This is one of the longer bonus features you'll see on a DVD but it is well worth your time if you are a fan of Humphrey Bogart. The late actor's wife, Lauren Bacall, looks back fondly at her hubby, so this is a loving tribute. There is a lot of information here, along with film footage of his famous and not-so-famous films, plus a few home movies and a television clip or two.
Actually, anyone who lives classic-era movies should enjoy this documentary, which can be seen as a bonus feature on the two-disc Special Edition DVD of "Casablanca." It was originally aired on television 20 years ago.
Bacall doesn't mention any unpleasant things about Bogie so you don't get the whole picture, but she a nice job of discussing her late husband, who has been deceased now for a half century. Bacall is eloquent in her reminisces. So, too, are the many varied contributors in this tribute to "Bogie," from directors to actors. Some of the interviews are archive footage as those folks had also passed away when this documentary was made, but most are done "live" for this documentary. Director Richard Brooks seemed the most dramatic of the group.
Some of the interesting things one wouldn't see just in Bogie's film career but are shown in this documentary included:
Bogart being interviewed on the old Ed Sullivan "Toast Of The Town" TV program and cracking jokes on the Jack Benny Show; film clips from Bogie's first films in 1930 where he's actually a fresh-faced young man; clips on the set in Africa of "The African Queen" where he admits he spent most of the time griping about being there; home movies of his wedding and Bogie playing with their kids (Bogart turned father at the age of 49!), and much more. .
Bacall shows clips of her husband doing what he loved most: sailing. He was a true man of the sea and thought that was the greatest spot on earth to be, where it was calm and quiet. She also mentions that her husband was not the guy everyone saw on screen.
In addition, we got some inside information about the filming of Casablanca, and how tense the actors were since nobody - including the writers - knew what the ending was going to be until they just about reached that part. I never realized Bogart was in a film in 1953 that actually was the original "MASH" military-comedy. They just didn't call it that, deferring to "Battle Circus," instead.
Overall, although anything but objective, it's a nice, kind tribute to one of the most famous actors in the history of film.
