Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Collection [VHS]
by Peter R. Hunt
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Billy Kearns, Frank Pellegrino, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Ken Pogue, Powers BootheDirector: Peter R. Hunt
Cinematographer: Frank Beascoechea
Cinematographer: Michael Reed
Editor: Bill Lenny
Producer: Chris Kenny
Producer: John Scarborough
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 60 minutes
Release Date: 2000-07-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Goldhill Home Media
Studio: Goldhill Home Media
VHS Movie Reviews of Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Collection [VHS]
Movie Review: Get this and get it straight! Crime is a suckers road and those who travel it wind up in the gutter, the prison or the grave!
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVE this series! I accidentally clicked across an episode on PBS one night and was stunned by its accuracy and quality! I watched all the episodes PBS showed but when I went to find it on DVD I discovered that it had been discontinued by the distributor! I quickly ordered one I had found on Amazon.com and when it arrived I immediately put it into the player and started running through the episodes. Just like any other series some episodes are better than others, but there isn't a single episode I don't like.
I am utterly impressed by the production values of this series! Everything from the look and feel of the visuals to the sets and locations to the acting and actors to the music is true to the genre and period and to Raymond Chandler's books!
I started out as a fan of Chandler's books, as well as stories of others of the genre such as Sam Spade, Bulldog Drummond and Johnny Dollar. Then I began collecting hundreds of the late 1940's and 50's radio shows called "The Adventures of Philip Marlowe", which although are loose interpretations of Chandler's stories, I fell in love with never the less. Then I found this HBO T.V. series! I didn't think that anyone would ever be able to equal the acting of Gerald Mohr's portrayal of Philip Marlowe in the radio series, but actor Powers Boothe who portrays Marlowe in this DVD series changed my mind! He is perfect for the role! He brings all the swagger, toughness, sex appeal and period behaviorisms to the role in full measure. I haven't been impressed by much else that I have seen of Powers Boothe's work, but if this series is any indication he is a much better actor than I ever thought. Everything about this series takes you back to that time period and puts you right there along with Philip Marlowe. The stories are gripping and suspenseful. One of the nice things about Chandler's "Marlowe" is that he is a flawed, almost anti-hero. He loses many battles but usually wins the war and he isn't afraid to bend if not break the rules a little to get to the truth. He gets his mouth busted a lot but gives back just as good. Yeah, he always falls a bit for the girl, and there is ALWAYS a girl, but in the end, Marlowe is street and life wise enough to know when to send the girl packing. His girls are almost always damaged or slightly dangerous. He is a knight in tarnished armor who rarely ever comes out too far on top, especially when it comes to money. But he always wins the war of right and wrong and makes crime a harder business for the criminals.
This set has all 11 episodes made for the series. This series was made when HBO was still producing some great TV and made-for-cable movies! HBO had a lot of money at the time, and it shows. It was well spent on great sets, locations, costumes and cars and some great period acting, especially by it's star, Powers Boothe. The series has two different opening and closing credit sequences which basically cut the series in two, the first five episodes being created in 1983 and the last six in 1986. The first credits sequence was a bit more "in your face" with screeching horn music, gangster silhouettes firing Tommy Guns and very stylized images of Philip Marlowe loading and firing his revolver. The second credits sequence is much more subdued and fit's the genre better in my opinion. It has a simple shadowed background and much softer but sexier horn music. It makes one imagine Philip Marlowe sitting in a night club, sipping a scotch and smoking a cigarette while staring at a dame from across the room. What is in between the opening and closing credits is even better!
I am thrilled to have been able to get one of these sets before they are impossible to get! I suggest to anyone who is a fan of the 30's & 40's detective story genre, in particular of Philip Marlowe, that they get this set while they can too! It is an amazing series and at an incredibly reasonable price. Don't miss your chance to own this set! I hope the studio will re-release this series in the future but you never know for sure!
Summary of Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Collection [VHS]
For this set, you'd better peel off your trench coat, pour yourself a stiff drink, and get ready for a slick look at the dirty secrets of Deco Era Hollywood with the private dick who knows them all. HBO's Philip Marlowe, Private Eye takes Raymond Chandler's grittiest short stories and transforms them into stylish, atmospheric production pieces. In these six hour-long tales, you're taken on a tough tour through the decaying glamour of Los Angeles, from the mansions and movie studios to the jazz joints and one-night cheap hotels. Every character has a story to tell, and every one of them has a secret to keep. Powers Boothe does a wonderful job bringing the hardest of hard-boiled detectives to life in these colorful cases of corruption and revenge. In early episodes, the supporting players are occasionally overwhelmed by Boothe's talent, but overall, the acting is tight--and Chandler's dialogue is still razor sharp decades after it was written. The stories will keep you guessing until the end...which is exactly what you'd expect from a master of mystery. But the real triumph of the series is in bringing the grim noir morality tales to life, painstakingly re-creating the sweaty streets and penthouse suites of a great city gone to seed. When all the elements come together, you can almost taste the cigarettes, feel the sweat, and smell the aroma of cordite and dime-store perfume. --Grant BalfourMystery & Suspense VHS Video
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