Warner
Brothers has just released Volume 2 of the Humphrey
Bogart Signature Collection. Following the example
of Volume 1, which included such classics as Casablanca
and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Volume 2 boasts a
special 3-Disc edition of The Maltese Falcon and other
important landmarks of Bogart’s career. Here you will find
a brief review of each film in this beautiful 7-DVD set, as well
as the bonus features that each disc contains.
The Maltese Falcon – 3-Disc Edition (1941)
Considered by many to be the
official beginning of Film Noir, The Maltese Falcon immortalized
Sam Spade (Bogart) as the quintessential hard-boiled detective.
After his partner is murdered, Spade finds himself thrown into a
never-ending world of shady characters with one thing in mind, a
jewel-encrusted golden falcon statue. Originally given as a gift
to honor Charles V of Spain in 1539, its value is immeasurable.
In
his double-quest to find his partner’s murderer and the falcon
statue, Spade must overcome temptation and frustration. Brigid O'Shaughnessy
(a “femme fatale” role played by Mary Astor), obviously
captivates Spade and serves as a detriment to his good judgment.
This creates his personal struggle between right and right, what’s
right for him versus what’s right in the interest of the law.
John Huston directs this cinematic masterpiece. Special
features in this 3-disc edition include: A new digital
transfer of the 1941 movie from restored elements, Commentary by
Bogart biographer Eric Lax, Warner Night at the Movies 1941 Short
Subjects Gallery: vintage newsreel, Technicolor Musical Short: The
Gay Parisian, Classic Cartoons: Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt and Meet
John Doughboy, 2 Previous Movie Versions of the classic Hammet caper:
The Maltese Falcon (1931) with Bebe Daniels and Recardo Cortez and
Satan Met a Lady (1936) with Bette Davis and Warren William, Theatrical
Trailers, Documentary: "The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent
Bird", The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart, Breakdowns of 1941:
Studio Blooper Reel and an audio-only bonus: 3 radio show adaptations
including a version starring Edward G. Robinson.
Across the Pacific (1942)
Director
John Huston, Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor are reunited in this
tale of war-time intrigue. Bogart plays Richard Leland, an army
officer who is given a dishonorable discharge, and still decides
to carry on as a soldier. Once aboard a Japanese steamship, Leland
discovers a spy (Dr. Lorenz played by Sidney Greenstreet) who is
devising a plot to blow up the Panama Canal. No one on-board seems
to the person they claim, and Leland must engage in a full-fledged
mission to save the Canal. It’s interesting to note that the
original plot was envisioned as an attack on Pearl Harbor, however,
when the real-life event took place in 1941, the script was changed
to the Panama Canal. Special features include:
Warner Night at the Movies, 1942: vintage newsreel, patriotic
Technicolor short Men of the Sky, classic cartoon The Draft Horse,
Featurette "Hollywood Helps the Cause" and Breakdowns
of 1942: Studio Blooper Reel.
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Action in the North Atlantic
is a commentary on war-time America. Humphrey Bogart plays Lt. Joe
Rossi, the First Mate on a Merchant Marine ship that is suddenly
torpedoed. Along with the ship’s captain, Rossi and the survivors
join together to get themselves safely aboard a lifeboat and head
back to America. They are welcomed back as heroes, but the celebration
would be short-lived. After being assigned to another ship, tensions
run high when the possibilities of another torpedo attack are considered.
Staring in the face of danger, the men press on and manage to get
their ship to Russia. This film is regarded as a look on the state
of America during the war, mainly because of the effect on the wives
and girlfriends who worried for the safe return of their men. While
always supportive, the haunting reality that a husband may not survive
was a persistent thorn. Film audiences felt as though they were
not only watching a Hollywood interpretation, but a documentary
on their current life situation. Special features include:
Warner Night at the Movies 1943 Short Subjects Gallery: vintage
newsreel, Musical Short: Cavalcade of Dance, Classic Cartoon: Greetings
Bait, Featurette "Credit Where Credit is Due" and an Audio-only
bonus: radio show with George Raft and Raymond Massey.
