, Ms. Brackett did write an article endorsing the film and Altman's vision, presumably as part of the United Artists campaign tried to salvage some kind of box office after its terrible opening.

That article can be found in THE BIG BOOK OF NOIR.

JIM DOHERTY

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