Synopsis:

A simple update of Doctor M’s Reconstructed Gangrel Hybrid Cut, now sourced from the 2016/17 blu-ray, taking this classic to its maximum possible runtime in the best possible quality.

Intentions:

Howard Hawks’ noir is acknowledged as one of the pre-eminent examples of the genre, while Humphrey Bogart may not have been the first actor to portray Philip Marlowe he is probably the best known. The film was completed in early 1945 but the release was postponed until the end of WW2 so that more “topical” films could be released before they became outdated, in the meantime reshoots were made on the recommendation of Lauren Bacall’s agent in an effort to maximise her and Bogart’s screen chemistry enjoyed by audiences in “To Have and Have Not”. Approximately twenty minutes were modified, some scenes entirely removed and others replaced, to produce the version released theatrically in mid-1946: the pre-release cut had been distributed to the US forces posted abroad in 1945 and was also preserved, getting its first proper release in 1997. This edit, following the path of its forbearers, takes the nine minutes left on the cutting room floor and re-inserts them at the required locations.

Change List:

• Added fanedit disclaimer and personal plate • 0:24:06-0:26:15 – Marlowe searches Geiger’s house • 0:26:54-0:27:29 – Marlowe drives Carmen Sternwood home o Made an alteration from the Doctor M version (from what I can gather according to its cutlist), now fading from Marlowe in the car with Carmen to Norris opening the door from the inside (rather than to Marlowe waiting outside) to prevent a possible continuity error of the rain stopping and Marlowe losing his coat over the course of a few seconds • 0:30:55-0:32:27 – Marlowe enters his apartment and puts Geiger's notebook on his desk • 1:02:31-1:09:44 – Marlowe is taken to explain himself to the District Attorney, and the plot up to this point to the audience • 1:42:47-1:43:12 – Marlowe removes his car registration papers and retrieves a gun from under his dashboard.

Additional Notes:

• Exported 1480x1080 H265 with mono audio, total runtime of 123 minutes with 2.25 Gb file size. • Timestamps mark use of 1945 cut footage, exclusive sections of which are sometimes bookended by material also included in the 1946 cut to facilitate seamless transitions.

Other Sources:

Special Thanks:

Many thanks to MusicEd912 for not only previewing the edit but starting the thread that prompted me to do it in the first place. Thanks as well to both tremault and That One Guy for technical advice.