Rating: 
Summary: Read the individual reviews
Review: A great collection of classic films, each one a masterpiece.For a better sense of what you're getting, read the individual reviews. In particular, read the reviews for the Big Sleep, since that is the DVD both with the most extras -- and with the most annoying technical problems.
Rating: 
Summary: famous movie
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Here's looking at you, kid ...
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay - But Not His Best Four Movies
Review: I own the set and I enjoy viewing the set. The trailers, trailer collections, and DVD extras are excellent, especially in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. I have viewed all the movies on both DVD and VHS and the DVD set is superb and my first choice. As most know, Bogart was the top paid actor at Warner Brothers in the 1940's and these are four of his Warner Brothers movies from that period.
Having said that, I do not think these are his best four movies, not even the best four Warner Brothers produced Bogart movies. Some of them are among his best.
The 1942 movie Casablanca with Ingrid Bergman is of course his best. But he did over 50 other movies. My second choice would be the 1952 Paramount studios movie African Queen with Catherine Hepburn for which he got an Oscar. That is problematic since to my knowledge it is still available only on VHS. Next is the (present) 1941 Maltese Falcon with 30's-40's star Mary Astor, plus the actors Greenstreet and Lorre, a film rated by many as one of the best detective movies ever made.
As a fourth movie or a fifth choice for the African Queen DVD substitute I would select the 1945 film To Have and Have Not, a movie set in Martinique, a film based on a Hemimgway book and that was his first film with Bacall or the 1948 movie Key Largo because of the acting by Edward G Robinson in that film plus one of the films listed below.
In any case the Big Sleep is not among his top ten films in my humble opinion, and ranks below at least five or six better choices - see my Listmania review of 50 Bogart movies. Also, there are two versions of the Big Sleep - the 1944 version which we have here - and the rewritten version actually released in 1946 by Warner Brothers that Jack Warner called 100% better. That is not the version we see here. This DVD is the 1944 version. So that makes the inclusion of the Big Sleep - 1944 version even worse.
The better choices include the 1950 movie In A Lonely Place, or his breakout 1941 movie High Sierra - with Ida Lupino, or classic Bogart in the The Enforcer, or the interesting Dark Passage - with Bacall, or even The Caine Mutiny, or finally for something different The Treasure of Sierra Madre. Even with Howard Hawks the movie The Big Sleep is too complicated and a bit inferior to these others. It is a movie that had parts re-shot to tune it up for release in 1946. Still it is at least 4 stars, but I defy anyone to tell me that among the six murders in the show, name who killed who after one viewing of the DVD.
My thoughts for what they are worth.
Rating:
Summary: famous movie
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Boxed Set of Classic Bogart
Review: This boxed set contains four great classic movies. It is a perfect choice for any fan of Humphrey Bogart or classic films. Each movie is well rendered onto DVD and contains a great selection of special features often lacking on older movies. It goes without saying that these are excellent films. The movies, especially Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon, have been absorbed into the American national culture and references to them are seen everywhere from modern movies and books to Bugs Bunny cartoons. Bogart is great as a tough but three dimensional character. The supporting actors including Peter Lorre, Lauren Bacall, Sidney Greenstreet, Ingrid Bergman and Mary Astor are likewise interesting. This box set is a necessity for anyone who loves old movies.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Boxed Set of Classic Bogart
Review: This boxed set contains four great classic movies. It is a perfect choice for any fan of Humphrey Bogart or classic films. Each movie is well rendered onto DVD and contains a great selection of special features often lacking on older movies. It goes without saying that these are excellent films. The movies, especially Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon, have been absorbed into the American national culture and references to them are seen everywhere from modern movies and books to Bugs Bunny cartoons. Bogart is great as a tough but three dimensional character. The supporting actors including Peter Lorre, Lauren Bacall, Sidney Greenstreet, Ingrid Bergman and Mary Astor are likewise interesting. This box set is a necessity for anyone who loves old movies.
Rating:
Summary: Read the individual reviews
Review: This collection will include the titles: The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Key Largo, & The Maltese Falcon on four separate discs. Each of these rates 5 stars by itself - should this collection then rate 20 stars ? Actually - I've seen the existing DVDs of these movies and not the actual ones in this collection. But since I have no information about any new editions being produced they are likely to be the same. A great way to start a Bogart DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Collection contents.
Review: This collection will include the titles: The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Key Largo, & The Maltese Falcon on four separate discs. Each of these rates 5 stars by itself - should this collection then rate 20 stars ? Actually - I've seen the existing DVDs of these movies and not the actual ones in this collection. But since I have no information about any new editions being produced they are likely to be the same. A great way to start a Bogart DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous collection
Review: 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.
|
