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Summary: It Will Not Remind You of The Hemingway Novel
Review: The movie is only vaguely reminiscent of the Hemingway story which was written in 1937 after the author finished his assignment as foreign correspondent covering the Spanish Civil War. The film takes place in Martinique following the beginning of World War II and it involves fighting between supporters of the new Vichy government and Free French partisans of Charles de Gaulle.The motion picture actually resembles CASABLANCA but it manages to be memorable in its own right mostly because of superb performances by Bogart and Bacall. Dan Seymour also does a magnificent job of playing the thoroughly obnoxious Captain Renard. Walter Brennan is a fairly good character actor but he is not very convincing in his portrayal of the alcoholic Eddy.
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Summary: "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve?"
Review: In 1944, director Howard Hawks (1896-1977, who directed "Sergeant York" in 1941 and many John Wayne films in the 1960's) directed the film version of Ernest Hemingway's novel, "To Have And Have Not", which was published in 1937. Starring the legendary Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) as Harry 'Steve' Morgan, the story takes place in 1940 on the Caribbean island of Martinique, a French colony, not long after France's surrender to Nazi Germany in World War II and the establishment of the infamous Vichy Republic. Harry Morgan owns and operates a private fishing boat and provides services to sports fishermen. His only interests are his personal well-being and his best friend & shipmate Eddie (Walter Brennan, 1894-1974, who won three Oscars for Best Supporting Actor between 1937 and 1941), who is also an alcoholic. Things begin to change for Harry when he meets the voluptuous Marie 'Slim' Browning (played by the legendary Lauren Bacall in her big-screen film debut) at a hotel/restaurant/nightclub owned by Gerard 'Frenchy' (Marcel Dario, 1900-1983). Marie is stuck on Martinique due to insufficient money, but uses her pick pocketing abilities to get cash, as well as sing in the nightclub with its pianist, Cricket (the composer Hoagy Carmichael, 1899-1981, best known for his songs "Stardust", "Ole Buttermilk Sky", "Georgia on My Mind"). Harry's life changes further when Frenchy gets him involved with several Free-French activists attempting to escape detection by Vichy officials, especially the head of the Martinique police, Capt. M. Renard (Dan Seymour, 1915-1993). Sadly, "To Have and Have Not" did not receive any Oscar nominations, which may be in part due to Humphrey Bogart's starring role and nomination for Best Actor for the 1942 film "Casablanca". Though there are superficial similarities between "To Have and Have Not" and "Casablanca", viewers should remember that Ernest Hemingway's novel ("To Have and Have Not") was published 5 years prior to the production of "Casablanca", but the novel was altered slightly for film to incorporate aspects of World War II. Other memorable characters in "To Have and Have Not" include Paul de Bursac (Walter Molnar, who also goes by the name Walter Szurovy), his wife Mme. Hellene de Bursac (Dolores Moran), Johnson (Walter Sande) and Lt. Coyo (Sheldon Leonard). Overall, I rate the film and DVD of "To Have and Have Not" with 5 out of 5 stars. The DVD includes a Warner Brothers "Merrie Melodies" cartoon entitled "Bacall at Arms" (1946), which was based upon the film "To Have and Have Not" and includes fun animations of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.
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Summary: Bogart in Hemingway's Martinique novel...
Review: To Have and Have Not is an adaptation of Hemingway's novel that takes place on the French colony of Martinique after the Nazis occupation of France. Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart), a tough and professional fisherman, arranges fishing trips for people and he currently has an American client who owes him a large amount of money. In addition, there are some Frenchmen who want to hire him for a night trip, but it is not for fishing. The atmosphere is getting more tense as the local police force kills Harry's American client and brings Harry in for questioning. The director creates a terrific film as he tells the story about Harry who tries to find a way to get back on his feet during a rough time, which leaves the audience with a good film experience.