All Through The Night (1942)
All Through The Night
is a slightly different role for Bogart, yet one that was welcomed
among his flurry of timeless characters. Bogart plays New York gambler/gangster
Alfred 'Gloves' Donahue, whose friend (the baker of his
favorite cheesecake) is killed. This prompts him to launch his own
amateurish investigation, one that leads him much further into a
tangled web of deceit when he discovers that a Nazi group (headed
by Franz Ebbing, played by Conrad Veidt of “The Cabinet of
Dr. Caligari” fame) is behind it. A nightclub singer named
Leda Hamilton (played by Kaaren Verne) is thrown into the mix, adding
another element of mystery: which side is she on? Donahue soon learns
of the group’s “future endeavors”, and must use
the wit and force of his gang to throw them off the course. An all-star
cast headlines this Bogart classic, namely Peter Lorre as “Pepi”
and Jackie Gleason as “Starchy”. Special features
include: A commentary by director Vincent Sherman and
Bogart biographer Eric Lax, Warner Night at the Movies 1942 Short
Subjects Gallery: vintage newsreel, Joe Doakes comedy short: So
You Want to Give Up Smoking, Classic Cartoon: Lights Fantastic and
a Featurette: "Call the Usual Subjects: The Craft of the Character
Actor.”
Passage To Marseille (1944)
In
yet another joining of Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet and Peter
Lorre, Passage To Marseille stars Humphrey Bogart as Jean
Matrac. Matrac is a French journalist who is unjustly accused of
murder and sentenced to
Devil’s Island as punishment. Once there, he and four of his
fellow “criminals” escape and set out on a raft for
France to fight the Germans. They become exhausted after a long
amount of time on the raft, but are picked up by a larger ship bound
for Marseille. Once aboard, word of France’s downfall is delivered.
An officer on board with his partner learns that the ship’s
captain has changed course and is now heading towards England. The
officer attempts to take over the ship until the convicts and the
rest of the crew thwart his effort, battling through enemy planes
and chaos to dock safely in England. Passage To Marseille
was crafted as a follow-up to Casablanca, the incredibly successful
and now legendary film of 1942. Special features include:
Warner Night at the Movies 1944 Short Subjects Gallery: vintage
newsreel, Patriotic Short: I Won't Play, Musical Short: Jammin'
the Blues, Classic Cartoon: The Weakly Reporter, Featurette: "The
Free French: Forgotten Unsung Victors" and Breakdowns of 1944:
Studio Blooper reel.
THE CONCLUSION
Humphrey Bogart
is both a cinematic and an American icon. His ability to handle
roles that were seemingly opposite to each other is what propelled
him into the annals of film history. From a detective to a truck
driver, “Bogie” was truly a mark of distinction on film.
It’s been said that there’s never been another Bogart,
and there never will be. Thanks to Warner Brothers' Humphrey
Bogart Signature Collection, Vol. II, these masterpieces
can be enjoyed for countless hours. This set is AVAILABLE
NOW!
Warner
Brothers has just released Volume 2 of the Humphrey
Bogart Signature Collection. Following the example
of Volume 1, which included such classics as Casablanca
and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Volume 2 boasts a
special 3-Disc edition of The Maltese Falcon and other
important landmarks of Bogart’s career. Here you will find
a brief review of each film in this beautiful 7-DVD set, as well
as the bonus features that each disc contains.
In
his double-quest to find his partner’s murderer and the falcon
statue, Spade must overcome temptation and frustration. Brigid O'Shaughnessy
(a “femme fatale” role played by Mary Astor), obviously
captivates Spade and serves as a detriment to his good judgment.
This creates his personal struggle between right and right, what’s
right for him versus what’s right in the interest of the law.
John Huston directs this cinematic masterpiece. Special
features in this 3-disc edition include: A new digital
transfer of the 1941 movie from restored elements, Commentary by
Bogart biographer Eric Lax, Warner Night at the Movies 1941 Short
Subjects Gallery: vintage newsreel, Technicolor Musical Short: The
Gay Parisian, Classic Cartoons: Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt and Meet
John Doughboy, 2 Previous Movie Versions of the classic Hammet caper:
The Maltese Falcon (1931) with Bebe Daniels and Recardo Cortez and
Satan Met a Lady (1936) with Bette Davis and Warren William, Theatrical
Trailers, Documentary: "The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent
Bird", The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart, Breakdowns of 1941:
Studio Blooper Reel and an audio-only bonus: 3 radio show adaptations
including a version starring Edward G. Robinson.
