“Can't you talk without pointing that thing?”

Faulkner, Chandler and “The Big Sleep”

Abstract

William Faulkner's original screenplay for The Big Sleep contains several fascinating scenes and a new ending which Raymond Chandler himself liked. These scenes turned out not to be in keeping with the tone of light comedy that came to predominate in the film and so never made it to the screen. However, Faulkner's script is not only faithful to the spirit of Chandler but also reveals an unexpected affinity of feeling between the two writers.