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Summary: Bogie and Bacall sizzle on screen
Review: If ever two stars were made for each other on screen it would have to be movie greats Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in "To Have And Have Not" a sultery Film Noir if ever there was one. The film literally oozes with seductive qualities in scene after scene aided beautifully by the shady photography so characteristic of this genre. Made in the closing period of World War 2 it marked not only another Howard Hawks triumph both critically and financially but also featured a truly stunning film debut for the deep voiced Lauren Bacall. She would have to be judged one of the great discoveries of this mid 40's period and she proved her worth time and again in many great films over the years. One of the great romances of the Golden years of Hollywood began on this film and resulted in Bacall and Bogart continuing their love affair into the making of another classic "The Big Sleep" and becoming man and wife in real life. It is hard to believe in "To Have And To Have Not" that Bacall was only 19 years of age, she seems so assured and quite up to matching the veteran Bogart line by line. In the role of Mary (Slim) Browning a girl stranded in the colony of Martinique Bacall portrays a self sufficent woman living by her wits who comes across an unlikely object for affection in Bogart's Harry Morgan a fishing Boat owner who in between hiring out his vessel for fishing excursions through a set of circumstances finds himself working for the French resistance movement ilegally ferrying out supporters of the regime out of enemy territory. Theirs is a meeting of two unlikely characters but from their first scene the sparks fly as Bogart sees that Bacall is no pushover and Bacall realises that there is more to Bogart than the rough exterior indicates. "To Have And To Have Not" would have to undoubtedly rank in the top 5 of Bogart' best films along with "The Maltese Falcon", "Casablanca" and "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" and others. It presented the unique image of a screen actor who didn't need to possess matinee idol good looks to be a romantic lead. That was Bogart's unique quality in film after film and in "To Have" he has the perfect vechicle for all his great qualities, a tale filled with romance, intrigue, action, gripping narrative. The film has it all. Based on a not very successful novel by Ernest Hemingway who often wrote about people living on the edge or those who had lost purpose in their lives, "To Have And To Have Not' deals with such a dislocated group. In the film most peoples lives are based on temporary arrangements with the prospects of their situation being altered at any moment whether it be by the war, another person's emotions or the environment they live in. This atmosphere gives this story alot of its raw energy and crisp tension that simmers throughout only to burst out near the exciting conclusion. As charismatic as Bogart and Bacall are in this film the stellar supporting cast also add to the overraul class and effect that this story has. Lanky Walter Brennan, a performer in many a cornball story is most effective in the role of drunken Eddie a mate of Harry's who lives for his next nip of alcohol and is a loyal friend who gets caught up in all the action in Martinique. Dolores Moran as Hellene de Bursac who Bogart rescues from enemy teritory is also most effective in her small role. The big surprise is the appearance of Hoagy Carmichael as the piano player in the bar where Harry and "Slim '(Bacall) hang out and trade quips. His scenes are so like scenes from "Casabanca" but he brings a great 40's feel to his playing that is such a pleasure to watch and adds greatly to the authentic feel of the film. Humphrey Bogart is certainly watchable in almost any film he made, good or bad but rarely has he had such a great role as that in "To Have And To Have Not" Certainly the film has a "Casablanca" feel about it but it should be judged on its own merits with an exciting storyline, sultry leading lady, plenty of adventure and humour and a beautiful seductive look to it that makes it one of the great romantic films of the mid 1940's. Enjoy!
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Summary: The movie that introduced Bogart to Bacall & us now on DVD!
Review: Warner BrothersEnterainment does an outstanding job an converting this classic to DVD. This was one of Hollywoods immortal romantic couples along with Gable and Lombard and Tracy and Hepburn. One difference Bogart and Bacall's passion was forever captured on the silver screen. We would always see those first torrid moments of acting become real life love story. Lauren Bacall was nineteen year old upcoming star who was mentored by Hawks, with a Vernoica Lake hair sytle, alluring eyes and the deepest sexiest voice. You could feel Humphrey Bogarts emotions and admiration for this new sultry siren star. Quickly they became involved and later married and did 5 more films together. "To Have and Have Not" was the perfect launch vehicle for the Bogart - Bacall Phenomenon. Loosely based on Ernest Hemingways novel of the same name, Bogart is an American fishing boat captain in Martinique a French owned island during WWII. A similar story line to Casablanca except he gets the girl. This is a classic movie and a must have for the DVD Bogart library. Special Features include; Featurette "A love Story", The Story of "To Have And Have Not", vintage bogart & Bacall cartoon, a 1946 Lux Radio Theater Production starring Bogart and Bacall and Theatrical Trailer.
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Summary: The first meeting of this immortal couple
Review: 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.
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Summary: Thank Goodness for Bogart and Bacall
Review: Someday, someone will successfully explain how an entire generation of film critics fooled themselves and their readers into thinking that director Howard Hawks was a major talent instead of the insignificant, boring hack that he was. "To Have and Have Not" is one of his more famous efforts, chiefly because of the pairing of Bogart and Bacall who do, indeed, manage to raise it above Hawks's otherwise grindingly mediocre level. Whether or not the Hemingway novel is indeed his "worst," the movie manages to entertain in the routine Hollywood fashion, relying heavily on the star presences and the pale echoes of "Casablanca." (Hemingway and Hawks are all too perfectly matched.) It is interesting to speculate what the repuation of this "classic" would be had Bogart and Bacall not fallen for each other off-camera. I suspect that no one would think of it as anything much more than the adolescent white boy fantasy that it is. As adventure it is tedious, as atmosphere laughable, as film making, typically slack and uninvolving. It does have one of the most famous lines of dialogue in movie history. But one classic line of dialogue does not make the movie that includes it anything more than lucky. Judged by any objective criterion, "To Have and Have Not" is about as significant in the history of cinema as a two-reel serial, and considerably less entertaining.
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Summary: IN MY ALL TIME TOP TEN!
Review: This is the best Bacall and Bogart movie! It is the epitome of male and female coolness with savvy one-liners and quirky characters. A classic not to miss!!
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Summary: definitely "to have"...in your collection
Review: Forget the TCM channel and AMC, buy this DVD and keep it close to the player because you'll want to play it over and again. Repeat viewing of this timeless classic is necessary to garner further appreciation for the quality of acting of these two legends. The mysterious allure of Bogart is conveyed as well, if not better, in this film than any of his others and Bacall's sultry voice and slinky figure clearly serve as an origin upon which many contemporary (e.g.-Kathleen Turner) portrayals are based. This film has chemistry, timing and subtle wit but falls a bit short of a 5 star classic based on the less than epic script.
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Summary: You know how to whistle
Review: This is a great movie; a most have for any film buff and Bogart fan. Though the story is very Casablanca-sque, the pairing of Bogart and Bacall is legandary. This is the film that started their romance and the spark they had in real life was shown in the film.
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