Director
John Huston, Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor are reunited in this
tale of war-time intrigue. Bogart plays Richard Leland, an army
officer who is given a dishonorable discharge, and still decides
to carry on as a soldier. Once aboard a Japanese steamship, Leland
discovers a spy (Dr. Lorenz played by Sidney Greenstreet) who is
devising a plot to blow up the Panama Canal. No one on-board seems
to the person they claim, and Leland must engage in a full-fledged
mission to save the Canal. It’s interesting to note that the
original plot was envisioned as an attack on Pearl Harbor, however,
when the real-life event took place in 1941, the script was changed
to the Panama Canal. Special features include:
Warner Night at the Movies, 1942: vintage newsreel, patriotic
Technicolor short Men of the Sky, classic cartoon The Draft Horse,
Featurette "Hollywood Helps the Cause" and Breakdowns
of 1942: Studio Blooper Reel.
survivors
join together to get themselves safely aboard a lifeboat and head
back to America. They are welcomed back as heroes, but the celebration
would be short-lived. After being assigned to another ship, tensions
run high when the possibilities of another torpedo attack are considered.
Staring in the face of danger, the men press on and manage to get
their ship to Russia. This film is regarded as a look on the state
of America during the war, mainly because of the effect on the wives
and girlfriends who worried for the safe return of their men. While
always supportive, the haunting reality that a husband may not survive
was a persistent thorn. Film audiences felt as though they were
not only watching a Hollywood interpretation, but a documentary
on their current life situation. Special features include:
Warner Night at the Movies 1943 Short Subjects Gallery: vintage
newsreel, Musical Short: Cavalcade of Dance, Classic Cartoon: Greetings
Bait, Featurette "Credit Where Credit is Due" and an Audio-only
bonus: radio show with George Raft and Raymond Massey.
his
favorite cheesecake) is killed. This prompts him to launch his own
amateurish investigation, one that leads him much further into a
tangled web of deceit when he discovers that a Nazi group (headed
by Franz Ebbing, played by Conrad Veidt of “The Cabinet of
Dr. Caligari” fame) is behind it. A nightclub singer named
Leda Hamilton (played by Kaaren Verne) is thrown into the mix, adding
another element of mystery: which side is she on? Donahue soon learns
of the group’s “future endeavors”, and must use
the wit and force of his gang to throw them off the course. An all-star
cast headlines this Bogart classic, namely Peter Lorre as “Pepi”
and Jackie Gleason as “Starchy”. Special features
include: A commentary by director Vincent Sherman and
Bogart biographer Eric Lax, Warner Night at the Movies 1942 Short
Subjects Gallery: vintage newsreel, Joe Doakes comedy short: So
You Want to Give Up Smoking, Classic Cartoon: Lights Fantastic and
a Featurette: "Call the Usual Subjects: The Craft of the Character
Actor.”
to
Devil’s Island as punishment. Once there, he and four of his
fellow “criminals” escape and set out on a raft for
France to fight the Germans. They become exhausted after a long
amount of time on the raft, but are picked up by a larger ship bound
for Marseille. Once aboard, word of France’s downfall is delivered.
An officer on board with his partner learns that the ship’s
captain has changed course and is now heading towards England. The
officer attempts to take over the ship until the convicts and the
rest of the crew thwart his effort, battling through enemy planes
and chaos to dock safely in England. Passage To Marseille
was crafted as a follow-up to Casablanca, the incredibly successful
and now legendary film of 1942. Special features include:
Warner Night at the Movies 1944 Short Subjects Gallery: vintage
newsreel, Patriotic Short: I Won't Play, Musical Short: Jammin'
the Blues, Classic Cartoon: The Weakly Reporter, Featurette: "The
Free French: Forgotten Unsung Victors" and Breakdowns of 1944:
Studio Blooper reel.