Bacall on Bogart

This documentary on Humphrey Bogart does not seem to be particularly well known. However, if you are a fan of Bogey or the so-called 'Golden Age' of Hollywood you would most likely enjoy this 90-minute presentation.

It is largely narrated by Bogart's fourth wife Lauren Bacall, and follows Bogart's life beginning with his early years in New York City. If you thought he grew up in Hell's Kitchen or some other rough neighborhood that would be understandable. But Humphrey was actually raised in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and attended private schools. After serving briefly in World War I, the documentary covers his debut on stage, and eventual migration to Hollywood in the 1930s.

After appearing in quite a few mediocre films Bogart appeared in both the stage and film versions of The Petrified Forest, which cemented his reputation as a tough guy/outsider, and thrilled audiences. As a result he began landing more desirable roles such as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and Rick Blaine in Casablanca.

While Bacall does not dwell on much of the negatives in Bogey's life, the documentary does note that his personal life remained rocky and uncertain even as his career thrived. Several marriages came and went, and he smoked like a chimney. But, his fortune changed when he met Lauren Bacall on the set of To Have and Have Not. They eventually married, he fathered two children, and enjoyed some semblance of a normal life despite Bacall being considerably younger.

The documentary covers Bogart's personal life too, such as time with his family, his love of sailboats, and some political and social activities. There are also a number of short interviews with some of his friends, such as Richard Brooks, John Huston, and actress Katharine Hepburn, and the old 'Studio System' which dominated Hollywood in his era is discussed.

The film later notes that Bogart's health was declining in the early 1950s, even as he appeared in several memorable films such as The African Queen and The Caine Mutiny, and Sabrina.

The only real drawback to Bacall on Bogart is that it's pretty one-sided. After all, his wife presented most of the information, and she was apparently still very much in love with him when this production was made in 1988. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth watching as the documentary shows that there was a lot more to Humphrey Bogart than his acting roles.

Bacall on Bogart (1988)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Nice documentary about the life and career of Humphrey Bogart is narrated by his wife and co-star Lauren Bacall. Including interviews with Katharine Hepburn, John Huston, Van Johnson, Richard Brooks, Peter Bogdanovich and Ingrid Bergman, the documentary covers Bogart's early films all the way up to the classics like THE MALTESE FALCON and CASABLANCA and concludes with his final movie THE HARDER THEY FALL. Considering the era this was made, the documentary does a pretty good job at mixing the stories about Bogart's personal life as well as stuff dealing with his films. For the majority of the time we look at his films and this includes many of those that are now forgotten by most. Most people seem to forget that Bogart was working in movies for nearly eleven years before he finally became a star. Clips from these rare pictures are here and of course there's plenty of footage from the classics. Hepburn gets to talk about their work on THE African QUEEN as well as the final time that she and Spencer Tracy saw Bogart. Bergman talks about the production issues on CASABLANCA and Brooks talks about directing Bogart on DEADLINE U.S.A.. Bacall has the most personal stories as she not only talks about the four films they made together but also their children, wedding and their life outside of Hollywood. Fans of Bogart are certainly going to enjoy hearing all of these stories as well as seeing the film clips but thankfully with the birth of Turner Classic Movies, most of these films are now readily available.

"Bacall on Bogart" is an excellent portrait film. It delivers an educational overview of Bogart's career and life focusing primarily on the essentials: his career, his movies, the roles he is remembered by. Excerpts from most of his movies are featured, with particular focus on hits such as "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon" and numerous rarely seen or unreleased clips.

It is also an unusually elegant experience, hosted by the eloquent Lauren Bacall, who shares many interesting insights about her late husband as a person and as a professional. Interviews with peers such as Katharine Hepburn and John Huston, who share wonderful memories and memorable characterizations, also help bring the viewer closer to the legend in an exceptionally strong and informative portrait of one of the world's favorite film actors.

This is one of the longer bonus features you'll see on a DVD but it is well worth your time if you are a fan of Humphrey Bogart. The late actor's wife, Lauren Bacall, looks back fondly at her hubby, so this is a loving tribute. There is a lot of information here, along with film footage of his famous and not-so-famous films, plus a few home movies and a television clip or two.

Actually, anyone who lives classic-era movies should enjoy this documentary, which can be seen as a bonus feature on the two-disc Special Edition DVD of "Casablanca." It was originally aired on television 20 years ago.

Bacall doesn't mention any unpleasant things about Bogie so you don't get the whole picture, but she a nice job of discussing her late husband, who has been deceased now for a half century. Bacall is eloquent in her reminisces. So, too, are the many varied contributors in this tribute to "Bogie," from directors to actors. Some of the interviews are archive footage as those folks had also passed away when this documentary was made, but most are done "live" for this documentary. Director Richard Brooks seemed the most dramatic of the group.

Some of the interesting things one wouldn't see just in Bogie's film career but are shown in this documentary included:

Bogart being interviewed on the old Ed Sullivan "Toast Of The Town" TV program and cracking jokes on the Jack Benny Show; film clips from Bogie's first films in 1930 where he's actually a fresh-faced young man; clips on the set in Africa of "The African Queen" where he admits he spent most of the time griping about being there; home movies of his wedding and Bogie playing with their kids (Bogart turned father at the age of 49!), and much more. .

Bacall shows clips of her husband doing what he loved most: sailing. He was a true man of the sea and thought that was the greatest spot on earth to be, where it was calm and quiet. She also mentions that her husband was not the guy everyone saw on screen.

In addition, we got some inside information about the filming of Casablanca, and how tense the actors were since nobody - including the writers - knew what the ending was going to be until they just about reached that part. I never realized Bogart was in a film in 1953 that actually was the original "MASH" military-comedy. They just didn't call it that, deferring to "Battle Circus," instead.

Overall, although anything but objective, it's a nice, kind tribute to one of the most famous actors in the history of film.

Great documentary on the great actor, Humphrey Bogart. Presented by Lauren Bacall, his wife at the time of his death. Insightful commentary, and some rare footage.