 |
| Images courtesy Paramount Classics |
In 1986, British dramatist Dennis Potter wrote a six-episode series called The Singing Detective about writer Philip Marlowe, who suffered from a severe skin disease. In the hospital, Marlowe refusal to take some medications, which caused hallucinations. During these, Marlowe the writer would imagine himself a private detective whose side hustle was crooning in night clubs.
The series was heavily influenced by the American noir writers of the 1920s, specifically Raymond Chandler, whose private eye hero was also named Philip Marlowe. The Marlowe of The Singing Detective often confused the noir stories from yesteryear with his current reality in a hospital. The series won a Peabody Award and was just one of Potter’s many series that created a loyal fan base.
Potter also wrote the screenplay for the 2003 version with Downey, Jr, Katie Holmes, Mel Gibson, Robin Wright, and Jeremy Northam. This version uses the same story as the previous series, though it changes some backstory from wartime England to 1970s America. The writer played by Downey, Jr. is now named Dan Dark.
 |
The result is a moving recovery narrative that utilizes the trauma Dan suffered as a kid, his portrayal of women and their relationship to sex in his writing, and his current reactions to the various women in his life. Downey excels as a rage-filled patient who has refused to try medications and lashes out at everyone, especially his wife, Nicola, (the always-grounded Robin Wright).
The pain from his joint stiffness and severe skin rosacea causes Dark to mix up bits from his novel with characters he sees in the hospital. So, at one point, a prostitute in his story appears as Nicola but also appears as his mother Betty (Carla Gugino), who was briefly a prostitute in Dan’s childhood.
What could be jolting for a casual viewer unfamiliar with Potter’s original series are the musical numbers. They are often colorfully lit scenes with Downey Jr. being wheeled around the hospital in his bed while lip-synching to famous big band hits.
 |
There are so many stories, films, or series that are made more for fans rather than for a wider audience. The Singing Detective (2003) is such a film that features an amazing performance by Robert Downey, Jr, campy noir scenes, graphic sex scenes, and also musical numbers. Fans of noir and Dennis Potter will be in Heaven, but more casual watchers will be put off by the tonal shifts during the musical performances.
What could be most moving for the casual viewer would be Dan’s sessions with psychotherapist Dr. Gibbon, (Mel Gibson ugly-ed up with prosthetics and makeup). These sessions help Dan to begin to process his backstory and how that influenced his writing and current view of women. The sessions also work to bring up discussions of writers and their craft. Why do authors write what they do? Should they redo some past work or try to write something ‘real,’ as wife Nicola urges.
The movie’s resolution is a mix of solid noir, the musicals, the hallucinations, and the writer’s search for truth. It also harkens back to screenwriter Potter’s philosophies for his novels: ‘all clues and no solutions.’
Sadly, Potter didn’t live long enough to see his screenplay make it to the big screen. He died in 1994, almost a decade before the film was completed. He wasn’t able to see the finished product become a combo of noir nostalgia and a love letter to his original series.
Fans of noir and of Potter will adore this remix; there’s even a scene where Dan Dark picks up a Maltese falcon statue for noir aficionados. Casual viewers, even if they are moved by the themes and ideas, will be put off by the film’s quirks; this movie is more a treat for Potter’s loyal audience.
-Eric Beach