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The Maltese Falcon
Still the tightest, sharpest, and most cynical of Hollywood's official deathless classics, bracingly tough even by post-Tarantino standards. Humphrey Bogart is Dashiell Hammett's definitive private eye, Sam Spade, struggling to keep his hard-boiled cool as the double-crosses pile up around his ankles. The plot, which dances all around the stolen Middle Eastern statuette of the title, is too baroque to try to follow, and it doesn't make a bit of difference. The dialogue, much of it lifted straight from Hammett, is delivered with whip-crack speed and sneering ferocity, as Bogie faces off against Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet, fends off the duplicitous advances of Mary Astor, and roughs up a cringing "gunsel" played by Elisha Cook Jr. It's an action movie of sorts, at least by implication: the characters always seem keyed up, right on the verge of erupting into violence. This is a turning-point picture in several respects: John Huston (The African Queen) made his directorial debut here in 1941, and Bogart, who had mostly played bad guys, was a last-minute substitution for George Raft, who must have been kicking himself for years afterward. This is the role that made Bogart a star and established his trendsetting (and still influential) antihero persona. --David Chute

Casablanca
A truly perfect movie, Casablanca (1942) still wows viewers today, and for good reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made. --Tom Keogh

The Big Sleep
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made screen history together more than once, but they were never more popular than in this 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, directed by Howard Hawks (To Have and Have Not). Bogart plays private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by a wealthy socialite (Bacall) to look into troubles stirred up by her wild, young sister (Martha Vickers). Legendarily complicated (so much so that even Chandler had trouble following the plot), the film is nonetheless hugely entertaining and atmospheric, an electrifying plunge into the exotica of detective fiction. William Faulkner wrote the screenplay. --Tom Keogh

Key Largo
John Huston directed this smart 1948 thriller about a gangster (Edward G. Robinson) who holds a number of people hostage in a hotel in the Florida Keys during a tropical storm. Humphrey Bogart is the returning war veteran who takes on the villains, and Lauren Bacall is on hand as one of the people on the wrong end of Robinson's gun. Somewhat similar in tone to Howard Hawks's To Have and Have Not (which also featured Bogart and Bacall), this moody movie captures a certain despair offset by the bond between individuals united by common purpose. Claire Trevor won an Academy Award for her part as Robinson's alcoholic girlfriend. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

famous movie
I would wait for the two disc release ( if it ever arrives ) of Maltese Falcon, and Big Sleep.

Maltese Falcon was sloppily restored, and is missing the tail end of the scene during which Bogart was threatened by Lorre, in Bogart's own office. I do not know why the scene was deleted, but it came as a surprise!

Here's looking at you, kid ...
Aaaahhh ... Bogey. AFI's No. 1 film star of the 20th century. Hollywood's original noir anti-hero, epitome of the handsome, cynical and oh-so lonesome wolf (in this set alone, playing the Top 4 [Rick Blaine] and Top 32 [Philip Marlowe] guys on the AFI's 20th century Top 50 film heroes list); looking unbeatably cool in his fedora, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Endowed with a legendary aura several times larger than his real life stature, and still admired by scores of women wishing they had been born 50+ years earlier, preferably somewhere in California and to parents connected with the movie business, so as to have at least a marginal chance of meeting him.

This set contains four of Bogart's greatest successes; three of them ("The Maltese Falcon," "Casablanca" and "The Big Sleep") career-defining moments for both him and his female costars - now all of them Hollywood legends in their own right. Yet, looking at these movies' and their stars' almost mythical fame ("Casablanca," on the AFI list of Top 100 20th century movies second only to "Citizen Kane," and at No. 23 "The Maltese Falcon" not too far behind) it is difficult to imagine that, produced at the height of the studio system era, each of them was originally just one of the roughly 50 movies released over the course of one year. But mass production didn't equal low quality; on the contrary, the great care given to all production values, from script-writing to camera work, editing, score and the stars' presentation in the movies themselves and in their trailers, was at least partly responsible for their lasting success. So, the release of "The Big Sleep" was delayed for a year not only because its first version was completed around the end of WWII and Warner Brothers wanted to get their still-unreleased war movies into theaters first, but also, significantly, because Bacall's agent convinced director Howard Hawks to reshoot several scenes to better highlight the sassy, mysterious new star 19-year-old Bacall had become after her first movie with Bogart, the 1943 realization of Ernest Hemingway's "To Have and Have Not" (likewise directed by Hawks and scripted by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman; conversely to "The Big Sleep," however, without any input from Leigh Brackett). And even more famously, the screenplay for "Casablanca" was constantly rewritten even throughout the filming process, to the point that particularly Ingrid Bergman was extremely worried because she was unsure whether at the end she (Ilsa) would leave Casablanca with Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) or stay there with Rick (Bogart).

"The Maltese Falcon" (1941), directed by John Huston and based on Dashiell Hammett's 1930 like-named novel, transformed Bogart's on-screen persona from the tough, often two-dimensional gangsters he had portrayed before (beginning with the 1936 adaptation of Robert Sherwood's "Petrified Forest" where, like in its 1934 stage production, Bogart had starred opposite Leslie Howard, with Bette Davis as the female lead). Imbuing his tough guy shell with a softer core, Bogart instantly became Hammett's Sam Spade and, moreover, the film noir anti-hero per se; a role that stayed with him throughout the rest of his career, and in which he still remains virtually unparalleled. Also contributing to the movie's success were Bogart's outstanding costars; first and foremost Mary Astor as the double-crossing Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet in one of several appearances opposite Bogart as Astor's competitors for possession of the Maltese Knights' mysterious, immensely precious gift to Emperor Charles V.

"Casablanca" (1942), directed by Michael Curtiz, was based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's play "Everybody Comes to Rick's," but renamed by the studio which wanted to tag onto the success of its 1938 hit "Algiers" (starring Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr). Further expanding Bogart's increasingly complex on-screen personality, it added a romantic quality which had heretofore been missing (eventually making this the AFI's Top 20th century love story, even before the No. 2 "Gone With the Wind"), with a unique, inimitable blend of drama, passion, humor, exotic North African atmosphere, patriotism, unforgettable score (courtesy of "As Time Goes By," Max Steiner and Louis Kaufman's violin) and an all-star cast, consisting besides Bogart, Bergman and Henreid of Claude Rains (Captain Renault), Dooley Wilson (who, a drummer by trade, had to fake his piano playing as Rick's friend Sam), Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser) and again Sydney Greenstreet (Ferrari) and Peter Lorre (Ugarte). And the movie's countless famous one-liners have long attained legendary status in their own right ...

"The Big Sleep" reprised Bogart's noir gumshoe role, this time based on Raymond Chandler's first (1939) Philip Marlowe novel. Despite the stellar caliber of its screen writers, the movie is as infamous as Chandler's book for its labyrinthine plot, which reportedly even Chandler himself couldn't completely untangle (nor did he care to). Both on and off screen it solidified the chemistry between Bogart and Bacall, who married before its 1946 release, and firmly established then-22-year-old Lauren Bacall as one of Hollywood's new leading ladies.

"Key Largo" (1948) finally, directed by John Huston, was Bogart and Bacall's last on-screen collaboration and also constituted a reversal of roles between Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, opposite whom Bogart had appeared in 1930s movies like "Bullets or Ballots" and "Kid Galahad": Whereas there the complexer parts had been Robinson's (while Bogart's characters had had little or no redeeming qualities whatsoever), now it was Bogey who, world-weary and reluctant, got to face up to Robinson's ruthless gangster Johnny Rocco in the sultry setting of the Florida Keys under the onslaught of a hurricane; with great supporting performances by Lionel Barrymore as Bacall's father-in-law and Claire Trevor as Rocco's disillusioned, alcoholic lover.

Final note: There is a 2-disc edition of "Casablanca" with more extras than the 1-disc edition included here, which fans will definitely want to get. However, this edition is still worth the purchase for the remaining three movies alone, which individually cost more than the *four* movies contained herein together.

