Murder, My Sweet and It's Elements of Film Noir
Phillip Marlowe describes why he was at the office so late one night: "I'm a homing pidgeon, I always come back to the stinking coop no mater how late it is" (Murder, My Sweet 2:50min into the film). What makes up this particular noir film is mostly due to Chandler's character Phillip Marlowe and his methods of detective work, but noir basics complement and fill in the rest. In the first sequence of the film, the mise-en-scene, cinematography, and Chandler's writing create the building blocks that support the film that follows, while the femme fatale is the underlying, driving force of the film.
The mise-en-scene of the first scene includes the lighting and how all the shots are set up. For one, the desk Marlowe is interrigated at is the main point of interest as the credits progress over the screen. Focusing on the desk sets up the idea to the audience that an interview will take place, it also gives off a noir feel due to the one light ont he desk and no other light existing anywhere else in the overhead shot. Within the first sequence the idea of the desk is central. After Marlowe begins his recount of events of late, we dive back in time to when Marlowe first meets Moose Malloy and during this scene the desk place a role as well. The role the desk plays is that of space and gives power, but it is unclear to whom. Malloy eyes Marlow's gun that rests on the desk and then proceeds to move it, sit upon the desk and orchestrate the usage of Marlowe's detective skills through bribary with some cash. Before Moose sits on Marlowe's desk, Marlowe has the power in the scene, but then Moose gets him to take the case, and takes over the control. The sparse decor in both the police office and Marlowe's office are indicitive of noir, but also accentuate what the characters say instead of the background. But the basic noir lighting is what keeps this opening sequence indicitive of film noir. Schrader writes, " ...in the late forties, hollywood decided to paint it black, there were no greater masters of chiaroscuro than the germans. the influence of expressionist lighting has always been just beneath the surface of hollywood films and it is not surprising, in film noir, to find ...a larger number of German and east Europeans working in film noir"(55, Schrader). The transition from police interrigation office to Marlowe's office brings in the next basic noir component: cinematography.
A montage is used in order to bring us back in time to when Marlowe meets Moose Malloy. And the shots used to compile this montage contain neon signs and canted angled shots or "dutch tilts' emphasizing the city and its large size. The neon signs set up our orientation and give us California as a location for the narrative to take place, most possibly LA. From there the camera tracks in on Marlowe in his office with one of the neon signs flashing on and off right outside his window casting shadow, then a bright key light, and then none again. Using this key light, that is constructed in the narrative as coming from a neon sign outside Marlowe's window, Dmytryk stealthily introduces Moose Malloy by having him reflected on the inside window pain of Marlowe's office. The trick is, Malloy is only reflected when the neon sign flashing its lights is not on, but then he disappears when the light flashes. This ominous introduction of Malloy gives off the idea that something sketchy is about to occur in the narrative structure; something that involves a guy like Malloy (a gangster character). Speaking of violence, Borde and Chaumeton write, "It is the presence of crime which gives film noir its most constant characteristic...blackmail, accusation, theft, or drug trafficking set the stage for a narrative where life and death are at stake" (19).
Another aspect of creating this ominous feeling is that of voice-over narrative, of which Marlowe is famous for. His voice-over begins as an interview in this sequence, but comes up again after having the scene with Malloy and they arrive outside Florian's where Malloy's gal used to work. The narrating structure gives it more of a story feel, but the quality of the voice has a large impact on what emotion or mood is evoked in the audience. Marlowe's particular style is that of a neurosing detective that is good at his job, but knows all the horrors that life can throw at a man. This quality helps to continue the noir flavor of the film, especially with just a prime character to lead the story along. Another way of looking at it is that the narrative imposes the feel of noir on the audience, not unlike another film with Marlowe in it called the Big Sleep, (46', Howard Hawks) where Marlowe utilizes the voice-over narrative also. Borde and Chaumeton write, "The big Sleep [among others] imposed the concept of film noir on moviegoers. A new "series" had emerged..."(17, Borde and Chaumeton).
Which brings us to the lady of the film, who is barely mentioned in this opening sequence, but all the more important for she drives this film as the femme fatale. Borde and Chaumeton write, " there is the ambiguity surrounding the woman: the femme fatale who is fatal to herself. Frustrated and deviant, half predator, half prey, detached yet ensnared, she falls victim to her own traps"(22, Borde and Chaumeton). What Borde and Chaumeton mean is that the femme fetale lies in limbo between two distinctions and her position is difficult. In Murder, My sweet Helen Grayle, formerly Velma, is a money grubbing, backstabbing, gold digger that lets the men take the rap after she commits crimes and gains all the wealth. Mrs. Grayle fits the part of the femme fatale but in true noir fashion we don't know it till close to the end. In the beginning sequence, we hear Marlowe talking about this girl and Malloy searching for his old gal from before he was in prison, and that is our introduction; our hint at the real underlying drive to this film.
The writing of film noir is absolute key to creating a well made noir film. In introducing the femme fatale in such a subtle way at the beginning of the film, we see how social hierarchies can incubate women like Mrs. Grayle, at least those societies within film noir. Harvey writes, "film noir offers us again and again examples of abnormal or monstrous behavior, which defy the patterns established for human social interaction and which hint aat a series of radical and irresolvable contradictions buried deep within the total system of economic and social interactions that constitute the known world." (Harvey, 35). What follows the slight mention of Velma (aka Mrs. Grayle) in the sequence is that of her monstrous behavior mentioned by Harvey as well as her being a "sexually expressive woman, which is its dominant image of women [in noir], extremely powerful" (48, Place). Mrs. Grayle also utilizes society's idea that "women are weak and incapable that they need men's protection' to survive" (49, Place). Malloy hints at this in the sequence that opens the film through his mannerisms and attitude toward his old gal Velma.
All in all, this sequence sets up Malloy's ploy to find his girl, and Marlowe's long, complicated involvement in Mrs. Grayle/Velma's schemes that unfold in the rest of the film. This beginning portion of the film sets all this up through its use of mise-en-scene, cinematography, and writing which all lead to creating a convincing film noir worthy of studying more thoroughly. The femme fatale is so cunnningly pointed out as the underlying, driving force of the film during this sequence due to how subtle the mentions of her are. This sequence is beautifully put together in a way that gives the viewer all the bare bones necessary to both understand the basic plot, and have a hint at what the punch line is. Course having the original material for this film come from a Chandler novel helped a great deal.
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