-- The reason he flashed the negative was to achieve a pastel look. Altman was afraid of the bright light of SoCal; he said wanted the LA of the movie to look like it did on old postcards.
They flashed the negative for McCabe and Mrs. Miller also: why was Altman afraid of the SoCal bright light in British Columbia? These film guys are knuckleheads, what they say doesn't quite add up.
I'd devoured all of Raymond Chandlers novels way back when, and I've been revisiting them recently, but I haven't gotten to The Long Goodbye yet so I can't really compare novel to film.
Now you got it.