The perfect dvd collection of classics
Whether or not you're a Bogey fan, you're going to find something to enjoy in this set. This 4 disc collection contains two of the finest films ever made in "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca", one great though little-known thriller in "Key Largo", and a wonderful mystery in "The Big Sleep". "The Maltese Falcon" is the film that set up Bogart as the anti-hero, with his Sam Spade character only a little better than the criminals he works with. Still, in the end, his true colors shine through. "Casablanca" is an amazing movie because it's a romance, thriller, and action movie rolled into one! Bogey plays Rick, a man who has run away from it all to open his own bar and escape the pain of losing the woman he loved. Now she's walked back into his bar and into his life - with her husband. The film is amazing because it shows the selflessness of both lead characters in Bogart and Bergman. Both movies yeild countless classic lines that you've heard quoted dozens of times. "Key Largo" isn't as well known as the previous two, but it's a fabulous movie nonetheless. Bogart and Bacall star in this one, and Bogey plays a man trapped at a hotel while Edward G. Robinson as a gangster takes it over with his men. Folks, classic movies just don't get much better than this one, as the tension mounts every minute until the emotions finally have a chance to explode at the end. The action at the end makes it worth while and you just wait the whole movie for Bogey to tear into them. It's great! Finally, "The Big Sleep" is here - in both versions! This dvd has the theatrical release and the overseas release versions, so that alone makes it an amazing addition to the collection. The stories aren't too different, though there are several added scenes to the overseas version. Bogey plays Philip Marlowe and it's definitely a good thriller. If you're at home on a rainy Saturday afternoon, then this set it the one you want with you when you have time to kill! You definitely will not regret spending the money on these great dvds! There's not a stinker in the bunch (which can't be said for a lot of dvd collections).

Larry Carnes
What a GREAT collection! Casablanca's the trademark Bogart movie and one of the top five film classics for all time. Bogie and Bacall team together in the "Key Largo" and the "Big Sleep". The "Maltese Falcon" is a fine addition to round the set out. After all, it was suspense film about "..the thing that dreams are made of". If your shelf has room for two more Bogart favorites, I'd suggest "To Have and Have Not", Bacall's first film performance and "Treasure of the Sierra Madres", directed by John Huston.

Fabulous collection
This is a must for any fan of Bogart or old movies in general. The picture quality of this DVD set is excellent. The movies selected are all outstanding. Excellent performances by Edward G Robinson (Key Largo), Lauren Bacall, the incomparable Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Laurie and of course Ingrid Bergman. I wish they had included a fifth selection TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. That would have made this an even more complete survey of Bogart's work. However based on the 4 films represented here you can't go wrong with this selection. ... Read more

Description

John Huston won the Academy Award(R) for writing and directing this powerful saga that pits gold and greed in the wilds of Mexico and stars his father (Walter Huston) and Humphrey Bogart. Year: 1948 Director: John Huston Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt ... Read more

Reviews (77)

A BONA-FIDE CLASSIC STORY OF GREED AND BETRAYAL !
Here you have a trully great package: a top director (John Huston) and a top star (Bogart) with an great screenplay, music (by Max Steiner), great photography (by Ted McCord) and a top cast. The story revolves around a group of stray losers (stranded in a mexican town) who decide to join forces and go after the (gold) riches of the wild, lawless mexican lands. They are greedy Dobbs (Bogart), honest Curtin (Tim Holt) and wise old Howard (Walter Huston). But the gold fortune they gain from the mountain soon transforms their views and relationships as Dobbs quickly falls into paranoia.

This is a trully classic film which deserved a trully great DVD edition... and this is it!! A two-disc edition with everything you can dream of... A great documentary (The Story of TTOTSM) with Martin Scorsese (lots of and others), another documentary about John Huston, two great Bugs Bunny films (one is a funny spoof of this film), A Lux Radio Theater broadcast, a vast gallery of photos and publicity material, a dozen Bogart trailers, one short film, a newsreel... everything you need to reproduce a classic night at the movies back in 1948!!!!!!

Obviously, the film in this edition has flawless sound and image... and along with this incredible tray of extras, this is surely the DVD edition to buy.

It seems that Warner Home Video is commited to release deffinitive editions of some of its classics (Thanks, WHV!!). I bought this DVD in a box that contains also Yankee Doodle Dandy and The Adventures of Robin Hood (two other two-disc editions who got this first rate treatment).

A great buy for an affordable price! Check for the 3 film box containing The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Yankee Dodle Dandy and The Adventures of Robin Hood.

John Huston appears briefly (and repeatedly) as the american in a white suit who gives Bogart a coin - surely, the greatest director-cameo I've ever seen in an american classic film.

Bogart gives outstanding performance in this classic film
"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" won Oscars for best director (John Huston), best supporting actor (Walter Huston) and best screenplay (John Huston). The film was also nominated for best picture but unfortunately lost out to Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet". This was yet another marvellous performance by Humphrey Bogart in a difficult role and proves once again what an outstanding actor he can be when given the right material.

Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) are two Americans down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico, who manage to acquire a temporary job working for Pat McCormick (Barton MacLaine) but don't get paid for their efforts as McCormick does a disappearing act with the money. Dobbs and Curtin catch up with him later in a bar and after coming to blows manage to get the money that was owed to them. A young Mexican boy (Robert Blake) approaches Dobbs who reluctantly buys a lottery ticket from him. Dobbs and Curtin spend the night in a flop house where they meet Howard (Walter Huston), a grizzled old timer who tells them stories of the times he went prospecting for gold in the mountains. They are both quite interested in this but don't have the necessary funds to purchase the equipment they would need. Next day the young Mexican boy comes to find Dobbs to tell him that his ticket has won some money in the lottery. It is not a fortune but enough to invest in some tools and equipment so that Curtin and himself can team up with Howard to search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains. Greed and distrust inevitably take hold of Dobbs and he gets increasingly suspicious of his two companions and becomes more and more paranoid as the days go by. He is sure that they want to steal his share of the gold which is just not so. A group of bandits led by Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya) come across their camp and try to rob them of the gold but with the help of James Cody (Bruce Bennett) they manage to fight them off.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Humphrey Bogart (to John Huston): "Hey, mister, will you stake a fellow American to a meal?".

Bogart (to Bruce Bennett): "Tonight you're our guest. Tomorrow morning look out - no trespassing around here, you know, beware of the dog - get it?".

Alfonso Bedoya (to Bogart): "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges".

Bogart (to Tim Holt): "Fred C. Dobbs don't say nothing he don't mean".

Writer/director John Huston played a cameo role at the start of the film as an American tourist ("White Suit") who Bogart approaches for money (three times!). Robert Blake was the small boy who sold Bogart the winning lottery ticket. Blake later went on to appear in many feature films such as "In Cold Blood", "Electra Glide in Blue", "Tell Them Willie Boy is Here", and also starred in the TV seies "Baretta".

This was a superlative performance by Humphrey Bogart - one of his best - and completely different to his smooth portrayal of Rick in "Casablanca". His character of Fred C. Dobbs was shifty and devious verging on paranoia and madness. The film has now rightly become a classic and is much admired by "movie buffs". Clive Roberts.

A must see classic movie with Bogie
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a classic movie that has to be watched by movie fans. Set in Mexico in 1926, the movie tells the story of two down and out Americans who have nothing to their name except their meager salaries. The two men, Dobbs and Curtin, decide to team up with a weathered, old prospector, Howard, to go prospecting for gold in the mountains of southern Mexico. Soon enough, the trio happens upon a mountain just full of gold waiting to be found. What follows is a condmenation of human greed and want of unlimited wealth and riches. The three men become suspicious of each other immediately, thinking that the other two might steal their share of the gold. At the same time, the three must deal with bandits who will stop at nothing to get their possessions. The ending does provide for a brief message of hope. Everything from the cinematography to the acting to the writing is great in this movie. Movie fans everywhere should see this classic movie.

Humphrey Bogart gives an excellent performance as Fred C. Dobbs, a wayward American who believes that the power of gold would never make him change his ways and beliefs. Watching Dobbs morph into a money hungry, paranoid man is frightening. Walter Huston, father of director John Huston, plays Howard, the grizzled old prospector who is the only calm one in the group. Tim Holt stars as Bob Curtin, Dobbs' partner and the moral leader of the trio. The movie also stars Bruce Bennett, Barton MacLane, Alfonso Bedoya, and Manuel Donde. Also look for a brief appearance from John Huston as a well-to-do American who gives Dobbs some money for a meal. The 2-Disc Special Edition offers a ton of great extras. If you're a fan of this classic movie, you will love these extras. For a classic movie, ranked #30 in the AFI Top 100, with great performances, an excellent script, and beautiful scenery, check out The Treasure of the Sierra Madre!

Classic depiction of greed wrapped in grand adventure tale
The beauty of this classic film is that, while it certainly is a shattering depiction of how greed destroys a man and depletes one's innocence, THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE also works as an exciting adventure, with great-looking black-and-white scenery serving as perhaps a counterpoint to the darker things going on in the soul of Humphrey Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs. That a movie can be so entertaining yet so powerfully reflective of human nature is most likely what has allowed this film to live on ever since its release in 1948. Great entertainment that is also food for thought seems in such short supply in movies today that we really should treasure movies like this, especially when it's made this well.

