Rating: 
Summary: Sharp, witty, electrifying
Review: This movie contains 3 of the most sexual female portrayals I've seen on film, even though all three women are fully clothed, and one of them even wears bookish eyeglasses. Through superb acting and dialogs, electrifying moments of sexuality are produced, demontrating to modern viewers that in the world of film there is more to sex than just dropping the drawers and bearing the chests.Typical of film noirs in the 40s, this film combines cynical characters, razor-sharp dialogs, and scenes that take place mostly at night to help create feelings of apprehension and uncertainty. Forget the plot (since you won't be able to remember all of the complicated twists and turns anyway), watch this film for the great acting, dialogs, and atmosphere. This excellent DVD includes 2 versions of the film (one with more scenes of Bacall than the other), and a 15-minute documentary explaining the differences of the 2 versions.
Rating:
Summary: Now, it makes sense!
Review: I've always liked this film (what Bogart fan wouldn't?), but found it confusing. Who does what to who? Now, with the restored footage, it makes much more sense. Another great restoration by Robert Gitt, who also worked on the latest restoration of the 1937 "Lost Horizon." Don't miss it, especially for the "racehorse" scene between Bogart and Bacall--a classic scene that snuck by the censors of the time, and is still great today for its innuendos.
Rating:
Summary: Plot so thick, you can cut it with an ax!
Review: Now, by the time you've read all the reviews and got to this one, you're either a big fan and want to read what other fans think, or you're still hard pressed. ... All of you who haven't made up your mind, do yourself and the world a favor; stop being a cheap slob and buy this film already. Don a fedora, shake up a few martinis and grab the dame that you love. This movie has everything besides exploding cars and foul language. Sure it's got men getting shot up, but they have it coming... you see! And sure, there are more then a few people telling some really huge whoppers to get the ones they love out of hot water, but who hasn't? And Bogart's got some real slap, not unlike the back of my hand! This brings back the days when movies had plot, for you folks out there who aren't in the know... a plot is storytelling besides something that happens that leads up to a couple explosions at the end. This is the kind of movie where men are men, women are women, the crooks are scared, and the only thing thicker then the cigarette smoke is the tension and chemistry between Bogart and Bacall. Stop wasting time: order this movie... Now!
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Film Noir
Review: This is one of the great film noirs, obviously, and also one of the best film adaptations from a novel. William Faulkner helped write the screenplay, as is mentioned in the officialish review above; having read the novel I can say he truly did an amazingly good job, making thoughtful choices to maintain the tone despite needing to slightly rephrase a number of the novel's seedier sides. It's wonderful how the Marlowe character comes through flawlessly from the novel without sacrificing any plotline or action to speak of. Partly that's the good writing, and partly of course it's Bogie in one of his best turns. He and Bacall were just starting out when this got made, and in a couple of scenes the chemistry is delicious to watch. Everything about this one is superb, though. If you want to see a film noir, this is a great place to start. The DVD is, as is mentioned elsewhere, a great example of how the format can sometimes get past "We included the original trailer" and "We sat around talking about how we did those special effects." The comparison between the released version and the "prerelease" one a year earlier is unusually good fodder for conversation among film buffs, and adds to the experience. There aren't a ton of extras, but the few here are fun. My only quibble would be with the image quality. There are some really superb restorations of a few other black and white classics in this genre -- The Third Man comes to mind -- and at times watching this I wince at the haziness of the images. You won't be too bothered by it, it's not like a bad VHS tape, but it just doesn't have the crispness you think of in a superb DVD.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest incomprehensible movie ever made
Review: There are any number of films with hard-to-follow plots; there are only a handful worth watching once; there is only this one worth watching dozens of times. As has already been pointed out, nobody can follow the plot. But who cares? The on-screen chemistry between Bogart and Bacall smolders with an intensity that has to be seen to be believed; in these days of show-all films, nothing has yet to equal the sexuality of the playful innuendo between Bogie and Bacall. The opening scenes between Philip Marlowe and the Colonel are rumored to have been written by William Faulkner, who is credited with the screenplay; although much of it is in the original novel, one can feel the reeking decadence of Faulkner's South filtering through the scene. Full of quirky characters and unforgettable lines, "The Big Sleep" is one of the best movies of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Big Sleep Has Video Problems
Review: It was great to have WHV release BOTH versions of this superior film. However: Imagine to my dismay the somewhat inferior transfer. Throughout both versions the right side of the image loses contrast and appears to have flickering whiteish flashes. Was this a problem with the transfer process? The VHS version does not appear to suffer from this. Perhaps WHV will correct the problem and replace the defective copies. Probably too much to hope for. (Note: this problem was included in Sound and Vision's review of this DVD). Great film (both versions);so-so transfer.
Rating:
Summary: one of the great film noirs
Review: This has from time to time been my favorite movie. I am astonished that anyone would give it anything other than 5 stars. Any film where an exchange between two characters starts with, "If I seem somewhat sinister as a parent,..." has to get the highest rating. The plot is delightfully incomprehensible, and nobody is cooler than Bogart.
Rating:
Summary: top shelf
Review: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall at it again in a pretty confusing plot. Hard to follow at times but Bogart's delivers great lines as quick as ever. And Bacall - well, she is hot as always. Pretty good DVD transfer for an old flick.
Rating:
Summary: Not To Be Missed!
Review: If you haven't already seen THE BIG SLEEP, buy this DVD now! If you have, but don't own this DVD release, buy it now! Why? Both the 1946 classic and the pre-release 1945 edit are on this disc. The differences are quite interesting. The 1946 version shows Bogart (as Philip Marlowe) as the epitome of "Cool" in every situation, even when he has a gun pulled on him or is getting beaten up. Lauren Bacall comes off much better in the 1946 version as well, as she shows the spark that was seen in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. The 1945 version has a few scenes cut from the 1946 version which are quite good, and is actually a little easier to follow. Whichever version you watch, THE BIG SLEEP is one of the greatest movies ever in the "Film Noir" or detective "Murder Mystery" genres. The disc also includes a documentary on the making of the film, and the differences between the two versions, which is very interesting. The picture and sound quality are actually quite good, as any flaws in the picture are so minor that they would not be noticed unless you're watching for them, and not watching the movie itself. As stated before, if you don't already own this DVD, BUY IT NOW! It's a classic movie and an outstanding package!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Understand . . .
Review: the negative comments of the transfer. My copy looks terrific! Also don't understand why the technical information lists the sound as 2.0 surround. This is an older movie, done in mono, as far as I am aware, and unless I am doing somthing wrong, that is the how my copy sounds. Any negative comments on this film should be ignored. It is up-to-date in the sense that is as sexy as you can get without having the need to take a bath!
| 
