Humphrey Bogart - Film by Film Thread

Boogie/Sabrina.
He'd been wearing a full sized wig ( since Dark Passage) that must have been embarrassing for him playing opposite golden boy in romantic scenes with Audrey Hepburn.

 

Yes, and Bogart took to referring to Holden as 'Smiling Jim', a nickname that infuriated the younger star. Holden seemed to be a golden boy who had it all, but under the surface, it's been noted, he did struggle with inner demons including alcoholism.

 

Yeah! Would imagine it was no 'picnic ( though fine film) on set.

 

What I take away most from Sabrina, as with many late period Bogart films, is a deep sense of sadness and frustration, at the way in which Bogart, the greatest movie star of all time, was wasted in unworthy films. The same Hollywood system that gave us those great stars and all the great films, also routinely squandered their talents on mediocre material. This is particularly painful when we consider Bogart's early death.

 

Luke's info. has always been accurate, so I have no reason not to believe him : http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...warner-home-video-execs.368884/#post-10976735

 

A friend seen Bogart crying while watching one of his old films' asking him why ..he said " I wish I became a star when I was younger " he was 42 when he made his international breakthrough film The Maltese Falcon.

 

Great. Looking forward to that. The Big Sleep is my favourite film of all time so I've high hopes.

 

Here's a great piece on Beat the Devil - admittedly, not one of my favourite Bogart films, but now I've the urge to see it again:

http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/jiohn-hustons-beat-devil-1953-chaos-and.html

 

Never been a fan of BTD. A year earlier there was Deadline USA ( James Dean in a small part).

 

By law, Bogart should have been in every film noir.

 

Who remembers the name of the movie in which Bogart plays an army officer?

 

Battle Circus.
Prefer "In A Lonely Place " myself.

 

Not my favourite Bogart film. Rather than transferring the hijinx on set to the screen, it seems to be a bit of a mess. Another one of those later Bogart films that don't work.

 

Thanks, but that doesn't sound familiar.

 

Isn't Battle Circus set in a MASH unit?

 

Agree. I think he's good in it - as he is in many of his later films - but the ones I prefer are In A Lonely Place, Desperate Hours and the underrated Deadline USA.

 

I never knew that about Bogart wearing a wig. Huh.

For all its flaws, I LOVE sabrina. Somehow I made it to my 20s not knowing of Audrey Hepburn, maybe I assumed it was that old chick from On Golden Pond. Early 90s, came home late and it was the late movie. And Audrey Hepburn knocked me out. Completely sucked me in, and that scene where she sings to him "La Vie En Rose" kills me. So I think it's a charming film today despite Bogart, not because of him. I like seeing him in anything, but it's truly Audrey that makes the film memorable. It's like watching something like How To Marry a Millionaire, its not great, but every time Marilyn is on screen, you're drawn to her. Same here with Audrey.

Interesting thread, fun catching up on the earlier pages

 

Yeah, success came late. But just imagine if Bogie could see how beloved and influential he is now.

 

Not a bad article, but it basically just rehashes some or the basic facts about the making of the film, omitting a number of more interesting angles (such as Jennifer Jones and her marriage to David O Selznick), without saying much about the film itself.

Overall, Beat the Devil is a fair bit better than people generally think. It's a mess, but still enjoyable, and Bogart is great in it. It's also one of those Bogart films that for some reason inspire people to claim that Bogart "displays an unexpected gift for comedy" - as if he hadn't already been very funny in all sorts of serious roles, such as Rick in Casablanca.

 

Give us some more details. Was he an ex-army officer, as in Dead Reckoning, or was he a soldier throughout the film, as in Sahara?

 

BTW... I was just able to score a used DVD copy of Beat The Devil and it is the Echo Bridge version. From what I've read, this movie is in the public domain and there have been several different DVD versions released, all of varying quality , from OK to downright awful.

I don't know how accurate the assessment is, but part of the reason that I bought this one is that I had heard that the Echo Bridge version was considered one of the best .

 

Yes, I think it is public domain now. Back in the olden days, I longed to see this film, and was thrilled when I finally tracked down a copy on VHS, for which I paid handsomely. The DVD I have is, if I recall correctly, pretty good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beat-Devil-DVD-Humphrey-Bogart/dp/B000A0XTNU/

Oh and one final note about the silliness of the film: what man in his right mind could believe that Bogart might be tempted away from Gina Lollobrigida by Jennifer Jones?

 

I never saw Beat the Devil so I have been unable to comment on it. It sounds interesting but flawed. I would like to see it some day.

 

Yeah, interesting but flawed is a good way of putting it. It's also more enjoyable than a lot of more well-regarded films. It's a curiosity, and overall maybe not a very good film, but there are aspects of it which are very good indeed.

You can pick up copies of it very cheaply - I think it may now be public domain, and I'm pretty sure the whole film is available on youtube.

 

Sounds like the Caine Mutiny, my favorite Bogart film and one I own on blu-ray. It must not be ringing bells for people here because its more of a court drama than an action movie.