Greeeeeed!!!
Greed wrecks Bogarts life.In the end I'm happy. Why? At least his two pals didn't die.The only one who suffered was himself. A ironic line of Bogart"My friends are coming behind me on horses" when he's faced by bandits after ditching his friends.In truth,his friends are riding on horses to get their gold back from him.They arrived too late.Chilling..... ... Read more

Description

Considered by many to be the greatest Hollywood movie ever made, this WW2 classic takes place in war-torn Casablanca and tells the tale of mysterious nightclub owner Bogart and his old Flame (Bergman), her husband, underground leader (Heinreid), and other skeletons from his past. Won 3 Oscars - Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. ... Read more

Reviews (359)

Even After So Much Time Has Gone By
Only Citizen Kane was ranked higher when the American Film Institute announced its list of "America's Greatest Movies." (The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, and Lawrence of Arabia complete the top five.) My own opinion is that AFI ranked Casablanca higher than it deserves. Nonetheless, the film remains immensely popular among critics and film historians as well as so-called movie buffs. It received an Academy Award as best film in 1943, as did Michael Curtiz for directing it. Bogart and Bergman are joined by an especially strong supporting cast (notably Greenstreet, Henreid, Lorre, Rains, and Veidt). There really isn't much to the plot but the dialogue is first-rate. (Philip Epstein, Julius Epstein, and Howard W. Koch shared an Oscar for best screenplay.) It is tempting to over-analyze this film by, for example, devoting excessive attention to American versus European sensibilities during World War II, the conflict between what Rick and Ilsa want to do with what they think they ought to do, etc.

Obviously, the war in progress outside of Rick's cafe cannot be denied although he makes every effort to insulate himself and his clientele from it. There is no shortage of social and political issues and yet, in my opinion, the significance of the film -- and its enduring appeal -- is explained by the development of the relationship between Rick and Ilsa. The final resolution is necessarily somewhat ambiguous, I think, precisely because the relationship between two people in war time faces quite different challenges, obligations, and implications than it would otherwise. Ultimately, having recently seen this film again in a special edition, accompanied by an abundance of supplementary features (e.g. Roger Ebert's commentary, Lauren Bacall's Introduction, and about ten minutes of additional scenes and out takes), I think the film now has a special symbolic significance which could not have been evident when it was released in 1942. More specifically, it somehow dramatizes what so many of us also struggle with when seeking a balance of obligations to ourselves and to others as well as to certain values which sustain the human race, especially during crises which threaten its survival. Perhaps I make too much of this film but these are among the reasons why it continues to hold special meaning for me.

Rounding Up the Usual Suspects
(To the reader: This review is about the original MGM DVD release and NOT about the 2-disc edition just released.)

Casablanca!

The very name conjures up an exotic mix of adventure, intrigue, heroism, selfless sacrifice, and romance. Hear the title of this 1942 Best Picture winner and your memory will provide you with images of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Dooley Wilson, Peter Lorre, and Claude Rains. Or maybe you'll hear snatches of Max Steiner's unforgettable score, with its interpolation of Herman Hupfeld's "As Time Goes By" and the stirring strains of "The Marsellaise."

Based on the stage play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, the movie tells a dramatic story of refugees fleeing from wartorn Europe and making a perilous trip to Casablanca in French Morocco. It is December 1941 and that French colony is under the control of "unoccupied France." Ostensibly neutral in World War II, Vichy France is nevertheless a German vassal state, as the arrival of Major Strasser (Conrad Veldt) clearly demonstrates.

Strasser's mission in Casablanca: to stop Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo (Henreid) from obtaining one of two exit visas stolen from two murdered German couriers and escaping from the Gestapo. Having tracked the defiant Laszlo after his escape from a Nazi concentration camp, Strasser is determined to capture the symbol of anti-Nazi resistance once and for all.

Accompanying Laszlo is the beautiful Ilsa Lund (Bergman), a young Norweigan student whom he married in secret before he was captured by the Gestapo in 1940. Devoted to her husband and his great cause, Ilsa has been at his side since Laszlo's miraculous escape and sudden reappearance in Paris.

Unbeknownst to Laszlo, however, his fate will now rest in the hands of American saloonkeeper Rick Blaine (Bogart). In the months following Victor's escape from the concentration camp he was reported as "presumed dead." In loneliness and despair, the grieving Ilsa met and fell in love with Rick in Paris shortly before the German occupation began. For a brief time the lovers were together, only to tragically part ways when news of Laszlo's return reached Ilsa.

Now, in the eve of America's entry into World War II, Victor Laszlo's fate hangs on the conflicting emotions felt by both Rick and Ilsa, as well as the shifting loyalties of French police Capt. Louis Renault (Rains).

The screenplay by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch is a wonderful mixture of romance, intrigue, drama and comedy (the latter provided both by colorful characters and witty exchanges). Director Michael Curtiz and producer Hal B. Wallis made Casablanca as one of many movies produced in 1942, never knowing that it would become a classic of Hollywood's Golden Era.

"As Time Goes By" This Is The Best Film You'll Ever See
From the first frame of "Casablanca" you know you are about to watch something special. There is not a moment in the film where you will find yourself bored or overwhelmed. It is perfect in every way. I have seen many films in my time and I am only 17. I have an extensive collection of over 180 DVDs and this is by far my most prized. I saw this film for the first time exactly one year ago and purchased this Two-Disc Special Edition the day it came out. Not a day goes by when this film does not pop into my mind.

There are many movies but very few great films. The few include Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, The Godfather, and, of course, the rarely seen Imitation of Life. This is at the head of those. It is at the head of all films.

"Casablanca" is about Rick (Humphrey Bogart), the owner of an American bar in Morroco, who is visited by Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the object of a love affair in Paris a few years earlier. She is accompanied by her husband (Paul Heinreid) who knows nothing of this but is only interested in acheiving two exit visas because they are both wanted. What follows is the most romantic and thrilling film of all time.

The DVD transfer is nothing short of miraculous. The film looks like it had been filmed today in B & W. Even the mono soundtrack sounds breathtaking. The DVD does not shy away from some amazing special features. I don't want to spoil them but anyone will find them interesting. I promise you this is one of the finest DVD packages on the market.

So go out now and buy the film that recieved three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay; the film that was called the Second Greatest Film of All Time on the AFI's 100 Best List (it's second to Citizen Kane); and also called the Most Romantic Film of All Time by the AFI's 100 Most Romantic Films.

"Play it again, Sam."

Best Gin Joint in the world!
Simply the best movie ever made.
Bogie at his best, Bergman as always splendid! Add in a wonderful supporting cast headed by Peter Lorre, and the result is the perfect bittersweet love story. A must have for any Bogart fan, and a must see for everyone!

Black & White For A Reason
Ah, kids today. "Man, it's crap if there's no color to assist my info-ladened cranium!" Get a life. It's "Casablanca", for God's sake. It NEEDS to stay in B&W format. And, might I say, this film is a cult classic for more reasons than just minimalist acting. Dialogue: Heard of it, kids? It's what actors used to do instead of blowing (...)up or flying through the air in front of a blue screen. I love my DVD of "Casablanca", and cherish the fact that I don't have to rewind a tape to get to some of my favorite quotes. ... Read more

Reviews (359)

Even After So Much Time Has Gone By
Only Citizen Kane was ranked higher when the American Film Institute announced its list of "America's Greatest Movies." (The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, and Lawrence of Arabia complete the top five.) My own opinion is that AFI ranked Casablanca higher than it deserves. Nonetheless, the film remains immensely popular among critics and film historians as well as so-called movie buffs. It received an Academy Award as best film in 1943, as did Michael Curtiz for directing it. Bogart and Bergman are joined by an especially strong supporting cast (notably Greenstreet, Henreid, Lorre, Rains, and Veidt). There really isn't much to the plot but the dialogue is first-rate. (Philip Epstein, Julius Epstein, and Howard W. Koch shared an Oscar for best screenplay.) It is tempting to over-analyze this film by, for example, devoting excessive attention to American versus European sensibilities during World War II, the conflict between what Rick and Ilsa want to do with what they think they ought to do, etc.

