"He moved another card and flexed his fingers lightly. His nails were bright but short. You could see he was a man who loved to move his hands, to make little neat inconspicuous motions with them, motions without any special meaning, but smooth and flowing and light as swansdown. They gave him a feel of delicate things delicately done, but not weak."

from Raymond Chandler's novel "The Little Sister" (1949)

There are a number of ways I could have approached "Marlowe", the 1969 film adaptation of "The Little Sister". I considered writing about the vivid visual pictures Chandler creates with his economical prose, as illustrated above, and how they are superior to what is presented in the screen version. Instead, I highlighted the differences between the way female characters function in the novel and Stirling Silliphant's screenplay. I rarely publish negative reviews; life is too short to endure bad movies. I am, however, a Chandler aficionado so I felt the need to correct the perception of the novel "Marlowe" creates.

Some of the issues I discuss in my review are covered in Naomi McDougall Jones's new book "The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution to Dismantle the Gods of Hollywood". Jones began her career as an actress but was disillusioned by her experiences. She eventually moved behind the camera to direct herself in two indie features. One of the secrets she reveals is the amount of "beauty work" that takes place in Hollywood films. The phrase refers to digital alterations made to a performer in every frame of the film. The process makes it possible to transfer an actresses' face to a younger, more muscular body for the entire film. It is not cheap but it is pervasive. Jones argues that such images shape our culture in unreasonable and unhealthy ways. She does, however, offer an action plan for creating films that present women's stories from a female perspective - without the unattainable, unrealistic representations of women's bodies.

Finally, film production around the world is halting temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cinemas are shuttered, as well. The film industry will rebound, however, and the most important issue is for everyone to stay safe and well. My best wishes and let me know what you are watching to stay sane in these uncertain times.

Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Marlowe Film Review
James Garner stars as private detective Philip Marlowe. Do the female characters fare better in Raymond Chandler's 1949 novel "The Little Sister" or this film adaptation produced in 1969?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art306915.asp


To participate in free online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Drama Movies located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=153

Angela K. Peterson, Drama Movies Editor
http://dramamovies.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com