Customer Reviews

The Humphrey Bogart Collection (The Big Sleep/The Maltese Falcon/Casablanca/Key Largo)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I would wait for the two disc release ( if it ever arrives ) of Maltese Falcon, and Big Sleep.

Maltese Falcon was sloppily restored, and is missing the tail end of the scene during which Bogart was threatened by Lorre, in Bogart's own office. I do not know why the scene was deleted, but it came as a surprise!

This boxed set contains four great classic movies. It is a perfect choice for any fan of Humphrey Bogart or classic films. Each movie is well rendered onto DVD and contains a great selection of special features often lacking on older movies. It goes without saying that these are excellent films. The movies, especially Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon, have been absorbed into the American national culture and references to them are seen everywhere from modern movies and books to Bugs Bunny cartoons. Bogart is great as a tough but three dimensional character. The supporting actors including Peter Lorre, Lauren Bacall, Sidney Greenstreet, Ingrid Bergman and Mary Astor are likewise interesting. This box set is a necessity for anyone who loves old movies.

What a GREAT collection! Casablanca's the trademark Bogart movie and one of the top five film classics for all time. Bogie and Bacall team together in the "Key Largo" and the "Big Sleep". The "Maltese Falcon" is a fine addition to round the set out. After all, it was suspense film about "..the thing that dreams are made of". If your shelf has room for two more Bogart favorites, I'd suggest "To Have and Have Not", Bacall's first film performance and "Treasure of the Sierra Madres", directed by John Huston.

Aaaahhh ... Bogey. AFI's No. 1 film star of the 20th century. Hollywood's original noir anti-hero, epitome of the handsome, cynical and oh-so lonesome wolf (in this set alone, playing the Top 4 [Rick Blaine] and Top 32 [Philip Marlowe] guys on the AFI's 20th century Top 50 film heroes list); looking unbeatably cool in his fedora, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Endowed with a legendary aura several times larger than his real life stature, and still admired by scores of women wishing they had been born 50+ years earlier, preferably somewhere in California and to parents connected with the movie business, so as to have at least a marginal chance of meeting him.

This set contains four of Bogart's greatest successes; three of them ("The Maltese Falcon," "Casablanca" and "The Big Sleep") career-defining moments for both him and his female costars - now all of them Hollywood legends in their own right. Yet, looking at these movies' and their stars' almost mythical fame ("Casablanca," on the AFI list of Top 100 20th century movies second only to "Citizen Kane," and at No. 23 "The Maltese Falcon" not too far behind) it is difficult to imagine that, produced at the height of the studio system era, each of them was originally just one of the roughly 50 movies released over the course of one year. But mass production didn't equal low quality; on the contrary, the great care given to all production values, from script-writing to camera work, editing, score and the stars' presentation in the movies themselves and in their trailers, was at least partly responsible for their lasting success. So, the release of "The Big Sleep" was delayed for a year not only because its first version was completed around the end of WWII and Warner Brothers wanted to get their still-unreleased war movies into theaters first, but also, significantly, because Bacall's agent convinced director Howard Hawks to reshoot several scenes to better highlight the sassy, mysterious new star 19-year-old Bacall had become after her first movie with Bogart, the 1943 realization of Ernest Hemingway's "To Have and Have Not" (likewise directed by Hawks and scripted by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman; conversely to "The Big Sleep," however, without any input from Leigh Brackett). And even more famously, the screenplay for "Casablanca" was constantly rewritten even throughout the filming process, to the point that particularly Ingrid Bergman was extremely worried because she was unsure whether at the end she (Ilsa) would leave Casablanca with Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) or stay there with Rick (Bogart).

"The Maltese Falcon" (1941), directed by John Huston and based on Dashiell Hammett's 1930 like-named novel, transformed Bogart's on-screen persona from the tough, often two-dimensional gangsters he had portrayed before (beginning with the 1936 adaptation of Robert Sherwood's "Petrified Forest" where, like in its 1934 stage production, Bogart had starred opposite Leslie Howard, with Bette Davis as the female lead). Imbuing his tough guy shell with a softer core, Bogart instantly became Hammett's Sam Spade and, moreover, the film noir anti-hero per se; a role that stayed with him throughout the rest of his career, and in which he still remains virtually unparalleled. Also contributing to the movie's success were Bogart's outstanding costars; first and foremost Mary Astor as the double-crossing Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet in one of several appearances opposite Bogart as Astor's competitors for possession of the Maltese Knights' mysterious, immensely precious gift to Emperor Charles V.