Obviously, the war in progress outside of Rick's cafe cannot be denied although he makes every effort to insulate himself and his clientele from it. There is no shortage of social and political issues and yet, in my opinion, the significance of the film -- and its enduring appeal -- is explained by the development of the relationship between Rick and Ilsa. The final resolution is necessarily somewhat ambiguous, I think, precisely because the relationship between two people in war time faces quite different challenges, obligations, and implications than it would otherwise. Ultimately, having recently seen this film again in a special edition, accompanied by an abundance of supplementary features (e.g. Roger Ebert's commentary, Lauren Bacall's Introduction, and about ten minutes of additional scenes and out takes), I think the film now has a special symbolic significance which could not have been evident when it was released in 1942. More specifically, it somehow dramatizes what so many of us also struggle with when seeking a balance of obligations to ourselves and to others as well as to certain values which sustain the human race, especially during crises which threaten its survival. Perhaps I make too much of this film but these are among the reasons why it continues to hold special meaning for me.

Rounding Up the Usual Suspects
(To the reader: This review is about the original MGM DVD release and NOT about the 2-disc edition just released.)

Casablanca!

The very name conjures up an exotic mix of adventure, intrigue, heroism, selfless sacrifice, and romance. Hear the title of this 1942 Best Picture winner and your memory will provide you with images of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Dooley Wilson, Peter Lorre, and Claude Rains. Or maybe you'll hear snatches of Max Steiner's unforgettable score, with its interpolation of Herman Hupfeld's "As Time Goes By" and the stirring strains of "The Marsellaise."

Based on the stage play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison, the movie tells a dramatic story of refugees fleeing from wartorn Europe and making a perilous trip to Casablanca in French Morocco. It is December 1941 and that French colony is under the control of "unoccupied France." Ostensibly neutral in World War II, Vichy France is nevertheless a German vassal state, as the arrival of Major Strasser (Conrad Veldt) clearly demonstrates.

Strasser's mission in Casablanca: to stop Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo (Henreid) from obtaining one of two exit visas stolen from two murdered German couriers and escaping from the Gestapo. Having tracked the defiant Laszlo after his escape from a Nazi concentration camp, Strasser is determined to capture the symbol of anti-Nazi resistance once and for all.

Accompanying Laszlo is the beautiful Ilsa Lund (Bergman), a young Norweigan student whom he married in secret before he was captured by the Gestapo in 1940. Devoted to her husband and his great cause, Ilsa has been at his side since Laszlo's miraculous escape and sudden reappearance in Paris.

Unbeknownst to Laszlo, however, his fate will now rest in the hands of American saloonkeeper Rick Blaine (Bogart). In the months following Victor's escape from the concentration camp he was reported as "presumed dead." In loneliness and despair, the grieving Ilsa met and fell in love with Rick in Paris shortly before the German occupation began. For a brief time the lovers were together, only to tragically part ways when news of Laszlo's return reached Ilsa.

Now, in the eve of America's entry into World War II, Victor Laszlo's fate hangs on the conflicting emotions felt by both Rick and Ilsa, as well as the shifting loyalties of French police Capt. Louis Renault (Rains).

The screenplay by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch is a wonderful mixture of romance, intrigue, drama and comedy (the latter provided both by colorful characters and witty exchanges). Director Michael Curtiz and producer Hal B. Wallis made Casablanca as one of many movies produced in 1942, never knowing that it would become a classic of Hollywood's Golden Era.

"As Time Goes By" This Is The Best Film You'll Ever See
From the first frame of "Casablanca" you know you are about to watch something special. There is not a moment in the film where you will find yourself bored or overwhelmed. It is perfect in every way. I have seen many films in my time and I am only 17. I have an extensive collection of over 180 DVDs and this is by far my most prized. I saw this film for the first time exactly one year ago and purchased this Two-Disc Special Edition the day it came out. Not a day goes by when this film does not pop into my mind.

There are many movies but very few great films. The few include Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, The Godfather, and, of course, the rarely seen Imitation of Life. This is at the head of those. It is at the head of all films.

"Casablanca" is about Rick (Humphrey Bogart), the owner of an American bar in Morroco, who is visited by Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the object of a love affair in Paris a few years earlier. She is accompanied by her husband (Paul Heinreid) who knows nothing of this but is only interested in acheiving two exit visas because they are both wanted. What follows is the most romantic and thrilling film of all time.

The DVD transfer is nothing short of miraculous. The film looks like it had been filmed today in B & W. Even the mono soundtrack sounds breathtaking. The DVD does not shy away from some amazing special features. I don't want to spoil them but anyone will find them interesting. I promise you this is one of the finest DVD packages on the market.

So go out now and buy the film that recieved three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay; the film that was called the Second Greatest Film of All Time on the AFI's 100 Best List (it's second to Citizen Kane); and also called the Most Romantic Film of All Time by the AFI's 100 Most Romantic Films.

"Play it again, Sam."

Best Gin Joint in the world!
Simply the best movie ever made.
Bogie at his best, Bergman as always splendid! Add in a wonderful supporting cast headed by Peter Lorre, and the result is the perfect bittersweet love story. A must have for any Bogart fan, and a must see for everyone!

Black & White For A Reason
Ah, kids today. "Man, it's crap if there's no color to assist my info-ladened cranium!" Get a life. It's "Casablanca", for God's sake. It NEEDS to stay in B&W format. And, might I say, this film is a cult classic for more reasons than just minimalist acting. Dialogue: Heard of it, kids? It's what actors used to do instead of blowing (...)up or flying through the air in front of a blue screen. I love my DVD of "Casablanca", and cherish the fact that I don't have to rewind a tape to get to some of my favorite quotes. ... Read more

Description

Sam Spade is caught in a frantic search for the jeweled falcon of Malta and his partner's killer.His pursuit leads him to a group of desperate individuals who also want the bird. ... Read more

Reviews (101)

One of the few movies that's as good as the book
John Huston's directorial debut nails every single possible angle for a great movie: a great hero in Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade, here making a major transition from the gangster roles that made him famous; a great set of villains, from Sydney Greenstreet's ponderous Gutman to Peter Lorre's effeminate Joel Cairo to Elisha Cook's almost cartoonish gunman Wilmer; a great femme fatale in Mary Astor's Brigid O'Shaunessy; a great hunt, in the quest for the fabled Maltese Falcon. Shot scene for scene out of the novel (with some notable cuts of extraneous material, such as a long story Sam tells Brigid while they're waiting, and Gutman's daughter!), "The Maltese Falcon" is utterly clean, economical film-making with no fat whatsoever (except for Gutman, of course). The movie creates a tense atmosphere from its opening shots, with ironic humor simply acting as counterpoint throughout. The final scenes of revelation, where Sam explains to Brigid his personal code of honor, are as emotionally devastating today as they were fifty years ago. The last shots of the movie, as Brigid descends in the elevator quickly to her fate, while Sam takes the stairs, suggests each character is heading to their own private hell, even if at different speeds. A brilliant movie!

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of On DVD
Seldom has any novel been so successfully interpreted on screen: in approaching Dashiell Hammett's seminal private-eye novel, director John Huston not only stayed meticulously true to the plot, he also lifted great chunks on the novel's dialogue directly into the script--and then styled the pace, cinematography, and performances to reflect Hammett's stripped-for-action tone. And the result, to borrow a phrase from the film, is "the stuff that dreams are made of." THE MALTESE FALCON is a iconographic landmark in twentieth century cinema.

The story is well known. Private eyes Sam Spade and Miles Archer are employed by an attractive but decidedly questionable Brigid O'Shaughnessy to track down a man named Thursby--but within hours of taking the case both Miles Archer and Thursby are shot dead, and Spade finds himself embroiled in a search for a legendary lost treasure: the figure of a falcon, encrusted with jewels.

The cast is remarkable. Humphrey Bogart made a name for himself first on the stage and then in films with a series of memorable gangster roles, and was fresh from his great success in HIGH SIERRA; Sam Spade, which offered a new twist on his already established persona, was an inspired bit of casting. Mary Astor had been a great star in silent film, but the late twenties and early thirties found her dogged by scandal; perhaps deliberately playing on those memories, she brought a remarkable mixture of toughness, tarnish, and absolute believability to the role of the very, very dangerous Brigid. And the chemistry between Bogart and Astor is a remarkable thing, a simmering sexuality that more glossy casting could have never achieved.

The supporting cast is equally fine. Although a great star in Europe and the star of a number of 1930s films, Peter Lorre was still something of an unknown quanity in American film; Sidney Greenstreet was a minor stage actor with no screen experience; Elisha Cook was a well-liked but neglected character actor. But THE MALTESE FALCON would fix all three firmly in the public mind, and to some extent all three would continue to play variations of their FALCON roles for the rest of their lives.

