An ITC/ATV movie, directed by Michael Winner and based on the Raymond Chandler novel with Oliver Reed starring as Eddie Mars, a Small-time gangster and owner of The Cheval Club.
Philip Marlowe (Mitchum) is the American private detective working in London, and business must be good – he drives a convertible Mercedes and wears a Rolex watch.
Retired American Army General Sternwood (Jimmy Stewart) hires Marlowe because he is being blackmailed. He has two daughters, Charlotte (Sarah Miles) and Camilla (Candy Clark), a nutter who poses for nude photographs with photographers who get shot through the head (Arthur Geiger, played by John Justin).
Every road Marlowe takes seems to lead to a character by the name of Rusty Regan (David Saville), the Irish husband of oldest daughter, Charlotte . . . except it eventually turns out that loony Camilla shot him dead because he rejected her sexual advances.
John Mills co-stars as Scotland Yard detective Jim Carson in this web of pornography, drugs and murder.
Joan Collins also makes an appearance as Agnes, a “lady” who works at Geiger’s bookshop which serves as a front for hardcore porn.
The title refers to death . . . “sleeping the big sleep”, which is never far away when the Brown Man (with the gammy foot) is around!
Philip Marlowe
Robert Mitchum
Charlotte Sternwood
Sarah Miles
Lash Canino
Richard Boone
Camilla Sternwood
Candy Clark
Agnes Lozelle
Joan Collins
Joe Brody
Edward Fox
Inspector Jim Carson
John Mills
General Sternwood
Jimmy Stewart
Eddie Mars
Oliver Reed
Norris
Harry Andrews
Harry Jones
Colin Blakely
Commander Barker
Richard Todd
Mona Grant
Diana Quick
Inspector Gregory
James Donald
Arthur Geiger
John Justin
Karl Lundgren
Simon Fisher-Turner
Owen Taylor
Martin Potter
Rusty Regan
David Saville
Director
Michael Winner