"Casablanca" (1942), directed by Michael Curtiz, was based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's play "Everybody Comes to Rick's," but renamed by the studio which wanted to tag onto the success of its 1938 hit "Algiers" (starring Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr). Further expanding Bogart's increasingly complex on-screen personality, it added a romantic quality which had heretofore been missing (eventually making this the AFI's Top 20th century love story, even before the No. 2 "Gone With the Wind"), with a unique, inimitable blend of drama, passion, humor, exotic North African atmosphere, patriotism, unforgettable score (courtesy of "As Time Goes By," Max Steiner and Louis Kaufman's violin) and an all-star cast, consisting besides Bogart, Bergman and Henreid of Claude Rains (Captain Renault), Dooley Wilson (who, a drummer by trade, had to fake his piano playing as Rick's friend Sam), Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser) and again Sydney Greenstreet (Ferrari) and Peter Lorre (Ugarte). And the movie's countless famous one-liners have long attained legendary status in their own right ...

"The Big Sleep" reprised Bogart's noir gumshoe role, this time based on Raymond Chandler's first (1939) Philip Marlowe novel. Despite the stellar caliber of its screen writers, the movie is as infamous as Chandler's book for its labyrinthine plot, which reportedly even Chandler himself couldn't completely untangle (nor did he care to). Both on and off screen it solidified the chemistry between Bogart and Bacall, who married before its 1946 release, and firmly established then-22-year-old Lauren Bacall as one of Hollywood's new leading ladies.

"Key Largo" (1948) finally, directed by John Huston, was Bogart and Bacall's last on-screen collaboration and also constituted a reversal of roles between Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, opposite whom Bogart had appeared in 1930s movies like "Bullets or Ballots," "Kid Galahad," and "Brother Orchid:" Whereas there the complexer parts had been Robinson's (while Bogart's characters had had little or no redeeming qualities whatsoever), now it was Bogey who, world-weary and reluctant, got to face up to Robinson's ruthless gangster Johnny Rocco in the sultry setting of the Florida Keys under the onslaught of a hurricane; with great supporting performances by Lionel Barrymore as Bacall's father-in-law and Claire Trevor as Rocco's disillusioned, alcoholic lover.

Final note: There is a 2-disc edition of "Casablanca" with more extras than the 1-disc edition included here, which fans will definitely want to get. However, this edition is still worth the purchase for the remaining three movies alone, which individually cost more than the *four* movies contained herein together.

Also recommended:
Algiers
Notorious - Criterion Collection
Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 1 (Casablanca Two-Disc Special Edition / The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Two-Disc Special Edition / They Drive by Night / High Sierra)
Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille)
Bogie and Bacall - The Signature Collection (The Big Sleep / Dark Passage / Key Largo / To Have and Have Not)
Complete Novels: Red Harvest, The Dain Curse, The Maltese Falcon, The Glass Key, and The Thin Man (Library of America #110)
Raymond Chandler: Stories and Early Novels: Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window (Library of America)
Brother Orchid
Bullets or Ballots
Chinatown (Special Collector's Edition)

This is a must for any fan of Bogart or old movies in general. The picture quality of this DVD set is excellent. The movies selected are all outstanding. Excellent performances by Edward G Robinson (Key Largo), Lauren Bacall, the incomparable Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Laurie and of course Ingrid Bergman. I wish they had included a fifth selection TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. That would have made this an even more complete survey of Bogart's work. However based on the 4 films represented here you can't go wrong with this selection.

There are no scenes deleted in The Maltese Falcon dvd. This patron also posted for TMF dvd itself. I quote: 'The deleted scene is the one whereby Lorre is given back his gun by Bogart, lorre then points it at Bogart yet again-and the dvd fades to black to prepare for the next scene. What is deleted is Bogart laughing at Lorre and saying "Go right ahead (laugh, laugh), You go right ahead" THEN fade to black.' That scene is most definitely in there. I just watched it to check.