FALCON is particularly noted as one of several films that craftily circumvented the notorious "Production Code" by effectively implying but never directly stating the various sexual relations between the characters. Spade has clearly had an affair with Archer's wife, Iva; Archer is clearly a man on the sexual make, and leaps at the chance to tail Brigid. Lorre's lines effectively expose Brigid as man-hungry, and the script and situations do everything but flatly state that Lorre's character is homosexual. Perhaps most startling is the implied sexual relationship between Sidney Greenstreet and the hoodlum Elisha Cook, and the concluding implication that Lorre may well replace Cook in Greenstreet's affections. Just as the plotlines swirl and twist, so do the layers of innuendo and the tangles of sexual uncertainty--all of it adding to the film's feel of uneasy decadence and grittiness.

The DVD bonuses are enjoyable but slight--two film trailers and a documentary that uses trailers to show how Warner Bros. marketed Bogart during the 1930s and 1940s. But even if it came without any bonuses the DVD would still be greatly welcomed: although it has not been restored in a computer-corrected sense, this is the finest print I have ever seen of the film, far superior to anything available on VHS. A great film, a true essential, and strongly, strongly recommended.

A Bogart classic

Director: John Huston
Format: Black & White
Studio: Warner Studios
Video Release Date: February 1, 2000

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart ... Private Detective Sam Spade
Mary Astor ... Brigid O'Shaughnessy
Gladys George ... Iva Archer
Peter Lorre ... Joel Cairo
Barton MacLane ... Det. Lt. Dundy
Lee Patrick ... Effie Perine
Sydney Greenstreet ... Kasper Gutman
Ward Bond ... Det. Tom Polhaus
Jerome Cowan ... Miles Archer
Elisha Cook Jr. ... Wilmer Cook
James Burke ... Luke
Murray Alper ... Frank Richman
John Hamilton ... Bryan
Charles Drake ... Reporter
Chester Gan ... Bit part
Creighton Hale ... Stenographer
Robert Homans ... Policeman
William Hopper ... Reporter
Walter Huston ... Capt. Jacobi
Hank Mann ... Reporter
Jack Mower ... Announcer
Emory Parnell ... Ship's mate

This is a cult classic Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) film. The cast included all-time greats Peter Lorre, Sidney Greestreet, Walter Huston, Ward Bond, and other veterans like Mary Astor and Jerome Cowan.

John Huston directed, and kept the tension high throughout.

This is a story about a statue of a falcon that the Knights Templar had made as a gift for the King of Spain in gratitude. It was lost in transit to the king. Crusted with jewels of immense value, but covered with black lacquer to disguise its worth, it was lost for centuries. This story is about the struggle between factions of villains to get the bird.

If you have never see Bogart in this movie, you have missed one which is partly responsible for his fame.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

Sticking with my VHS copy for now
I would love to own a restored version of the Maltese Falcon on DVD, if it existed. I'll just stick with my 10 year old VHS tape for now. The film needs to be restored. Take a look at the way the second scene with Spade and Mrs. Archer ends. The film always seems broken at this spot, even when it runs on the movie channel.

Defining Bogart
Of all the movies and reviews of Humphrey Bogart, let this one stand and pronounce that the scene when he slaps Peter Lorre's face and tells him, "shut-up and like it..." is the defining moment in Bogart's career and especially this movie.

Well crafted, but a bit loose on plot developement, The Maltese Falcon is what too many mystery/suspense movies trying to live up to an assumed description of what a "noir" film is supposed to be about, pledge their loyalties.

Entertaining more than a fine film, The Maltese Falcon is a tour de force performance for Bogart. If you are a fan, then this is a must see. The camera work is also a good source for cameramen wannabes. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Yes, it's true: you can virtually see Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall falling for each other in this Howard Hawks variation on Casablanca but adapted from--as legend has it--Ernest Hemingway's self-declared "worst novel." (The story goes that Hawks told Hemingway he could make a movie of the author's least work, and Hemingway gave him the rights to this story.) The script by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman actually makes this one of Hawks's and Bogart's most interesting and often exciting films. Bogart plays a boat captain who reluctantly agrees to help the French Resistance while wooing chanteuse Bacall. Hoagy Carmichael, wry at the piano, adds a delicious accent to an already wonderful mood. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (53)

HEMMINGWAY'S SAGA HITS THE BIG TIME!
"To Have And Have Not" is the film credited with launching Lauren Bacall's movie career. Under a personal and exclusive contract to director, Howard Hawks - who evidently hoped for a more personal involvement with his young find - Bacall disappointed her mentor by falling for, and eventually marrying, Bogart instead. In the film she plays Marie 'Slim' Browning, a pickpocket and girl about town who crosses paths with Harry Steve Morgan (Humphrey Bogart). He's a sea captain in Martinique who is double crossed by his most frequent fishing patron, Johnson (Walter Sande). However, before Steve can collect on their debt, Johnson is accidentally killed by a stray bullet. But a financial reprieve comes by way of nightclub owner and supporter of the resistance, Frenchy (Marcel Dalio). If Steve can water taxi Frenchy's freedom-fighting friends to safety his pay off will be substantial. Like most of Warner's adventure films of the period, its not the story, so much as the atmosphere that makes up the sum of this film - though in this instance - no less than literary giant, Ernest Hemmingway, was responsible for the framework on which the film's plot is based.

Again, Warner outdoes the competition when it comes to remastering their catalogue of great films for the DVD consumer. The gray scale is outstanding and fine detail is rendered with remarkable clarity. Blacks - for the most part - are black. The stock footage - used during the fishing trip sequence - is obvious, riddled with excessive grain and slightly out of focus rear projection. However, that's to be expected. The rest, as they say, is the stuff that dreams are made of! The audio is MONO but cleaned up and very well balanced.
Warner gives us a featurette that, although short, covers a lot of ground regarding the film's production. There's also a Warner Brothers cartoon and the film's original theatrical trailer.

You can't afford to not have this
I think that the1944 classic "To Have and Have Not", which features one of Humphrey Bogart's best roles as Harry Morgan, the film debut of Lauren Bacall as "Slim" and an excellent supporting role by Walter Brennan as Eddie, Harry's drunk friend, is a great movie. The dialogue in here is sharp and witty, the most famous being said by Slim to Harry: "You know how to whistle, don't you? You just pucker your lips and blow". A personal favorite of mine is Eddie's question to about half the other characters in the film: "Was you ever stung by a dead bee?"

However, while I don't really hold it against this film, a lot of plot elements in here reminded me of "Casablanca" (And, though officially based on Hemingway's novel, some say this was actually a remake of that film). It is mostly in the plot details: Harry Morgan is a refuge from America and refuses to get involved with the work of some Free French fighters. But he eventually decides to but only for the personal needs of himself and another runaway (Slim). Harry, like Ric Blaine, also has to leave at the film's end. The locale of Martinique is a strange and exotic one, much like French Morocco. There is also a club called Hotel Martinique that reminded one a lot of Rick's Café, such as a pianist (A major difference between the two places is that Morgan doesn't own the Hotel and the pianist is caucasian)

But remakes of films are very common and this movie breaks no laws by replicating another movie. I must also say that while this movie is worth watching on video or television, the only one you need to have is the DVD, whenever that'll be released.

An H & H production
The success of this picture was apparently a little embarassing to the legendary director Howard Hawks. He and author Ernest Hemingway cooked it up during a hunting trip, according to Hawks, in trying to make a picture out of the author's novel. They ended up with a story that ends where the novel begins, and a title that has no bearing at all on the movie. Hawks refused to admit the two of them had been influenced by "Casablanca," but that's baloney, the parallels are just too strong. Nevertheless it's a fine picture, like a variation on an earlier theme of music. Bogart and Bacall have their famous meeting, some Vichy French types on Martinique take the gaff, and what is there to say about Walter Brennan, the greatest character actor in American movies? Just another day's incredible work. The real novel was later converted into "The Breaking Point" with John Garfield.

Works because of Bogie and Bacall's chemistry.
In my opinion, this movie's story is not all that interesting or original. As it's been said many times, To Have and Have Not is essentially Casablanca's twin sister, and bares almost no resemblance to the Ernest Hemingway novella. But despite it all, I must say that I prefer this movie as opposed to the other.

