Clive Owen is Philip Marlowe
Filed under: Drama, Casting, Noir
He may be prettier than Humphrey Bogart, but Clive Owen sometimes reminds me of the Casablanca star. I guess I just see a lot of Owen's characters as being the kind who would say that they stick their neck out for nobody. And then there's Owen's voice, which has been heard in voice-overs before and which would work perfectly in a film noir. Of course, Owen isn't distinguished enough to be cemented into the consciousness of cinema in the same way that Bogie has been. In one hundred years, Humphrey Bogart will still be the better remembered actor. For the time being, though, Owen is probably the best person to take on the part of Philip Marlowe (maybe Billy Bob Thornton would be good, too), a character that most of us associate with Bogart, despite the fact that so many others have played the role, some more than once. Producer Marc Abraham told Louisville, Kentucky's Courier-Journal that he will be following up Children of Men with another collaboration with Owen that will be based on one of Raymond Chandler's detective stories. He didn't specify which story would be adapted, but he did say that Owen would be playing Marlowe.
As perfect as this casting is, it isn't completely easy for me to imagine what it will be like. Will it be neo-noir, or will it simply interpret the story as a separate kind of crime thriller? And if it does attempt the noir genre elements, will it feature voice-over? Although Owen's voice is perfect for narration, the noir-style voice-over may not work as well today. As we saw with the original cut of Blade Runner, noirration (yes, I'm making up the word) can sometimes sound a bit silly. It isn't necessary, of course. Bogie's Marlowe in The Big Sleep had no voice-over.
Anyway, who is the best person to direct a Chandler story these days?
[via ComingSoon.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-23-2007 @ 5:41AM
chuck said...
Robert Rodriguez. too bad he flipped the bird at the directors' guild.
Reply
1-23-2007 @ 8:24AM
Nick James said...
Brett Ratner.
Reply
1-23-2007 @ 8:50AM
Paddy C said...
Either the Coen bros, or possibly Curtis Hanson.
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1-23-2007 @ 9:23AM
pat miller said...
Clint Eastwood
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1-23-2007 @ 10:26AM
Keith Cash said...
Maybe the same guy who did the latest Bond movie.
Reply
1-23-2007 @ 1:27PM
Cath said...
Owen is so-so as an actor but he's not alone in being wrong for Philip Marlowe. Contrary to the image Bogie made onscreen, the Philip Marlowe of the novels is a chess player, philosopher and cynic. Owen could play the cynicism but he's just not smart enough for the other two. We need someone a whole hell of a lot smarter with less emphasis on the looks. If you really wanted a British actor, Rufus Sewell is a far, far better choice but I'd prefer to stick to an American, more like David Strathairn.
And most of the directors suggested above lack the necessary introspection and quiet to make a true-to-Chandler film. Clint is a good possibility, but we do have a lot of not so high profile directors who would do a solid job.
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2-05-2007 @ 10:10AM
wheeler said...
Who said Brett Ratner? That person needs to get smacked in the head.
Reply
3-08-2007 @ 1:59PM
Andrew said...
Who knows? Probably someone you've never heard of. The great film adaption of a Marlowe story hasn't been done yet. Bogie wasn't bad as Marlowe, but like Chandler himself said when asked his opinion of the performance, "Bogart is perfect as Bogart." Whoever plays marlowe has to have certain qualities. He must have a certain presence that can express things without the need for words, he must have a certain heaviness about him. He doesn't have charisma, but a kind of quiet magnetism. He must have good looks, but they have to be ruined good looks, if you know what I mean. He can't be too old, like Mitchum, nor too young. He can't be too tall, too short, too big, or too skinny....
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3-22-2007 @ 4:41PM
Terry said...
Chandler also said, "He must be a common man, but an unusual man". None of the big stars are really suitable for the part. Whoever plays Marlowe on film somehow has to convey that just-right mix of toughness, cynicism and sensitivity that come across in the books so well. As Marlowe himself said, "If I wasn't hard, I wouldn't be alive. If I couldn't be gentle, I wouldn't deserve to be alive."
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