This dvd set features five ESSENTIAL Bogart films. It's true that The Big Sleep, To Have And Have Not, and The Maltese Falcon could all do with some restoration --but I'd say that the flaws don't detract that much from the films themselves, and until that day comes this set is a must for the Bogart fan.

Humphrey Bogart is still considered by many to be the greatest movie star of all time. These five films are a brilliant testament as to why. I advise you to score.

I just had to have this box set. Apart from missing "The African Queen", it contains Bogart's four other classics for $5 each (I bought this when it was $19.95). The value for money is extraordinary. I'm not going to lavish praises on each of these films as we all know they are classic movies. As for the package, I was suprised at a few things:

1) The cases are not typical DVD cases. Most box sets have the usual cases that insert into the box, but these cases are thinner and not entirely plastic. Imagine the part of a DVD case that the disc sits in, then wrap cardboard around it which clips into the plastic where a normal case would. So, each movie has basically a cardboard front with a plastic back. The box is therefore thinner than a typical 4 DVD box set (its about 3 1/2 discs in width, so you couldn't buy blank cases and insert them). I'm a little disappointed.

2) On a brighter note, you get two versions of "The Big Sleep": the 1946 theatrical version with reshot scenes; and the 1945 prerelease version which has a 'plot and resolution ... more linear in fashion'.

3) There is no booklet which would have any information about the movies, actors, directors, etc. Each movie does have its own special features:

Key Largo - production notes, trailers, subtitles.

The Big Sleep - documentary comparing the two versions plus the same features as above.

Casablanca - 'You Must Remember This' documentary featuring outakes and hosted by Lauren Bacall plus the same features as Key Largo.

Maltese Falcon - documentary of Bogart's career through his Warner Bros trailers, an essay on the history of mystery and the same features as Key Largo.

Overall, these are my four favorite Bogart films and I'm exstatic to have found them in one box. I've subtracted one star for the disappointing box.

You cannot beat this classic Bogey collection with Casablanca (likely the best movie ever), Key Largo (great standoff between Bogart and Edward G. Robinson) and Maltese Falcon (the movie that made Bogart a leading man). However, I have come to really admire The Big Sleep with great acting, complicated plot and outstanding chemistry between Bogart and Bacall. Another great feature of the Big Sleep is the two versions of the film presented (1945 and 1946 versions) and the history explaining the reasons for the two versions. Everyone should have this set in their DVD collection!

This Humphrey Bogart collection contains four top-notch examples of the Bogie mystique. Two of the films star Lauren Bacall, and act as bookends; being both the first and last of the films they made together. Michael Curtiz was responsible for the beloved "Casablanca." This glossy noir is a great film, and it nearly always ranks high when lists are compiled of classic films by critics. While there are better examples of noir on film, "Casablanca" has a mix of romance and doomed love that is hard to beat. Ingrid Bergman, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre are memorable, and the last lines of the film are some of the most famous ever spoken.

John Huston directed two of the films in this collection. The first was Dashiell Hammett's classic novel, "The Maltese Falcon." It is a fine literate translation of Hammett's detective story, with Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre all lusting after one thing, except perhaps for Astor, who may be after more. Bogart stays cool amidst this tale of moral ambiguity and greed, but Huston and Bogart let you know it's all an act when he shows Sam Spade's hands shaking. It is perhaps a little too literate at times, as the viewer feels a distance from what's going on up on the screen, but nonetheless, it's an excellent film. Huston's other film included here, "Key Largo," is also something special.

John Huston crafted this very fine film with the underlying theme of isolation from a play by Maxwell Anderson. The backdrop of a gangster taking over a hotel in the Florida Keys is filled with inner emotional depth rather than a lot of action, making this the most mature and realistic of romances Bogart and Bacall would have on screen.

Major Frank McCloud (Bogart) shows up at the Largo hotel in the Keys to see his war buddy's father and widow to give them some news about how George died a hero. McCloud himself is disillusioned from trying to save the world and has been drifting since the war in both a personal and literal sense.

Nora (Bacall) had been drifting before she met George and begins to feel this same connection to Frank as they talk about their lives since the war. There is a maturity here as Huston shows a deeper aspect to caring about someone instead of the fireworks of physical attraction. The themes of loneliness and isolation run through every aspect of this film.