What makes this movie so good are three things: the writing, the acting, and the real-life chemistry between the supercouple of the time, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The screenplay has perhaps some of the most clever and memorable one-liners in movie history. In fact, this is the movie that produced the now-cliche saying "You do know how to whistle, don't you...just put your lips together, and blow," as well as the lesser-known but sure-to-bring-chills "It's even better when you help," sdaid after Bacall kisses Bogart. The acting is extremely good, especially since both the leads can be very cold and distant one moment, and very warm and sweet the next. Finally, as this movie will always be remembered for, Bogart and Bacall are clearly falling in love as the story is going, a case of art imitating life. The sexual tension in the beginning can be cut with a knife, while the true love in the middle and end is nothing short of romantic and touching.

To Have and Have Not is a quintissential example of the stars making a subpar story into one of the most romantic films of the era. This is the perfect start in exploring the world of Bogart and Bacall, and perhaps the best of their four films.

The first meeting of this immortal couple
Bogart in his well known of anti hero owner-operator of charter boat in wartime Martinique.
The essential inner values about the freedom however don't tie Bogart with anyone except for himself. The overwhelming presence of Lauren Bacall makes this film a winner match between the growing attraction she awakes in our no land anti hero and the fight against the enemies forces.
This is not precisely a film noir due the happy ending. But the script is dazzling with the Hawks's camera flowing through the viewer.
And instead the fact we are talking about a sixty years movie , this one hasn't got old.
Watch this legendary picture. One of the best works in that year. ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Strawberries, anyone?
"The Caine Mutiny" follows the story of the men aboard the minesweeper U.S.S Caine during the period of 1943-44 in the pacific war. After the Caine is assigned a new captain, Philip Queeg (Humphrey Bogart), the officers begin to get suspicious at various acts that the captain does: His attention to small details such as shirttails and erratic behavior like rolling ball bearings in his hand when he's nervous and the spouting of catchphrases like "I kid you not". His behavior reaches a climax during a typhoon. Executive Officer Maryk (Van Johnson), after being advised by some others, relieves the captain with the firm belief that the ship would founder with Queeg in charge. Now Maryk has to defend his actions in a court martial.

It may seem surprising today, but at the time of this movie's release, Jose Ferrer was one of the hottest actors around. He was already an Oscar winner for 1950's "Cyrano de Bergenac". Here, he plays Lt. Barney Greenwald, who is assigned to Maryk's defense, but isn't so enthusiastic ("I've read the preliminary investigation very carefully and I think that what you've done stinks."). He came off to me as a competent defense attorney who was just waiting for the moment to strike. And although the evidence that backs up Queeg and goes against Maryk is overwhelming, Greenwald is able to break down Queeg in court, validating his instability and allowing Maryk to get off only with a reputation as a "mutineer".

My favorite performance is Fred MacMurray as Lieutenant Keefer, who doesn't think too highly of the Caine, even being cynical towards it ("The first thing you've got to learn about this ship is that she was designed by geniuses to be run by idiots.") And, though not a psychologist himself, he is also the one who raises it to Maryk's attention that Queeg may be nuts. Since he also contains hammering the idea at Maryk, it makes one assume that he would be willing to go all the way by alerting the top navy brass. But we soon learn that he is nothing but a scheming coward. He plants it in the men's minds that the captain is crazy, yet has "A yellow streak 15 miles wide". And when he is called to testify, "He never even heard of Queeg" as Greenwald remarks. At this point, we turn from disliking his cynicism to hating his guts. MacMurray, I thought, played this role so well and very convincingly. Surprisingly, he never got Oscar nominated for any of his performances. Perhaps the academy thought that this actor-who's most well known as the father on "My Three Sons" and had a track record in light comedies- wasn't prestigious enough to win the gold. It's like his against type roles in "Double Indemnity", "The Apartment" and this movie never existed!

In the beginning of the film, we tended to dislike Queeg because he's a nut. He has the ship steam away from a combat mission, he orders no more movies to be shown, has constant practice drills and, when some strawberries turn up missing, has the ship searched and basically ripped apart in a futile search for a "duplicate key to the icebox". But at the end, when Keefer's plan is revealed, when sympathize with Queeg at how he was used and mistreated by his crew. For had the crew supported and helped the captain when he asked for it, things might have turned out different in the typhoon. This is one of Bogart's better roles, maybe his last great one, and it netted him his last Oscar nomination. He made only about 3 or four other movies after this one, with the last, "The Harder they Fall", being released in 1956. In February 1957, Bogart died of complications from throat cancer.

If there is one problem with "The Caine Mutiny", it is the romance plot between Ensign Keith (Robert Francis) and his girlfriend May, played by May (Coincidental?). Keith's character is the first we are introduced too in the film. His involvement in the film is sort of like that of the newsreel reporter in "Citizen Kane": He serves as a guide, a plot device to the events that follow. And only a handful of scenes are dedicated to Keith and May. However, these end up in the way of the much more exciting action involving Queeg and the other officers. I have read Herman Wouk's novel and am aware that this wasn't manufactured for the film, but was actually in the book (And was the main plot, if I'm not mistaken). This shows how much the screenwriters tried to remain faithful to the book. But the only way the movie could have been truly faithful to the novel would be if it had been two and a half or even three hours long. With a roughly two-hour movie, the writers should have figured out what was more important to focus on. If they had either dumped or worked out the romance plot better so it fit more into the plot, the movie would have been even better.

Otherwise, "The Caine Mutiny" is a great film, one that many persons can find something to like. Naval buffs will enjoy beautiful shots filmed aboard naval destroyers at port and sea to represent the DMS Caine. Fans of court room dramas will find a very tense, well played one that'll satisfy them (Though a 1988 T.V movie, "The Caine Mutiny court-martial", was said to do a better job. But having not seen that, I can't form an opinion). Bogie fans will most likely judge this one of his career highlights. And skeptics of Fred MacMurray's talent will be put to rest. Add in a supporting cast that includes Tom Tully, E.G Marshall and Lee Marvin, you have great entertainment, I kid you not!

Intrigue, manipulation and hard choices. A great film!
The 1954 classic is about a naval captain who shows signs of mental instability and the resultant actions of the men in his command. It's not as simple as that, however. The characters are the key to the story, each one developing in front of our eyes into complex individuals with moral dilemmas to confront. There is Humphrey Bogart, cast a Captain Queeg whose decisions are no longer respected by his men. There's Fred MacMurray, cast as a smart and manipulative lieutenant. There's Van Johnson, cast as the lieutenant on whose shoulders the responsibility falls. There's Robert Francis, the young ensign whose perceptions change in front of our eyes. And then there is Jose Ferrer, cast as the attorney who defends Van Johnson when he is put on trial for mutiny. Put them all together in a fast paced script with enough twists and turns, and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

The special effects, of course, are nothing like they are today. But they were certainly enough. I wasn't thinking about the special effects as I watched the film. I just simply felt I was on that ship. I wasn't thinking about the actors' performances either. Instead, I was so totally involved with the story that I felt I was actually in the skin of each of the characters. Just like real life, the situations were never crystal clear and each choice that was made opened up new challenges.

These were challenging roles for all the actors and they rose to the occasion magnificently. I'll never forget the twitch in Humphrey Bogart's cheek or the way the lighting captured the white of his eyeballs. I'll long remember Fred MacMurray's speculations and the kind of choice Van Johnson had to make. Robert Francis was good, but not as great as his co-stars, and his role was hampered by a silly romance. This was a strong film, though, and this small diversion didn't matter at all.

Even though this film was about the military, I can't classify it as a war film. Here, there was no enemy but the men themselves and the choices they made. It's a wonderful theme and has the classic universality to it that can adopt the lessons it teaches to a wide variety of situations. I give it one of my highest recommendations. Don't miss it!

"Ah but the strawberries - that's where I had them..."
The crew of the USS Caine resents Captain Queeg, who places the blame for a series of blunders and petty infractions on the crew. Such instances include cutting their own target tow-line while Queeg berates a crewman for having his shirt untucked, and later and most famously, interrogating the officers for the apparent stealing of some strawberries.

The mutiny results when, in a life-threatening storm, Queeg freezes up and does not give the order that would save the ship. At that point he is relieved of command by Van Johnson.

Later at the court-marshall Johnson is defended by Mel Ferrer and prosecuted by EG Marshall. But was Queeg torpedoed by the crew with insubordination and lack of respect, or did Queeg go off the deep end? Queeg's paranoia comes out in full force, complete with marbles.

Based on Herman Wouk's best-selling Pulitzer-winning novel, the movie arguably has Bogart's best performance which was one of seven oscar nominations. Look for Claude Akins and Lee Marvin in small roles. Only the unnecessary love-story between a new ensign and his girlfriend detracts from the otherwise intriguing story.

