The Humphrey Bogart Collection - The Maltese Falcon / Casablanca / The Big Sleep / Key Largo [DVD]

Description

Collection of four classic features starring Humphrey Bogart. 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941) follows Sam Spade (Bogart), a cynical private eye caught up in the hunt for a jewel-encrusted falcon while searching for the murderer of his partner, Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan). His fellow treasure hunters include a sinister 'little and large' act, a psychotic tearaway, and the duplicitous femme fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor). In 'Casablanca' (1942), during World War II, former lovers Rick Blaine (Bogart) and Ilse (Ingrid Bergman) are reunited by chance in Casablanca where he runs a nightclub and she is working for the French Resistance. Recriminations, rekindled desires and patriotic duty battle for primacy as Ilse's husband tries to outwit the local Nazis and escape from Morocco, whilst Rick and Ilse rekindle their love and decide to run away together. 'The Big Sleep' (1946) follows private detective Philip Marlowe (Bogart) as he agrees to rid a wealthy family of a blackmailer who is threatening the younger daughter, only to then fall in love with the elder sister Vivian (Lauren Bacall). Finally, in 'Key Largo' (1948) Frank McCloud (Bogart) is staying at a run-down hotel on an isolated Florida island when it is taken over by a gangster and his entourage. However, an impending hurricane gives McCloud the opportunity and courage to take matters into his own hands as he attempts to lure the gangster to his death. Review: You Don't Get The Hump WIth Humphrey - When I was a child growinng up in the nineteen sixties, I would watch Humphrey Bogart movies with my dad on our old balck and white TV. Being a youngster, they seemed absolutely arcane - right ou of the Ark. However, age brings with it wisdom (allegedly), and I have really come to appreciate what a fine, fine actor Humphret Bogart was. Even when he was younger, he looked old, and his best performances carry with them a world-weariness and slightly cynical, bruised romanticism that is never less than compelling. This four disc set really shows the contrasting sides of Bogart's acting style, from hard boiled - his portrayal of the Dashiell Hammett Sam Spade character, through to the Philip Marlowe detective in the Raymond Chandler novellisation of 'The Big Sleep' (which has a bewildering plot that is still hard to follow seventy-odd years later, through to the Romantic Rick in 'Casablanca', giving up his True Love Ingrid Bergman for Paul Henried, and then to 'Key Largo', acting alongside his future wife Lauren Bacall. These four discs are a vivid showcase of Bogart's subtlety, nuance, warmth and wit, full of style and grace. As a closing remark, may I direct you to the song '2HB', a track on the first Roxy Music album, wherein Bryan Ferry brilliantly sums up the enduring appeal of Humphrey Bogart. Buy this set - it won't break the bank, and it will joyously repay repeat viewings over the years. Luminously brilliant. Review: All good. - Good quality,delivered on time,no problems.