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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)

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"Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2" may be as entertaining a collection of Bogart films, as he emerged as a major WB star, as you'll ever find. They run the gamut of early classic noir, espionage, action/adventure, broad comedy, and moody morality tale, each exceptional, and stamped with the distinctive Bogie 'style'.

"The Maltese Falcon" (1941) - One of the earliest examples of the style that became known as Film Noir, John Huston's crime classic has been described as the finest detective film ever made, and certainly deserves the title! The second teaming of the director and star ("High Sierra" had been released earlier that year), both films had a common history, as George Raft 'passed' on both properties (not wanting to work with an 'untested' director), and the films would launch Bogie into the superstardom that had eluded him in the 30s.

Dashiell Hammett's tale of amoral detective Sam Spade, the murder of his partner, and the offbeat collection of characters in pursuit of a fabulous, jewel-encrusted statue, had been filmed twice by WB in the thirties, but never truly captured the 'flavor' of the novel. Huston, with his eye for characterization, and use of light and shadow, not only got it 'right', but popularized a new genre, of beat-up, world-weary anti-heroes with their own 'codes of honor', duplicitous women, and endings where things seldom end 'happily ever after'. While Film Noir wouldn't become a film staple until after WWII, it seldom got better than this!

I could say MUCH more, but this 3-Disc collection says it FAR better...it is, simply, a MUST OWN!

"Across the Pacific" (1942) - The next teaming of Huston and Bogie may be one of the most enjoyable espionage comedy/dramas of WWII, made even more entertaining by the film's back story; Huston, who wanted, desperately, to get into WWII, managed to leave for the war after writing Bogie into 'certain-death' film climax, without a resolution! While the director and star thought it was hilarious, poor Vincent Sherman, called in to finish the film, probably lost a lot of sleep tying everything up!

Re-teaming the star with "Falcon" co-stars Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet (who are both superb), the film, despite obvious flaws, is eminently 'watchable', and remains one of Bogie's most popular films.

"Action in the North Atlantic" (1943) - One of WB's best wartime action/adventure films, Lloyd Bacon's tribute to the merchant marine is a marvelous ensemble piece, with great acting compensating for obvious stereotypes. Bogie isn't the focus of the story, but a team player, on a ship commanded by Raymond Massey (in one of his warmest, most ingratiating portrayals). This film has a famous back-story, as well; watching their stunt men performing a dive off a burning ship, Bogie and Massey, both a bit intoxicated (being 'off-duty'), started making bets on which stunt-man was braver...one thing led to another, until the stars, themselves, made the dive (which must have driven Jack Warner into apoplexy!)

"All Through the Night" (1942) - Humphrey Bogart made few comedies (mostly later in his career), but this 'Damon Runyon-Types vs. the Nazis', filmed just after "Falcon", is breezy fun, if totally outrageous! The story of gambler/promoter Bogie, investigating (for his mother!) strange goings-on, getting framed for murder, and discovering a Nazi cell in Manhattan with evil intentions, is so loaded with funny one-liners that you never miss the lack of logic.

Supported by a cast of GREAT comic actors (including William Demarest, Frank McHugh, Jackie Gleason, and Phil Silvers), hiss-able villains (headed by Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, who would re-team with Bogie in "Casablanca"), and lovely Kaaren Verne (the future Mrs. Peter Lorre) for romance, "All Through the Night" may not be a classic, but is FABULOUS fun!

"Passage to Marseille" (1944) - After the huge success of "Casablanca", WB attempted to find similar vehicles for Bogie, to attempt to recapture the magic. Some would work very well ("To Have and Have Not"); most didn't. This was one of the misfires, but it does offer "Casablanca" co-stars Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Helmut Dantine, in a tale of Devil's Island escapees, dealing with Vichy plots, finding their 'souls', and rejoining the fight to rid France of the Nazis. Atmospheric, if occasionally slow-moving, the film is not among Bogie's best, but is certainly watchable, and has WB's distinctive 'gloss'...

Quite a collection!

Re-releasing popular titles on DVD is par-for-course for most labels. Only two come back for another release when the reason is damned good...WB and Criterion. Unlike the other studios, only these two save the second dip for something far better, and this superb SIGNATURE COLLECTION VOLUME TWO contains four new-to-DVD releases, looking SENSATIONAL, but also a re-visit to THE MALTESE FALCON, which along with CASABLANCA and SIERRA MADRE, represents the very best of the world's most beloved and timeless movie actor.

I picked up my copy today, and all I can say is WOWEE!

The original FALCON DVD looked very good. It was released when WB didn't seem to care about their older films, and the extras were paltry and the quality was good but not great.

The new FALCON carries the excellence that has been the hallmark of the WB Special Editions that have become the industry standard against which others are measured. Tons of great new extra features, and the two previous film versions of the Hammett novel, both of which are fodder compared to the Bogart version, which looks and sounds SO MUCH BETTER here.