Frank once again must decide whether to save the world when the Largo is taken over by fallen gangster Johnny Rocco (Robinson). Rocco was once big and despite his deportation back to Cuba by the United States government as an undesirable, plans to be big again. Frank had gone to war as an idealist, hoping to rid the world of gangsters like Rocco but now views it as a lost cause.

But as Nora keeps telling Frank, your head may say one thing but your whole life says another. As the tension of being held hostage as a hurricane approaches the sweltering Keys builds, Frank slowly begins to go with his whole life rather than his head, breaking his own personal isolation from the fight he gave up. The turning point comes when Rocco humiliates his former girlfriend Gay Dawn by making her sing for a drink and then refuses to give her one when she comes across.

Claire Trevor gives a great performance as a girl much like Nora who got hooked up with the wrong guy and became a lush. She will have her own turning point when she slips Frank a gun before he takes Rocco and his pals back to Cuba. Lionel Barrymore gives a good performance also as George's disabled father, holding on to his son's memory and his beliefs.

A great score by Max Steiner complements the lonely mood of this film perfectly. Bacall is terrific as she waits for Frank to return against the odds, so she can open up the shutters of her loneliness and let the light in once more. This is a somber and mature film that deserves to be viewed more than once. Bogart and Bacall fans will love this film but find more here than just Bogie and Bacall. A minor masterpiece and one you need to own.

Finally, we have a film by the great Howard Hawks. Never given the credit he deserves for the many film masterpieces for which he was responsible, Hawks' "The Big Sleep" is one of the most unique adaptations of a detective novel ever brought to the screen.

Director Howard Hawks turned Raymond Chandler's most popular story into an absolutely mesmerizing celluloid masterpiece. Raymond Chandler's complex novel was adapted for the screen by William Faulkner. We may never know for sure who committed one of the murders in this blurry crime noir, but like all Hawks' films, it is so incredibly entertaining we really don't care. It is full of sharp dialog and dreamy images much like the aftereffects of a drinking binge.

The story itself moves at a terrific clip, and there is so much going on you might get lost if you blink. Humphry Bogart is Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, and from the moment he arrives to talk to General Sternwood and gets mixed up with his daughters this is a film classic. One would think with a young and sultry Bacall getting tangled up with Bogart in their first film together, they would be everything in this film; they are not, however, as Martha Vickers gives a performance that has you thinking about her in every scene, even when she isn't present. She steals every scene she is in and is one of the most memorable dolls in noir history.

Bacall portrays the General's sultry older daughter, Vivian, but it is the sexy and thumb sucking younger daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers) whom Marlowe meets first. She leaves an immediate impression on both the viewer and Marlowe: as he tells the General: "Yeah, we met. She tried to sit in my lap and I was standing up." The very sick Sternwood wants Marlowe to look into a little matter involving blackmail and his daughters.

As Marlowe follows the trail of gambling debts, he finds one body after another and tries to extricate the daughters from the mess. Marlowe and Vivian have a spark that gives him incentive to get the job done, but he may not be able to head off the rollercoaster headed for the little kitten Carmen, who may turn out to have some very large claws. Dorothy Malone has a brief but sexy role as a clerk who shares more than a drink with Marlowe.

Hawks filmed this as moody dream of dialog and images hard to forget. Bogart's Marlowe has his hands full trying to keep Carmen out of trouble. The sparks that begin to fly between he and Carmen's big sister, Vivian, is complicated by her involvement with some of the players for the other team. Trying to find a way to keep the fast rising body count from getting any higher, while keeping Vivian and the little nympho Carmen in the clear, will take some dangerous turns for Marlowe.

Bacall has never been more beautiful or inviting than when she is slumped down in the seat of Bogart's car, just waiting for him to kiss her. You have to see this film to really appreciate it. No description could ever do it justice. You'll never see anything else like it in American cinema. A true noir classic, and one of Howard Hawks' masterpieces. A must see film for noir fans.

Humphrey Bogart was the perfect anti-hero, and shines in various ways in the films included here. This is a nice boxed set of legendary films beloved by all Bogart fans. A good pick for classic film buffs looking for a big dose of noir and Bogart.

A great collection of classic films, each one a masterpiece.

For a better sense of what you're getting, read the individual reviews. In particular, read the reviews for the Big Sleep, since that is the DVD both with the most extras -- and with the most annoying technical problems.