Acque del Sud

Well, was you? That's Eddie's (Walter Brennan) inexorable question all throughout "To Have and Have Not" to anyone within earshot. And it's only the 3rd or 4th best line in the movie. Seems there's this one line where one person tries to teach another person how to whistle. And another one after a passionate kiss when a gal tells a guy that it's even better when he helps. Duh! But I like what happens after yet another passionate smooch between Bogie and Bacall. She pulls away and says to him, "You need a shave," after which she immediately love-slaps his unshaven face. It's her way of telling him without words that she's attracted to him and she really doesn't give a good hoot whether he shaves or not.

By now, just about everyone knows that this movie is all about "Steve" (Humphrey Bogart) and "Slim" (Lauren Bacall). In their first movie together, the two exhibit an explosive chemistry rarely seen from any other actor-actress combo. As one watches the movie, with the great Howard Hawks putting the two thru their various paces, one simultaneously imagines the two of them falling in love offscreen -- which they did! -- just as they do in this movie. For more on this, I highly recommend Lauren's autobiography -- "By Myself." In that book, she talks about the two of them sneaking around to see each other like a couple of teenagers -- which she was! As I recall, Bogie was still married at the time -- though estranged from Mayo Methot.

As for "T H a H N," there are many other fine elements that make it well worth one's time. A pretty good storyline revolving around the Free French contesting the Vichy French (Nazi collaborators) in Martinique during the early days of World War II. A strong supporting cast much reminiscent of the one in "Casablanca." Great dialogue by novelist William Faulkner and Jules Furthman. Also, a strong musical score ("Am I Blue?" -- "How Little We Know" -- "Hong Kong Blues") by Hoagy Carmichael with a strong assist from Johnny Mercer.

In a very good Humphrey Bogart movie, which this certainly is, one would never suspect that a young ingenue actress, with little training or experience, could scene-steal from a polished veteran like Bogie. And I won't say that she does such in this movie. I do know that she did not want to and was not trying to (her autobiography). The fact is, however, that it took a star actor of Bogie's magnitude to keep Betty from dominating the screen with her earthy sex appeal and pure luminescence. Her sashay out of the bar in the last scene here is enough to make any man weak in the knees. No wonder Bogie tumbled! Both onscreen and off!

So ..... tell me, now ..... WAS you ever bit by a dead bee?

This is almost a clone of the more-famous "Casablanca".....and almost as good! The film is very entertaining from the get-go with all three leading actors a lot of fun to watch. I am referring to Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart and Walter Brennan.

This was Bacall's first film. She was 19 years old, looked 30 and never looked better. Her face, at that time, was stunningly beautiful, mesmerizing at times. So is her dialog, capped off by the famous line, asking Bogart if he knows how to whistle. It isn't just the line, it's the way she says it.....and Bogart's reaction. Bogart is outstanding, just as he was in Casablanca. Same type of character: an apolitical American overseas who reluctantly winds up helping fight the Nazis. As for Brennan, normally I don't find drunks appealing, just sloppy and obnoxious. However, Brenenan is neither here; he''s simply fun to watch and someone you can't help but like. I think he was one of the more underrated actors of his time.

The story had a good blend of intrigue, action, suspense, comedy, beautiful women, great characters and great dialog. It''s too bad it has nowhere near the notoriety of Casablanca. It 's only a small notch below it.

A good movie with weird and wonderful touches. It's not quite as good as its best scenes, but it's got a quirky sense of humor and honor. Like Bacall calling Bogart "Steve" throughout the movie. Or Hoagy Carmichael's odd musical numbers. Or the casting of Walter Brennan opposite Bogart - two more different styles of acting you will never find.

What makes it all work is the white hot chemistry between the two leads.

There's not a lot of difference from before, as Martinique trumps Morocco and takes the floor, for two people to engage, to take true love right off the page, along with passion, feeling, fire, it's still amour. This time it's Steve, or is it Harry, could it be Rick, who sides against the baddies with their stick, although Dan Seymour isn't Claude, and his accent is a fraud, Slim as Ilsa brings the right amount of click. Perhaps events that happened away from the screens, suggests this film has more importance than it seems, but I'm not sure just what arouses, Lauren's interest in those trouser, as men of a certain age, should not wear jeans.

Harry Morgan owns a fishing boat for hire on the small island of Martinique. France has fallen and tensions are high, although Harry is happy to stay out of it and just earn his money. However an offer to carry some revolutionaries off the island sees him caught up in police suspicions when the deal comes to light. This, combined with his attraction to fellow American "Slim" Browning forces Harry to re-evaluate his "out for himself" values.

Although the continued success of this film owes a lot to the pairing of Bogart and Bacall, there is enough going for the rest of the film to make it stand up down the years. The plot is very interesting in Hawks look at a man who tries to take a distanced approach to the problem of others before standing up to be counted; I don't know enough about the period to really know what context he was putting this forward in but it is still interesting enough and does make the character of Steve/Harry a lot more complex. The plot goes down a standard road of wartime thriller but it is still very engaging and well told. The direction is top notch and has a real sense of atmosphere despite the production being limited to soundstages.

Of course a major reason the film works is the cast. Bogart does "downbeat but ultimately heroic" better than many others and he does it well here – tough, smart and morally challenged. Bacall has less of a character to speak of but she makes up for that by sheer force of personality; personally I don't find her that attractive but she fair sparks across the screen and her delivery is very sexual throughout. The two fell in love during the film and it does show on screen, with a great chemistry and real sexual tension between them – a heavy amount of classic scenes and hot moments also helps. Support is good from Brennan and Seymour but the "Free French" are not that well developed and are not as interesting as they should have been.

Overall this is a classic film with an interesting plot, interesting characters, a tough and heavy atmosphere, good performances and a central duo that really spark off each other. It may be a standard wartime thriller on the surface but everything seems to come together really well and produce a film that is memorable for a collection of reasons.