Best of all, the signature collection has taken pity on our shelving, and is packaged in sturdy slim-cases.

BRAVO, WARNER!

Finally, finally, finally, three Bogart films that used to be shown endlessly on TV when I was a child and which I absolutely loved are finally on DVD! I'm not talking about "Casablanca" or "The Maltese Falcon" Or "The Treasure of Sierra Madre", or any of those films that first come to mind when the name Humphrey Bogart is mentioned. I'm taking about "Across The Pacific", "All Through The Night", and "Action in the North Atlantic". God, I loved those movies!

I might have just been at an impressionable age, but some of those scenes have stuck in my mind for decades. For example, the atmosphere of the Panamanian movie theater that was showing a Japanese film in "Across The Pacific" (foreign movies in a foreign country - made the little kid that I was realize for the first time that the USA wasn't the only multi-ethnic country); the fact in "Action in the North Atlantic" that the ship convoy was going to help Murmansk (a novel concept at the time for this child of the Cold War - Russians as allies?), not to mention the fact that that was the first film I'd seen where Raymond Massey played a good guy - THAT was a novel concept; and in "All Through The Night", the New York gangsters being willing to fight a greater evil, and appreciating a damn fine cheesecake. Another great thing about these movies is all of the fine character actors that are in these films (Philip Ahn, Conrad Veidt, Jane Darwell, Sydney Greenstreet, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, among others)- they always add a uniqueness to their secondary characters that is absent, for the most part, in today's films.

I've wanted copies of these movies for years - who says dreams don't come true? ;->

HUMPHREY BOGART: THE SIGNATURE COLLECTION, VOLUME 2 has, as its set piece, a remastered studio print of John Huston's incomparable THE MALTESE FALCON (1941). Also included for a comparison is the very good 1931 Ricardo Cortez/Bebe Daniels THE MALTESE FALCON and the mediocre 1936 Warren William/Bette Davis SATAN MET A LADY. But the spotlight is on Huston and company in terms of bonuses that include a brand-new documentary and vintage radio adaptations that offer the fun of the same plot with a different cast.

This DVD boxed set is a love feast for Bogart fans. It also includes ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942), ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (1942), ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC (1943), and PASSAGE TO MARSEILLES (1944). All sparkle in brand-new prints and, since is from Warner Home Video and movies made during World War Two, all include a generous array of patriotic wartime dramatic and musical shorts, documentaries, new interview featurettes, cartoons, and theatrical trailers.

ACROSS THE PACIFIC reteams director John Huston with FALCON cast members Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet. It is an adventure potboiler that goes from eastern Canada to the Panama Canal, without going near the Pacific. Its climax has espionage activities at the canal, and no one is who they seem.

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT has an incredible cast, led by Conrad Veidt and Judith Anderson as Nazis. Bogart battles the Gestapo over his right to have the perfect cheese cake in this tongue-in-cheek wartime adventure that is great fun. A 99 year old Vincent Sherman, who directed, helps out on an audio commentary with Bogart scholar Eric Lax.

ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC is about the Merchant Marine in the north Atlantic when it was made (1943). Lloyd Bacon, who directed some wonderful 1930's musical romances, shows his versatility in this exciting adventure that stars Bogart, Raymond Massey, and Alan Hale. The box says the Merchant Marine used this rather downbeat movie as a recruiting tool.

Finally, we have Michael Curtiz' underrated PASSAGE TO MARSEILLES, with seemingly half the cast of CASABLANCA, including Bogart, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Helmut Dantine, and Sydney Greenstreet. This one is infamous for flashbacks within flashbacks, but with this cast, who cares? Max Steiner did the music, James Wong Howe did the brilliant photography, and a ten-hankie final scene sends the movie into the stratosphere. This one must have really packed a wallop for 1944 audiences torn between good Free France and bad Vichy France.

I highly recommend HUMPHREY BOGART: THE SIGNATURE COLLECTION, VOLUME 2 to the millions of Bogart fans, as well as fans of wartime intrigue movies. And special kudos to Warner Home Video for the generous bonuses and putting each film in its own slim envelope inside a larger box. That shows a lot of class, in comparison to the "don't give a damn" people at Universal Home Video.

Excellent classic action movies from Bogart. The DVDs were perfect. I do not know if they were remastered, but the audio and the pictures were in mint condition.

