The mouth organ patient - a reminiscene???

Hi Altair,

I read in an old interview of Robert Altman's that the idea of the little harmonica originally came from Elliott Gould who after being reincarnated (like a cat with 9 lives!) in the hospital received the harmonica from his bandaged neighbor in order to play the 'music of life'.


And when Marlowe claims that he can't play it because he's got a tin ear, the man insists he take it and Marlowe assures him that he'll 'practice' is quite telling in that he really plays it at the end of the film, (the only tune in the film that isn't a variation of the title song.) just after killing Terry Lennox.

In love of R. Chandler,
T.R.

Coury Brand cat food?..... Yeah, ya got any?

Interesting parallel with Dark Passage. I sure hadn't considered that.

That's an interesting theory. Though I think the direct meaning probably signified the man in bandages was in pain ... the mothpiece to blow on was to signal this nurse.

Anyway, that's the conclusion I drew.

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I suspect the truth is less satisfying than post rationalisations by the audience, so here's mine. I see that little moment as a symbol of Marlowe's role, a mouth piece for invisible people (Terry Lennox) who are no longer able to play their own music. To Marlowe, Lennox is dead, which may be why he can play the mouth organ after killing him at the end. Also the exagerated bandages, and the joke Marlowe makes about that being him, point to some sort of symbolic connection between Marlowe and Lennox. He is taking on another man's role, and then killing him. Weird when you really think about it, but light and funny at the time.