To Have and Have Not - Review

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To Have and Have Not
Bogie (as Harry 'Steve' Morgan) and Lauren Bacall (as Marie 'Slim' Browning)	To Have and Have Not, as legend has it, was born of a wager by Howard Hawks to Ernest Hemingway that he could make a movie out of Hemingway's worst book. That book being Hemingway's 1937 novel of the same name. Hawk's, in collaboration with Jules Furthman and William Faulkner, did a "loose" rewrite of the novel and cast Bogart and the then unheard of Betty Perske (Lauren Bacall) in the lead roles. The rest is history. To Have and Have Not introduced the world to "Bogie and Bacall" and the three folowing films that the couple made together.
Watching To Have and Have Not I am strongly reminded of 1942's Casablanca. We have a WWII setting. We have Bogie (this time around as Steve Morgan) in a very similar role as the tough and world weary survivor who still "sticks his neck out for no one". We have a French resistance fighter in need of his help, and we even have a piano player (this time around played by Hoagy Carmichael)... To be fair it should be noted that the original story setting was Cuba and the theme was the corrupt Cuban government, but due to political issues between the US and Cuba at the time it was changed to the more familiar rehashed German/French conflict. The big difference between To Have and Casablanca however is the romantic storyline. Although Bogie's Steve Morgan (similarly to Casablanca's Rick Blaine) carries wounds from a past relationship, Bacall as Slim browning is a very different character to Bergman's Ilsa. Wheras Ilsa has an almost angelic beauty and dignity Bacall's Slim is very raw and streetsmart. And the dynamics between Bogie's and Bacall's characters are very different and original. To Have and Have Not also introduces a female rival (played by Dolores Moran) for Slim. Overall an enjoyable film in which the relationship dynamics of Bacall and Bogie take front stage to the story as the films most appealing point. Also of note is the wonderful performance by Walter Brennan as Bogie's sidekick, and the other great supporting cast which also includes Marcel Dalio, Walter Szurovy, Dan Seymour and Walter Sande. Shot in Black & White. The DVD presents the film in it's Original Aspect Ratio of 1.33 to 1. Extra Features include: - Original Theatrical Trailer - A Love Story: The Story of To Have and Have Not - (short but very interesting 10 min featurette exploring the film's production history and Bogie and Bacall's romantic beginnings as they fall in love on set). - A 1946 radio broadcast of the production again starring Bogart and Bacall. - A Merrie Melodies cartoon- Bacall to Arms Available individually or as part of Bogie and Bacall - The Signature Collection.