Warner Brothers have produced another outstanding collection of Humphrey Bogart films from his peak years in the forties. Individual reviews can be viewed elsewhere, but here is a summary of what you get:

- The 3 Disc collection of "The Maltese Falcon" contains an outstanding restored print of the 1941 masterpiece and two earlier versions for comparison. The first one, made in 1931, is a typical pre Hays code (1934) production which adheres quite closely to the book. Sam Spade, as played by the smooth Ricardo Cortez, is notably promiscuous here. The 1936 version, "Satan Met a Lady", is an absurd comedy version of the story and the film which finally prompted Bette Davis to walk out on her contract. The DVD set contains a detailed commentary about the 1941 version and an excellent documentary about Dashiel Hammett and the films.
- "All Through the Night" is a comedy/thriller in the vein of "The Thirty Nine Steps" with Bogart as a Damon Runyon character who gets involved with fifth columnists. The film is well made but corny.
- in 1942, "Across the Pacific" was a sort of follow up to "The Maltese Falcon" with many of the same cast members directed by John Huston and an excellent screenplay with the febrile Mary Astor slinging barbs with a very relaxed and confident Bogart. The film deteriorates in the end to an absurd climax when Bogie singled-handedly destroys the Japs but it is still great entertainment.
- "Action in the North Atlantic" is Warner Brothers tribute to the marines and is very cliched. Lloyd Bacon, another underrated assembly line director, masterfully directs the action and there is a superb vignette from Ruth Gordon as the Captain's wife.
- "Passage to Marseille" is a superbly made (directed by Michael Curtiz) film about the Free French and a group of convicts escaping Devil's Island. It surmounts most of the cliches and a great ensemble cast provide gripping entertainment. There is a also a romance for Bogie with Michele Morgan which is clearly cribbed from "Casablanca".

All the DVDs contain excellent prints and there are some great extras, including a commentary from Vincent Sherman who directed "All Through the Night" and some blooper reels. Once again, Warners have provided outstanding value.

The movies have been nicely restored and well worth the purchase price. Many times these older movies are grainy and difficult to watch. Was very pleased with the quality of restoration.

In the 5 Bogart movies, this DVD collection features the Warner Brothers production machine at its peak with the great photography, editing, directing, and fast talking that characterized Warners. I have always greatly enjoyed all of these Bogart films.

Random notes, observations, in no particular order:

The 1931 Maltese Falcon, while not up to the 1941 version, requires a viewing. Many of the set-ups seem to have inspired Huston in his remake. The film's main problems are the slower paced talk, with an emphasis on diction, probably due to a lack of confidence in the recording system of the day, and the veering from the book at the end. Searching the girl for the $1000 is an important moment in the book that this earlier version has and the 1941 lacks. This fidelity to the book is important. In the 1941 version Spade takes Bigid's word, and then fingers Casper Guttman. Spade displays more faith in the girl than we do.

The 1936 version, despite some talent, is a misfire from the word go, with the casting of Warren William in the lead. What's he smiking about?

Of the short subjects, most impressive was Jammin' the Blues, a simple music short, nicely directed and photographed.

The cartoons for this set all came out before Warners great animation era, but are interesting.

The transfers for the films are outstanding, as Warners DVD's ususally are. I view these at 84 inches, projected by a DLP 720P projector and in the close-ups, I can still see the pores in Borart's mug.

The feature on Falcon seems to indicate that WB remade Falcon because of the first two features failing. The first feature had decent reviews and did okay at the box office. Jack Warner called "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" the greatest picture I have ever seen. It was remade as an episode of Cheyenne 7 years later. WB bought stories. A good story could be and would be recycled to obtain maximum value, that's all.

Some of the model work can be discerned in "Action in the North Atlantic" and "Passage to Marseille", but does not bother me.

Frankenstein's henchman, Dwight Frye, plays Wilmer Cook in Maltese Falcon (1931), and does well, but the role is a bit smaller than in the 1941 version.

"Passage to Marseille" is somewhat infamous for the flashback within a flashback within a flashback. That sounds more awkward than it is. I always know where I am in the film, unlike, say, the John Wayne flashback film, "Wake of the Red Witch."

Humphrey Bogart is without a doubt, one of the best actors ever to delight the world with his performance. This classic offers a Bogart that is sharp, cynical and virile. As a private eye, Humphrey Bogart is awesome. The dialogue is difficult to follow, but we always select the language option that provides subtitles to assist the hearing impaired; a feature that we highly recommend because this way you do not miss a word that is said. The DVD's offer many advantages; but for us, this feature is simply... the solution we had always looked for to truly understand the messages offered by great movies. There is much action and suspense, keeping you at the edge of your seat, always wondering when violence will take place because of the ferocious interpretations of the actors. With this role, Bogart leaves no question that he is... and shall forever remain... a Star!!!

Bogart. Greenstreet. Lorre. Sloe-eyed Marta. Actors who never over-acted but used subtle yet dynamite facial expressions and/or body language to express mental venom or sensual interest; the slightly widening eyes or raised eyebrow to denote surprise or danger.
And best of all - - the background music never, never, never blared so as to outdo the actor's voice. The Actors' spoke clearly and distinctly. Excellent support cast as well as direction and camera.