Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Long Goodbye Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 19, 2021

Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental feature on the disc include archival programs with Elliot Gould, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, writer and filmmaker David Thompson, writer Tom Williams, and crime writer, critic and editor Maxim Jakubowski; documentary film; vintage promotional materials; exclusive new audio commentary by critic Tim Lucas; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Lonely private eye Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould, The Devil and Max Devlin, Ocean's Eleven) agrees to drive his wealthy friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) to the Mexican border. A few hours after he drops him off, he is picked up by a couple of obnoxious cops who want to know where Terry is because his wife, Sylvia, has been murdered. When Marlowe refuses to cooperate, they put him in jail.

Three days later, Marlowe is released. He is told by the cops that Terry has committed suicide in Mexico after signing a note in which he confessed to his wife’s murder. But Marlowe does not buy their story because he is convinced that his friend wasn’t at the end of his rope.

Soon after, Marlowe is hired by elegant blonde Eileen Wade (Nina Van Pallandt, American Gigolo) to find her missing husband, Roger Wade (Sterling Hayden, The Killing), who has gone missing. Marlowe begins asking questions and quickly discovers that Roger, a rather extravagant novelists with a serious drinking problem, has been hiding and detoxing at Dr. Verringer’s (Henry Gibson, Nashville) private clinic. Around the same time, Marlowe also receives a $5,000 bill with a 'thank you' note from his dead friend.

Meanwhile, a sadistic gangster named Marty Augustine (Mark Rydell, Havana) and his goons threaten to seriously hurt Marlowe if he doesn’t help them find a large bag with $350,000 last seen with his dead friend. Initially Marlowe assumes that they are bluffing, but when Marty breaks the nose of his beautiful mistress to demonstrate what can happen to someone he loves and let Marlowe think what could happen to someone he does not like, the private eye changes his mind. But before things can get out of hand the bag reappears. Unsure what to make of his recent experiences, Marlowe decides to travel to Mexico to find out what really happened to his dead friend.

Director Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye is more of a loaded with satire tribute to Raymond Chandler’s classic novel than a faithful adaptation. The film uses as a foundation a lot of the key elements that make the novel special, but ultimately tells a very different story.

A good question to ask, however, is whether there can be a faithful film adaptation of Chandler’s novel. After all, an integral part of its story is the manner in which it is actually told -- mixing hard-boiled dialog with edgy sophistication -- which defines its characters and then validates their triumphs and failures. More importantly, Chandler’s very unique style also creates and sustains a sense of intimacy between the reader and the private eye which could be awfully difficult to recreate with images, perhaps even impossible.

Gould does his best to transfer the essence of the colorful monologues from the novel to the film, but his body language quickly convinces that he isn’t the iconic private eye. In this film Marlowe is a laid-back, soft, frequently confused and out of sync with reality man who somehow always gets it right -- either because he is lucky or because he has killer instincts.

But does it matter?

It does, because depending on whether one accepts or rejects Gould’s portrayal of the private eye The Long Goodbye could be either a fabulous neo-noir film or a disappointing attempt at updating a classic story with a hugely influential character. Everything else -- the moody atmosphere, the unique cinematography, and even the minor changes in the plot -- becomes secondary.

Acclaimed cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (Heaven's Gate) 'flashed' the reels to enhance the film’s neo-noir atmosphere. ('Flashing' is the practice of overexposing the negative to an additional amount of controlled light). As a result, virtually the entire film has a very unique smoky look.

The stylish soundtrack was created by Oscar-winning composer John Williams (Jaws, Star Wars). The main theme appears in a number of different variations. Arguably the best one is performed by the legendary Dave Grusin Trio.

*David Carradine and a very young Arnold Schwarzenegger have small cameos in the film.

