167: To Have and Have Not

US  100m  Dir: Howard Hawks  Key Cast: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

Based on: To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway (Novel)

It is perhaps no surprise that I quite enjoyed this because I love Casablanca and this film is heavily inspired by Casablanca.

In 1940 on Martinique Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) is the weary operator of a sport-fishing boat with his alcoholic friend Eddie (Walter Brennan). Harry meets American wanderer Marie 'Slim' Browning (Lauren Bacall) and they form a sexually-charged romance. Due to the involvement of pro-German Vichy France Harry finds himself penniless and so accepts a dangerous mission to smuggle people to the island from the French Resistance. 

Though the writing isn't bad by any means, it's a surprise that this is actually the only film story worked on by two Nobel Laureates, Ernest Hemingway whose novel this is loosely based on and William Faulkner who co-wrote the script. 

The thing that works above all else here is the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. There's little new here for Bogart who plays his usual roguish man with a good heart but he is so brilliant at that type of role. This was Bacall's debut role and she is fantastic, easily matching Bogart's charisma and using sexuality in a way that is was rarely seen in American films of the time. The pair have such good chemistry that they had an affair and then got married, staying together right through to Bogart's death in 1957.

The film really does feel like Casablanca with a few tweaks including a happier ending. That's not a bad thing because a good romance mixed in with taking on Nazis (well it's Vichy France here but they play the same role) works really well. It does however feel like you've seen it all before and though this is good it isn't quite up there with one of the very best films of all time.

A re-tread of Casablanca which is worth watching for the chemistry of it's leads.