Search - The Long Goodbye on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Profanity Movie Release: 1973 DVD Release: 09/17/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)

"It's OK with me...." Applying his deconstructive eye to the "film noir" tradition, Robert Altman updated Raymond Chandler in his 1973 version of Chandler's novel, The Long Goodbye. Smart-aleck, cat-loving private eye Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is certain that his friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) isn't a wife-killer, even after the cops throw Marlowe in jail for not cooperating with their investigation into Lennox's subsequent disappearance. Once he gets out of jail, Marlowe starts to conduct his own search when he discovers that mysterious blonde Eileen Wade (Nina Van Pallandt), who hired him to find her alcoholic novelist husband Roger (Sterling Hayden), lives on the same Malibu street as the absent Lennox and his deceased spouse. As numerous variations on the title song play in unexpected places, Marlowe encounters a shady doctor (Henry Gibson), a bottle-wielding gangster (director Mark Rydell), and a guard aping Barbara Stanwyck (among other stars), before heading to Mexico to stumble onto the truth once and for all. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Elliott Gould - Philip Marlowe
Nina Van Pallandt - Eileen Wade
Sterling Hayden - Roger Wade
Henry Gibson - Dr. Veeringer
Mark Rydell - Marty Augustine

Robert Altman directs Elliott Gould in The Long Goodbye. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and sports a solid amount of colors and black levels. While there are a few imperfections to be found on this transfer (including some grain and edge enhancement), overall this is a fine-looking image for a film spanning nearly 30 years of age. The sound mix is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono in both French and English. Fans won't be quite as thrilled with this sound mix as it displays a lack of fidelity and range. However, what the mix lacks in excitement, it makes up for in crystal-clear dialogue, effects, and music. Also included on this disc are English, French, and Spanish subtitles. MGM has included a few extra features on this disc, starting with two featurettes: "Rip Van Marlow" and "Vilmos Zigmond Flashes The Long Goodbye." The latter featurette delves into the film's photography and is more a technical discussion of the movie's production. "Rip Van Marlow," a newly produced retrospective, features still photos from deleted scenes as well as insightful interviews with both Altman and Gould discussing their work on the movie. Finally, there is a reprint of a magazine article about the film's technical aspects, a theatrical trailer that's in pretty poor shape, and five radio spots for the film. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide