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More than any other writer, Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) raised detective stories from the realm of pulp fiction to literature. Chandler's cynical private eye Philip Marlowe set the standard for rough, brooding heroes with strong moral conviction in a cruel, indifferent world. Gene Phillips explores the intersection of Chandler's fiction and film, from his novels and short stories to his Hollywood screenplays. Through interviews with Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, and Edward Dmytryk, Phillips probes Chandler's notoriously difficult personality and demonstrates the debt that both detective fiction and today's neo-noir films owe to Chandler's stark vision.
About the author
Gene D. Phillips is a professor of film history and modern literature at Loyola University. He is the author of numerous books, including Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir and Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola.
Summary
Gene Phillips explores Chandler's unpublished script for Lady in the Lake, examines the process of adaptation of the novel Strangers on a Train, discusses the merits of the unproduced screenplay for Playback, and compares Howard Hawks's director's cut of The Big Sleep with the version shown in theaters.
