To Have and Have Not (1944)
Grade: 77
"To Have And Have Not" is a highly entertaining movie that combines drama and romance. The script and story is very good, and the cast is excellent, stocked with many favorite actors from the 1940s.
Humphrey Bogart is an entrepreneur in Vichy-controlled France, making a living renting his fishing boat. His sidekick is lovable drunkard Walter Brennan. He lives in a hotel owned by Frenchy, a Free French loyalist. Hoagy Carmichael tinkles the ivories in the hotel bar, where Bogart befriends pickpocket Lauren Bacall. Bogart and Bacall get mixed up with the Free France movement, leading to encounters with the local authorities led by Dan Seymour.
There are many similarities to "Casablanca". Bogart plays the same tough guy with a tender heart. He fights the agents of the Nazis. His love interest is a much younger blonde. He spends time in a bar with a piano player. Dan Seymour is in both films. "To Have and Have Not" is not quite in the same class, however, as the script is not as great and the direction is much looser, with several filler scenes that are fun but reduce essential dramatic tension.
The chemistry between Bogart and Bacall is remarkable. Of course, they became married in real life. In this film, however, it seems odd that Bogart's character, a jaded but honest sort, would put so much faith in a young pickpocket. This was Bacall's first movie.
The more interesting relationship is between Bogart and Brennan. Bogart respects Brennan despite his constant begging for drinks. Brennan is fond of asking strangers whether they've been bit by a dead bee, and both Brennan and Bogart listen closely to the tone of the stranger's answer. It is a quick character test, and if the stranger is annoyed by the question, he fails the test.
The 1940s seem to have a higher percentage of great films than other decades. Usually a glance at the cast is all that is needed to tell whether the film is fluff or substantial. "To Have and Have Not" demonstrates that a good story and a strong cast can make a very good film, without the emphasis on action, stunts and special effects that more recent films have.
http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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