The Big Sleep

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Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep

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The Big Sleep

film by Hawks [1946]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

The Big Sleep, American film noir, released in 1946, that was based on Raymond Chandler’s classic 1939 novel of the same name. It was directed by Howard Hawks, cowritten by author William Faulkner, and starred the popular team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Although its plot is often cited as one of the most baffling in film history, The Big Sleep was deemed culturally significant by the Library of Congress and was added to the National Film Registry in 1997. Philip Marlowe, the cynical private detective portrayed by Bogart, is hired by the wealthy General Sternwood (played by Charles ...(100 of 395 words)

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