Way To Go, Pinntinajeur
In early December some guy (or girl) named Pinntinajeur reviewed this DVD and complained about the price. Not less than month later that price was reduced by $10!!!! Way to go, Pinn! I'm not saying he/she was totally responsible but who knows, maybe he/she is.

Great movie, lousy DVD
The Caine Mutiny is a great film and featurea one of the best performance of Humphrey Bogart's life. That's high praise considering the quality evident in his body of work but he really delivers the goods in The Caine Mutiny. The film benefits from other strong perfomrances as well. Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray, and others all rise to the level of the unusally intelligent script. The result is a fancinating character study that I would recommend to anyone.

As good as the movie is, however, the transfer to DVD is about the worst I've ever seen. The moment the movie started, I was stunned by how much noise was evident. I wasn't looking for it or analyzing the picture, it jumped out because it was so extreme. Every face, every object, every thing was literally swimming with digital noise. And the sound is as bad or worse. No effort was made to re-master the soundtrack to even rudimentary surround sound making this the first movie I've seen in years to be presented in basic stereo. In addition, the sound is flat throughout, with even big explosions lacking punch.

The Caine Mutiny is a classic film and deserves much better treatment from the studio. As a movie, I would give it 5 stars but I deduct one for the extraordinarily poor picture and sound quality of the DVD. ... Read more

Description

Bogey's on the lam and Bacall's at his side in Dark Passage, Delmer Daves' stylish film-noir thriller that's the third of four films Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made together. Bogart is Vincent Parry who, framed for murder, escapes San Quentin and soon emerges from plastic surgery with a new face. Bacall is Irene Jansen, Vincent's lone ally. In a supporting role, Agnes Moorehead portrays Madge, a venomous harpy who finds pleasure in the unhappiness of others. The chemistry of the leads is undeniable, and they augment it here with exceptional tenderness. Exceptional too are the atmospheric San Francisco locations and the imaginative camera work that shows Vincent's point of view - but not his face - until the bandages are removed. Lest Irene get ideas, the post-surgery Vincent tells her: "Don't change yours. I like it just as it is." So do we. Year: 1947 Director: Delmer Daves Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall Special Feature: Original Theatrical Trailer B&W/106 Mins. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

THRILLING NOIR GETS ROYAL TREATMENT ON DVD
"Dark Passage" is the last time Bogart and Bacall were teamed together on screen. The resulting film noir was not a box office sensation when it originally hit theaters, perhaps in part due to the first person camera perspective employed during the first forty minutes of the narrative and then the additional absence of seeing Bogart's character, except behind a swath of bandages for most of the latter half of the film. However, like most great film noir, "Dark Passage" has outlived its initial disappointment to become a classic. Bogart is Vincent Parry, a man accused of murdering his wife and sent to prison for life. But he escapes San Quentin prison and is rescued by Irene Jansen (Bacall). Irene smuggles Parry past police, across the Golden Gate Bridge and to her San Francisco apartment. From there Parry procures a plastic surgeon to alter his facial features, but first takes off to visit his old friend, George Fellsinger (Rory Mallinson). However, when Parry returns to George's flat he finds that someone has murdered his best friend. Knowing that he will be considered the first choice of suspect in this crime, Parry retreats to Irene's apartment where she looks after him for the duration of his healing. With his new face looking like the spitting image of Humphrey Bogart, Parry heads over to his ex-wife's former friend, Madge Rapf (Agnes Moorehead). She is the one responsible for Parry's wife's murder and when Parry confronts Madge with his knowledge, she realizes who the stranger is, attempts to escape, but accidentally falls from the seventh story to her death. With no conceivable way of proving that Madge killed his wife and George, Parry contacts Irene with his next port of call. The finale is perhaps overly optimistic with Irene miraculously turning up at some café in a tropical port with Parry waiting at a table for two for her to arrive.

The DVD transfer is outstanding. Warner Brothers gives us a remastered picture that ranks among their very best transfers. It's amazing how much fine detail is maintained throughout the presentation. The gray scale is extremely well balanced. Blacks are - for the most part - black, although there is a couple of scenes in which 'blooming' does occur. There is also a trace element of pixelization. The audio is MONO but very nicely balanced. Extras include a featurette on the making of the film that, while short, manages to cover a lot of ground and contextualize some of the background surrounding its production shoot. You also get a Bugs Bunny cartoon and the film's theatrical trailer.

Is this "Lady In The Lake" or am I seeing things?
Lesser known and least acclaimed film of the Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall teaming, and justifiably so. Utilizes many over-reaching and cliched plot devices throughout, and in the first half hour or so I thought I was watching a bad reincarnation of the mediocre "Lady In The Lake," what with the subjective camera angle where the audience sees everything through the eyes of the main character. Stars Bogart as Vince Parry, a man wrongfully sent to San Quentin for killing his ungrateful wife and makes his escape, only to encounter many a problem and no-good folks. Bacall plays Irene Janssen, a beautiful young woman that has, in one of the examples of over-reaching this film uses, followed Vince's case since it reminded her of her wrongfully jailed father's situation, and who is every fugitive's dreamgirl since she aids him with all an escaped convict would need or want--helps with his getaway, provides food and her nice apartment for him to stay in, money ($500-a lot back then), and of course romance--although that comes later. She even becomes his nursey when he changes his appearance with plastic surgery. In another ludicrous case of over-reaching, Vince meets up by chance with a cabbie who can "read" faces and who, despite recognizing him and knowing about his wife's murder, can tell Vince didn't do it and that his face is "good." Therefore, he puts Vince in contact with a friend of his who just happens to be a plastic surgeon, exactly what any fugitive would want--and on top of that, is willing to do it for only 200 bucks! (granted, that was a good amount back then, but for a masterful job which could get him into legal trouble, c'mon!). Along the way he meets up again with Madge Rapf (wonderfully played by a deliciously wicked Agnes Moorehead), a devious busybody-troublemaker from his past who is a murderer. Although Vince is never able to get his name cleared, all ends well when he settles elsewhere with a new identity and with Irene, but not before we are given a moralistic scene in the train station where Vince overhears a downtrodden, "Okie" married couple with kids lamenting about lack of human kindness and generosity. I suppose this was to be in contrast to the kindness and generosity Irene showed Vince--nevertheless, it's totally gratuitous. However, despite the flaws, this is a tense and entertaining noir which would have been downright laughable given lesser performers, but is truly gripping due to Bogie, Bacall, and Moorehead.

Dark Horse, But a Winner
The best of black-and-white films are such that the viewer forgets very quickly that there is no color. If truly good, it will impart a style and an atmosphere that color can't duplicate. By 1947, when this movie was made, there wasn't much that a major studio couldn't do superbly in B/W. All their talent has been transferred to this DVD.

The premise for this movie is indeed improbable, and the idea that someone would want to change into the Bogart time-worn face is laughable. However, the interplay between the Bogarts is electric, and she never looked any sexier. The San Francisco art deco buildings and scenery is an added bonus. Agnes Moorhead, certainly one of our most underrated radio and film actresses, was never better as the catty friend. As a variation of film noir, though, this is fun to watch and gets better with each viewing.

Bogie And Bacall Light Up The Screen In Stylish Film Noir
Often passed off as the least successful of the four screen teamings of legendary Hollywood couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, "Dark Passage", despite its often unlikely premise has much to recommend it. Bogie is always riverting to watch on screen even in his lesser films and his work in "Dark Passage", as an escaped convict undergoing plastic surgery to try to clear his name over the murder of his wife is first rate. While the film certainly lacks a degree of the unique verbal sparring that viewers have come to expect of Bogie and Bacall's work together, the personal chemistry is still there and just as magic between the two. It is these two performers aided greatly by the superb Agnes Moorehead in the type of vinegary characterisation that she made uniquely her own in the 1940's that really elevates this story and manages to make many of the incredible turn of events that bit more believable.

