SNMR 3.5: "To Have and Have Not"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "To Have and Have Not" (1944, NR, 100 minutes, B&W), starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Dolores Moran, and Hoagey Carmichael. The film was directed by Howard Hawks.

I checked this movie out from the Nashua Public Library and had never watched it before a few weeks ago. Never even heard of it, in fact. Bogey and Bacall are fantastic.

From the DVD's dust case:

Help the Free French? Not world-weary Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart). But he changes his mind when a sultry siren named Marie asks, "Anybody got a match?" That red-hot match is Bogart and 19 year old Lauren Bacall in her acting debut. Full of intrigue and racy banter (certain whistling instructions), this thriller excites further interest for what it has and has not. Cannily directed by Howard Hawks and smartly written by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman, it doesn't have much similarity to Ernest Hemingway's novel. And it strongly resembles Casablanca: French resistance fighters, a bluesy piano man (Hoagy Carmichael) and a Martinique bar like Rick's Cafe' Americain. But foremost, it has Bogart and Bacall, carrying on with a passion that smolders from the tips of their cigarettes clear to their souls.

From Martin & Porter's DVD and Video Guide 2007, p.1159:

Director Howard Hawks once bet Ernest Hemingway he could make a good film from one of the author's worst books. Needless to say, he won the bet with this exquisite entertainment, which teamed Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall for the first time.

I can now see and understand why Bogey and Bacall have such great film chemistry in all of their films. I could never tell that this was Bacall's first film - you'd think she was a grizzly veteran like Bogart. The script is snappy and fast paced. Bacall's sultry shimmer towards the end of the film is very nice... The supporting cast is good. This enjoyable little movie is definitely worthwhile to rent or buy if you can find it. I'll give this classic film five out of five stars.