Kim Ubu's signature

[BruceH]

Been awhile since I read the relatively recent (boy, is that phrase's definition beginning to elongate) Chandler bio, but my memory is that they canned the earlier, 1944 version because Bacall's followup to TO HAVE & HAVE NOT--an espionage/war flick co-starring Charles Boyer--had bombed, and her career was thought to be in danger. (I believe it was CONFIDENTIAL AGENT--based on the Graham Greene novel?) Therefore some scenes meant to recapture the sizzling chemistry she had with Bogie in the earlier film were added. For noir, Chandler, and Bogie-Bacall buffs, the chance to see both versions is a real treat (current DVD has 'em both).

Quite a few years ago, before the DVD came out, I got to see the original, 1944, Big Sleep at the Pacific Film Archive. They also showed a half-hour documentary that compared the two versions, told why the film was changed (basically what ghost says above) and even showed scenes from the two versions back-to-back that were shot differently or had a different supporting actress. Fascinating, and lucid. Guess what? The DVD with both versions also has this same mini-documentary! One of the best extras ever.