MovieChat Forums > The Long Goodbye (1973) Discussion > This is one of my favorites

This is one of my favorites

posted 17 years ago by marshall-mhughes11
7 replies | jump to latest

I am really not a noir fan nor am I a huge Altman or Gould fan. I rented this one once about 3 years ago from Netflix and put it in one Sat night. I was blown away.
I think it may be a combination of the great story, the fact that I really have not seen many like it from the 70s (was this a rare type 70s movie?) and I really thought the plot was great as well. Nothing too complicated just a well written case of a guy giving an old friend a ride....
I always recommend this to people that I know like to sit down and watch movies. You know the kind that pay attention to what is going on throughout not just have the movie on in the background.
Great flick!
I try and re-watch this one about every couple of years. Are there any other great Elliot Gould pics besides Mash, Capricorn One and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice?

[–] spikelinkwespta-1 16 years ago

I would try "California Split." It came out a year after "The Long Goodbye" and it also (co)stars Gould and is directed by Altman and I think it measures up with "The Long Goodbye" in being another Altman masterpiece from the 70s. Also, you might appreciate Noah Baumbach's "Kicking and Screaming" from 1995 (not the Will Ferrell kids soccer flick!). Gould plays a father of a recent college graduate. Inciteful and very funny. The best film Gould was ever in, but not with a large part, would be Altman's "Nashville" (1975). This is one of the greatest in film history, and Gould plays himself in a cameo.

[–] CarlSolomon 16 years ago

If you like Gould then I'd concur with California Split. Other Chandler adaptations include The Big Sleep and the loosely derived Big Lebowski.

The Soapbox: "This place is just as stupid as ever. Damn, I've missed it."-Embertstorm

[–] teejay6682 16 years ago

i agree that this is one of my favorites. this is a tie between this film and "thieves like us" for my favorite altman film. i love the camera work and dark sense of humor about it. gould is a great malore in a way.

[–] Michael Fargo 16 years ago

Ditto. Altman makes this look effortless, and that isn't always true of his films. There are sequences here that I've never forgotten.

[–] zurichpoet 16 years ago

Nothing about LA measures up, you simply roll with it, from the hills to the shore. Altman nailed it, and the music really brings out the theme of story right on through: It is a town of goodbyes.
The place where Marlowe lived was up for sale earlier this year and I got to tour it. Cool pad. Still.

[–] Vans338 16 years ago

I'm with everyone here. I love the story. I love the acting. I love the cinematography. I love the music. I love the way the characters talk. I love the way Marlowe chain smokes. I love this movie.

And with a really top lawyer, I might sue for damages.- Bob

[–] willerror 16 years ago

The only thing that would compare is CALIFORNIA SPLIT, which I love only a bit less than LONG GOODBYE. Gould and Segal develop such an effortless and affectionate friendship in it. I wish Gould was in NASHVILLE more because his small cameo is quite funny. Check out THE SILENT PARTNER from '78 too.