Der Tod kennt keine Wiederkehr (1973)

Der Tod kennt keine Wiederkehr: Directed by Robert Altman. With Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell. Private investigator Philip Marlowe helps a friend out of a jam, but in doing so gets implicated in his wife’s murder.

“The first time I saw this movie was back in the seventies and this was the film that won me over to Robert Altmanu0026#39;s great works in the American cinema.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGranted, at the time of the movieu0026#39;s release Raymond Chandler purists naturally didnu0026#39;t appreciate the transformation his knight errant private eye underwent. But nowadays, the viewer must see the film for its great direction, terrific performances, Leigh Brackettu0026#39;s excellent screenplay and the fine cinematography. Not to mention simply the challenge of understanding a truly baffling plot. As in all of Altmanu0026#39;s works, this one is peppered with offbeat characters and subtle (and some not-so subtle) situations that positively take you by surprise. As a maverick figure in Hollywood, Altman made sure u0026quot;iconoclastu0026quot; was stamped all over this film, itu0026#39;s a true nose-thumbing at every institution that Hollywood reveres; idealistic movie heroes, neat happy-ever-after endings, big budget spectacles, dependable money-making conventions and all around ass-kissing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut the real treat here is, of course, Elliott Gould, and I donu0026#39;t believe that itu0026#39;s the best thing heu0026#39;s ever done on screen, as many think. Heu0026#39;s certainly turned out even better performances than this one throughout the past 3 decades. But yet, in The Long Goodbye, Gould is just so much fun to watch, especially when heu0026#39;s being interrogated by the police or just muttering lines like, u0026quot;Heu0026#39;s got a girl, I got a catu0026quot; or u0026quot;a melon conventionu0026quot; when he gives up trying to get his topless next-door neighborsu0026#39; attention.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enAn interesting thing to note at the end of the film – we see the back shot of Marlowe walking away and that to me, was the private eyeu0026#39;s closing shot, but then we have a front shot of Elliott Gould who begins playing his harmonica and then continues on up the road doing his little number, dancing a jig, etc. And to me that shows where Marlowe left off and where Gould takes over. So they werenu0026#39;t one and the same after all. Once again, a statement to those who would be too quick to take the Marlowe myth seriously.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Long Goodbye is vintage Altman, a masterwork to be savoured forever.”