The Long Goodbye Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Long Goodbye arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master that was prepared exclusively for this release of the The Long Goodbye. I wanted to enthusiastically endorse it because it gives the film a fresh new appearance that is clearly a lot more attractive than the one from the previous master MGM supplied for this release, but I have to admit that I found it quite frustrating. It is because this master is graded in a very particular way that produces a lot of black crush that eliminates existing detail. In some areas -- most of which are from indoor and nighttime footage, but some are present in daylight footage as well -- the crushing is so prominent that there are essentially large chunks of black on the screen. I do not know what the origin of the problem is, and I do not wish to speculate, but I am beginning to wonder if someone is grading on a 10-bit monitor and seeing a different color gamut and then somewhere down the line a conversion to 8-bit for Blu-ray collapses the existing ranges of primaries and nuances. It could be something entirely different as well, but I am sensing that there is some sort of a conversion problem because I don't believe that the party grading these new masters the folks at Kino Lorber have been investing in is seeing all of the actual crushing before it gets transferred to Blu-ray. You can see examples of the crushing in screencaptures #4, 15 and 29. You can see exactly how much of existing detail is lost if you compare screencapture #30 with the corresponding screencapture from our review of this Region-B release. Everything else is excellent. Grain is very healthy and exposure is wonderful. The 'flashing' effects look healthier and more attractive as well. Fluidity is really, really good, so on a larger screen the viewing experience is quite different. Image stability is outstanding, too. So, if this one minor adjustment is made so that darker content retains native detail and looks right, these new 2K and 4K masters that the folks at Kino Lorber are preparing for various important older films will be producing definitive releases. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Long Goodbye Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The overall quality of the audio is very good. You should keep in mind that the original soundtrack incorporates plenty of organic sounds and noises, so some unevenness exists. I tested the bar sequence where in the past I had noticed some very light hiss. I don't think it is easily detectable this time around. On the other hand, I still notice some extremely light buzz when the guitar theme appears. (The sequence where Philip Marlowe gets the $5,000 bill is a good example).

The Long Goodbye Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Rip Van Marlowe - this documentary about The Long Goodbye was originally made in 2002 for MGM's R1 DVD release of the film. Director Robert Altman recalls how The Long Goodbye came to exist. Elliot Gould also explains how he was approached to play Philip Marlowe. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Vilmos Zsigmond Flashes The Long Goodbye - in this archival program, acclaimed cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond discusses his professional relationship with director Robert Altman, who helped him start his career in Hollywood after he escaped from Hungary in 1956. Mr. Zsigmond also discusses the 'flashing' technique which gave The Long Goodbye its unique look. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• David Thompson on Robert Altman - in this archival program, writer and filmmaker David Thompson, who edited Altman on Altman and produced Robert Altman in England for the BBC, discusses the life and legacy of the famous American director. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Tom Williams on Raymond Chandler - in this archival program, Tom Williams, author of A Mysterious Something in the Light: Raymond Chandler: A Life, discusses the life and work of Philip Marlowe's creator. Mr. Williams also discusses the unique qualities of Robert Altman's adaptation of The Long Goodbye. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Maxim Jakubowski on Hard-Boiled Fiction - in this archival program, crime writer, critic and editor Maxim Jakubowski discusses the characteristics of the hard-boiled detective genre in literature and cinema. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• American Cinematographer Article - presented here is an archival article from American Cinematographer discussing Vilmos Zsigmond's 'flashing' technique and its effects on the visual appearance of The Long Goodbye. The article was published in 1973. In text-format.

• Trailers From Hell - presented here is an archival episode of Trailers From Hell with screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence). In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic Tim Lucas.

• Promotional Materials -
  
  1. Trailer One
  2. Trailer Two
  3. TV Spot
  4. Radio Spots

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The Long Goodbye Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Should you upgrade if you already have in your collection Kino Lorber's original release of The Long Goodbye? Yes, the new 4K master that was prepared for this release is more attractive, plus there are additional bonus features on it. However, I personally found the technical presentation a bit frustrating. I think that some adjustments need to be made so that the black crush that keeps appearing on Kino Lorber's exclusive new 2K and 4K masters is avoided. If it is, these masters will be producing definitive releases for all kinds of important and cult older films. RECOMMENDED.