Based on a David Goodis novel, director Delmer Daves also took over responsibility for the screenplay and weaved an engrossing if not always plausible story centred around Vincent Parry (Bogart) who we see in the first scene making his escape on the back of a truck from San Quentin Prison. Picked up a few minutes later by artist Irene Jansen (Bacall), who happened to be doing some painting in the surrounding hills as the prison siren went off, Vincent finds himself suddenly with a staunch ally in his quest to get to the bottom of his wife's murder. Irene takes Vincent back to her apartment in San Francisco where her attraction to him becomes immediately evident.She explains that her sudden determination to help him despite the personal risks to herself, is the result of her interest in his case and the firm belief that he was framed for his wife's murder. Seeing that a city wide manhunt is now underway Vincent takes the advice of a friendly cab driver (Tom D'Andrea), who guesses who he is and allows him to arrange to get some plastic surgery done to change his appearance. Hiding out at Irene's apartment while his face heals Vincent realises that he and Irene have a connection in the person of gossipy sharp tongued Madge Rapf (Agnes Moorehead),who is a constant thorn in Irene's side and actually testified against Vincent in his murder trial. Madge gets suspicious of the man she believes Irene is hiding in her apartment and begins to follow Vincent once his bandages are removed and he begins to track down the real killer of his wife. Putting two and two together Vincent realises that Madge is the guilty party and is a woman who when she can't get what she wants is the type to destroy what others love. In a powerful confrontation scene where Madge learns the identity of the man with the strangely familiar face it is revealed that she is the one who was also responsible for the death of his wife and only friend George. Unable to get Madge to confess to her crimes and thus clearing his name Vincent realises he has no chance of going free in particular when Madge falls to her death from her apartment window. He then decides to flee to South America where with not much persuasion he is joined by the romantically hooked Irene to hopefully start a new life together.

Totally implausible? Perhaps but as with alot of the well crafted film Noir's of the 40's it is done in an irresistable style. The sheer coincidence of most the characters being somehow connected with each other or automatically knowing someone who can help in Vincent's plight is indeed at times hard to accept but once again it is the performers and their total immersion in the characters that succeeds in pulling it off. "Dark Passage", is unique, and on the down side has been at times strongly criticised for, its shooting from the view of Humphrey Bogart's face so that we dont actually see him for the first half hour of the film. I personally believe that approach is highly effective and quite unique and it certainly keeps the interest up until Vincent's grand unveiling when he looks like of course Humphrey Bogart. The fact that Vincent does look different is also responsible for the very powerful last scene between Vincent and Madge when she slowly begins to realise, much to her terror, who this strange man is she has invited into her home. Bogart, Bacall and Moorehead rightly run away with the acting honours here but the supporting cast is a strong one with Houseley Stevenson as the plastic surgeon and Clifton Young as the black mailing Baker real standouts in their playing. The film like all noir efforts benefits greatly from the stark black and white photography by Sid Hickox with many of the exterior shots done in very early morning or late in the evening. Location work done in the downtown region of San Francisco also gives the film added interest with alot of action taking place around the Golden Gate Bridge which is well used in particular during the shoot out between Vincent and Baker.

"Dark Passage", may not be top draw Bogart akin to "Casablanca", or "The Maltese falcon", however it is a spirited tale in its own right and should be viewed as such. Its strong 1940's feel and stark photography aid in raising this story a number of notches above other similiar efforts of this period and even when he is not seen on camera for the first section of the story Bogart by using his distinctive voice manages to draw the audience into Vincent Parry's story. He and Lauren Bacall were one of Hollywood's greatest acting teams and even in a lesser effort such as this still provide first class entertainment. Enjoy.

Visually stunning, but too coincidental...
Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) is convicted and sentenced for murder and has now escaped the San Quentin prison. By coincidence Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall) is in the near by hills painting landscape portraits when Vincent escapes and she decides to help him. Irene is one of the few who believed that Vincent was innocent of the murder of his wife, and this motivates her to help him. However, Vincent wants to discover who the murderer was on his own, but realizes that his face is nationally known as it has been on the front page of all the newspapers. Through the help of a taxi driver Vincent finds a plastic surgeon that gives him a new face that will help him on his quest for the truth. Dark Passage begins with interesting cinematography as it conceals Vincent's face until after the plastic surgery, which enhances the cinematic experience. But it does not save the awkward coincidental moments that drive the story forward and hurts the overall cinematic experience leaving the audience with a viewable, but gawky story. ... Read more

Reviews (75)

DESERVES A TEN!!!
My appreciation for this movie has sky-rocketed this last week. I recently watched the new Sabrina with Harrison Ford... it didn't even compare! This version is much much better! I've read the review for this movie... some think Bogart was too old for this movie or that the interplay between Hepburn and Bogart wasn't good. I definitely disagree! The chemistry between Audrey and Bogart is fantastic... the screen just sparks with it! I'm not sure of the behind the screens of this movie... some say that Bogart and Hepburn didn't work well together... all I know is that is produces something between them that is incomparable! Only couples like Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall & Bogart can produce this much chemistry on the screen!

I love the story of Sabrina...
Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) is the plain looking daughter of a chauffer. She falls in love with the playboy son, David (William Holden), of the wealthy people her father serves. David doesn't notice her... Her father sends her off to a cooking school in Paris and there she becomes transformed into a dazzlingly gorgeous young lady. She comes home stunningly beautiful and catches the eye of the playboy son, David. Linus (Bogart) has worked out a merger with this company and rich family who owns sugarcane plantations. Part of the deal is that David is marrying their daughter. So Linus has to draw Sabrina away from David, because he's already engaged... and Sabrina falls in love with Linus... I won't give the end away... I'll just say it's worth the watch... It leaves you satisfied. Sometimes you watch a movie and at the end you are like... "So?" ... It didn't end well... Well this is not one of those movies! I love this movie to death! The best Actors, music, and chemistry! A definite watch!

Isn't It Romantic?
Audrey Hepburn simply sparkles as Sabrina Fairchild, the chauffeur's daughter in this enchanting romance classic. Bogart plays the eldest of two brothers (the other played by William Holden), a bookish industrialist who starts off competing for Sabrina's affections but winds up falling in love with her instead. Hepburn is magical as the lead, glittering like an angel atop a Christmas tree. Holden cuts a romantic, charismatic swath and figure as the devil-may-care playboy working himself up to marriage number three. Based on the play, Sabrina Fair, Billy Wilder directs with sardonic wit, charm and the ease of a true master of the cinema. This is a love story that remains timeless. Paramount hasn't restored the film, though there is nothing terribly wrong with the transfer as is. Fine details occasionally shimmer and once in a long while a scratch or chip in the camera negative can be detected by the naked eye. Over all though, this is a great looking DVD. Also included, a featurette that glosses over the making of the movie. Bottom line: Hepburn, Holden and Bogart prove themselves as not only stars, but American pop icons. Isn't it romantic? - Definitely!

Audrey's second film is my favourite
It almost begins like a fairy tale, how once upon a time, on the north shore of Long Island, some 30 miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate. So goes the opening narration by Audrey Hepburn, which sets the story in motion and introduces the Larrabee estate and family, also goes on to describe an English chauffeur named Fairchild and his daughter, Sabrina, played of course by Hepburn, in this romantic comedy based on Samuel Taylor's play Sabrina Fair.

Sabrina's sent to a cooking school in Paris, which not only prepares her for a vocation, but to help her get over her crush over David Larrabee (William Holden), the dashing playboy who spent short periods at many colleges and even shorter periods with his three wives (consecutive, of course). Ironic, considering that Holden had a crush on Hepburn, which led to a brief affair, and for him, a torch he carried through the rest of his life. The advice she gets is "don't reach for the moon." The thing is, she's the last of the romantics, "l'amour toujours" as described by Linus Larrabee, the business brains behind the multimillion Larrabee holdings, which include land and water, copper, construction, and now, a new kind of plastic that's resilient and tastes sweet(!!)

After two years in Paris, she is a vision of beauty, chic, with a new haircut, and transformed, yet still the romantic, as she vows to be in the world and of the world, and "never ever run away from life, or from love either."

Linus plans to marry David off to Elizabeth Tyson, whose father owns the second largest sugar cane in Puerto Rico, the ceremonial part of a $20 million merger with Tyson. This is put in jeopardy with Sabrina's return, and David, who previously ignored her, is bedazzled. Yet Sabrina, who's reluctantly wooed by Linus to salvage the deal, finds out there's more to him than just the "cold businessman...with ice in his veins, ticker tape coming from his heart." She finds out he's nice and quite human.

"Remember, it's the 20th century" is a reminder that the Victorian days of knowing one's place is gone. Fairchild sees life as a limousine: "there's a front seat, there's a back seat, and a window inbetween." He later says "Nobody poor was called democratic for marrying someone rich." Mother and Father Larrabee believe that, as they are scandalized at David's affections towards Sabrina, and see her in terms of class status.

Other great scenes include the cooking school, but the party scene when Sabrina appears in her bare-shouldered white dress and becomes the belle of the ball dancing with