No. 69: The Long Goodbye
A freewheeling anthem to freedom
December 06, 2011
1973, dir. Robert Altman. By casting Elliott Gould’s curls and clumpy features as Marlowe, Robert Altman liberally transmigrated Raymond Chandler into Seventies-land, where Arnold Schwarzenegger played minor thugs. Gould’s Marlowe is a cynical, give-a-shit, wise-ass—and he gets the girl (Nina Van Pallandt): a tough with no tribal ties, free in free California. Also, true story, Gould once changed a light bulb over Groucho Marx’s bed. How cool is that?
Matthew Fishbane is Creative Director at Tablet magazine.