Search - Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Collection on DVD

Get this and get it straight! Crime is a suckers road and th

Christopher Cline | Lakewood, Colorado | 11/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I LOVE this series! I accidentally clicked across an episode on PBS one night and was stunned by its accuracy and quality! I watched all the episodes PBS showed but when I went to find it on DVD I discovered that it had been discontinued by the distributor! I quickly ordered one I had found on Amazon.com and when it arrived I immediately put it into the player and started running through the episodes. Just like any other series some episodes are better than others, but there isn't a single episode I don't like.

I am utterly impressed by the production values of this series! Everything from the look and feel of the visuals to the sets and locations to the acting and actors to the music is true to the genre and period and to Raymond Chandler's books!

I started out as a fan of Chandler's books, as well as stories of others of the genre such as Sam Spade, Bulldog Drummond and Johnny Dollar. Then I began collecting hundreds of the late 1940's and 50's radio shows called "The Adventures of Philip Marlowe", which although are loose interpretations of Chandler's stories, I fell in love with never the less. Then I found this HBO T.V. series! I didn't think that anyone would ever be able to equal the acting of Gerald Mohr's portrayal of Philip Marlowe in the radio series, but actor Powers Boothe who portrays Marlowe in this DVD series changed my mind! He is perfect for the role! He brings all the swagger, toughness, sex appeal and period behaviorisms to the role in full measure. I haven't been impressed by much else that I have seen of Powers Boothe's work, but if this series is any indication he is a much better actor than I ever thought. Everything about this series takes you back to that time period and puts you right there along with Philip Marlowe. The stories are gripping and suspenseful. One of the nice things about Chandler's "Marlowe" is that he is a flawed, almost anti-hero. He loses many battles but usually wins the war and he isn't afraid to bend if not break the rules a little to get to the truth. He gets his mouth busted a lot but gives back just as good. Yeah, he always falls a bit for the girl, and there is ALWAYS a girl, but in the end, Marlowe is street and life wise enough to know when to send the girl packing. His girls are almost always damaged or slightly dangerous. He is a knight in tarnished armor who rarely ever comes out too far on top, especially when it comes to money. But he always wins the war of right and wrong and makes crime a harder business for the criminals.

This set has all 11 episodes made for the series. This series was made when HBO was still producing some great TV and made-for-cable movies! HBO had a lot of money at the time, and it shows. It was well spent on great sets, locations, costumes and cars and some great period acting, especially by it's star, Powers Boothe. The series has two different opening and closing credit sequences which basically cut the series in two, the first five episodes being created in 1983 and the last six in 1986. The first credits sequence was a bit more "in your face" with screeching horn music, gangster silhouettes firing Tommy Guns and very stylized images of Philip Marlowe loading and firing his revolver. The second credits sequence is much more subdued and fit's the genre better in my opinion. It has a simple shadowed background and much softer but sexier horn music. It makes one imagine Philip Marlowe sitting in a night club, sipping a scotch and smoking a cigarette while staring at a dame from across the room. What is in between the opening and closing credits is even better!

I am thrilled to have been able to get one of these sets before they are impossible to get! I suggest to anyone who is a fan of the 30's & 40's detective story genre, in particular of Philip Marlowe, that they get this set while they can too! It is an amazing series and at an incredibly reasonable price. Don't miss your chance to own this set! I hope the studio will re-release this series in the future but you never know for sure!"

Philip Marlowe Private Eye

Laura Thomson | Beverly, MA USA | 06/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I especially like this product because these are actual Raymond Chandler stories. I have read them once but I plan to read each one again and compare them with this production. I'm sure they will be close."