The DVD I saw had the 1946 version (that is the most widely seen) – but it also had the 1945 version! (and a short documentary pointing out the differences).
The 1946 one was changed to highlight Bacall and (IMO) is better except that they cut out a whole scene at the police station explaining what was going on!

wow. all i have to say is that if you have not seen this movie, rent it and see it right away.

Film noir is one of my favorite genres. The Big Sleep is film noir at its finest. And i thought there could be no better film noir example than Laura. However, The Big Sleep is just as good. And since Laura is my favorite movie of all time, that is a very big complement.

This movie highlights some amazing chemistry between the stars, bogie and bacall. Bogie plays Philip Marlowe, private investigator. The Big Sleep is filled with suspense which is highlighted by the performance of these fabulous actors and the black and white film. The Big Sleep is filled with questionable gun shots, murders, blackmail, guys in trenchcoats, rain storms, foggy nights, dramatic lighting, intense music/sound effects and lots of mysterious circumstances.

I just watched The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep back-to-back. The films, based on novels by Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler respectively, offer Humphrey Bogart the opportunity to set his reputation as a private dick in what would become known as film noir. They’re both excellent films.

What makes The Big Sleep memorable are several things. First, there’s the convuluted plot…no one I know can actually figure out the mystery with any certainty. But that’s certainly not the point. Instead, the detective narrative seems to be an excuse to let Philip Marlowe (Bogart) and Vivian Rutledge (Lauren Bacall) start a romance. And what a romance it is—filled with witty banter, whisky voices, and innuendo (similar to their relationship in To Have and Have Not). They have, for lack of a better word, the chemistry lacking in so many contemporary romances. And did I mention that Bogart has a fine sense of comedic timing? Watch for his turn as an undercover book collector!

In fact, the bottom line? Just watch it. You won’t be disappointed.