Sabrina

Sabrina ★★★★☆

Ketika Cinderella berfilsafat ...

Tahun Keluar: 1954
Negara Asal: USA
Sutradara: Billy Wilder
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden

Di bawah arahan Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, Witness for the Prosecution), yang juga ikut menggarap script adaptasi dari teaternya, Sabrina adalah kisah Cinderella modern yang berhasil dengan sangat baik menggabungkan antara elemen-2 klasik fairy-tale dengan elemen-2 modern realitas dari jamannya -- menjadikan film ini drama romantic comedy yang pas untuk mereka yang sudah dewasa atau tua sekalipun atau bahkan mereka yang tidak menyukai romantic comedy.

Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) adalah anak pengemudi keluarga industriawan Larrabee, Thomas (John Williams), yang berasal dari Inggris yang pindah ke Amerika Serikat “satu paket” dengan mobil Rolls-Royce ketika keluarga tersebut mengimpor mobil tersebut. Lahir dan besar di kompleks perumahan Larrabee, Sabrina mengenal dengan sangat baik dua anak laki-2 keluarga tersebut, Linus (Humphrey Bogart) yang serius dan workaholic, dan David (William Holden) yang sebaliknya -- senang pesta, gonta-ganti pasangan, dan baginya setiap hari adalah hari Minggu; khususnya David yang usianya sebaya yang ketika kecil sering bermain bersama. Witing tresno jalaran soko kulino, Sabrina menyimpan “crush” terhadap David yang obviously terlalu sibuk dengan ego dan urusannya sendiri untuk menyadari hal tersebut. Ayah Sabrina, bahagia dan puas dengan status dan posisinya (juga notabene berasal dari generasi yang berbeda dan masyarakat yang berbeda pula), tidak merestui sikap Sabrina karena menurutnya setiap orang sudah mempunyai tempat sendiri-2 dan Sabrina sebaiknya tidak menciptakan “riak” yang bisa mengganggu tatanan yang sudah harmonis tersebut. Karena alasan ini, ayahnya mengirim Sabrina ke Paris, pertama untuk belajar masak, kedua untuk melupakan David. Sekembalinya dari Paris, Sabrina memang berubah -- berubah menjadi lebih modis, lebih percaya diri, tetapi tetap menyimpan “crush” terhadap David. Kali ini Sabrina berhasil “sweep David off his feet”, membuat dia mabuk kepayang, sampai lupa bahwa dia sudah bertunangan dengan wanita dari keluarga yang merupakan partner bisnis keluarganya. Melihat situasi berbahaya ini, Linus berusaha menyabotase usaha David mendekati Sabrina, sekaligus mengalihkan perhatian Sabrina dari David ke dirinya.

Berhasilkah Linus memisahkan Sabrina dari David?

Tetapi hati-2, cinta bukanlah permainan yang dapat dengan gampang disetir, karena jalannya bisa mengarah ke mana saja, termasuk ke penyetirnya sendiri :-)

Didukung cast utama yang masing-2 adalah bintang ternama pada jamannya, plus telah mengantongi piala Oscar ketika film ini dibuat, kharisma mereka bertiga berhasil mengatasi halangan usia yang ada, sedemikian rupa sehingga karakter-2 yang mereka mainkan tetap believable. Holden berusia 11 tahun lebih tua dari Hepburn, sedang Bogart 30 tahun lebih tua darinya -- 4 tahun lebih tua dari Williams yang memerankan ayah Sabrina :-) Penampilan Williams khususnya, aktor Inggris yang “sangat Inggris” -- yang selalu tampil meyakinkan dalam film-2 Alfred Hitchcock, memberi “jangkar” yang kuat terhadap tema masyarakat berkelas yang menjadi contentious issue (pusat argumen) dalam film ini.

Berhasilkah cinta mengalahkan, mendobrak tatanan masyarakat yang menurut ayah Sabrina sudah harmonis dan sebaiknya jangan diganggu tersebut?

Sinematografi hitam-putih kontras tajam dari Charles Lang membumbui kisah Cinderella modern ini dengan nuansa “noir” yang membangkitkan perasaan “doom” -- sesuatu yang buruk bakalan terjadi, sama seperti dalam film-2 Wilder yang lain. Kostum-2 elegan yang dikenakan Hepburn, gaun pesta warna hitam (black cocktail dress) khususnya, hasil kolaborasi antara Edith Head -- yang mendandani hampir semua leading ladies dalam film-2 Hitchcock, dan Hubert de Givenchy, berhasil bersinar terang  melampaui batasan warna hitam-putih filmnya. Last, but not least, soundtrack lagu-2 pengiring, La vie en rose karya Louiguy dan Edith Piaf khususnya, yang dinyanyikan sendiri oleh Hepburn dengan suaranya yang “shaky” (without dubbing, thank goodness!), melengkapi film ini dengan melodi yang manis dan melankolis.

What a perfect combination.

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The Harder They Fall

Movie Review: The Harder They Fall (*** out of 4 stars)

Year of Release: 1956

Country of Origin: USA

Director: Mark Robson

Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger

Plot outline: Ex-sportswriter Eddie Willis hypes a naïve Argentinean boxer for a shady boxing promoter Nick Benko (IMDb).

The story (***)

How the story unfolds (*** the script keeps things moving quickly and does a great job showing just how the boxing underworld builds up fighters, while at the same time delivering a human drama accessible to non-boxing fans)

The characters (***)

The dialogue (***)

The acting (*** Bogart retains the undeniable charisma that made him a star; Steiger injects just enough showman into the part to be credible, but avoids overdoing it)

Overall rating *** out of 4 stars

Dead Reckoning

Movie Review: Dead Reckoning (**1/2 out of 4 stars)

Year of Release: 1947
Country of Origin: USA
Director: John Cromwell
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky

Plot outline: A war hero investigates his buddy’s disappearance following their return home, and love and death soon follow (IMDb).

The story (**1/2 the story isn’t original, but it’s okay because it steals from the best)
How the story unfolds (**1/2)
The characters (**1/2 Humphrey Bogart’s performance is an amalgam of his characters in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Big Sleep (1946); Lizabeth Scott may look and sound somewhat like Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep, but she’s not the genuine article--she simply can’t hold her own against Bogart, a fact that becomes more and more apparent as the movie unfolds, and the chemistry between them is marginal at best, which robs the movie’s ending of much of its emotional impact)
The acting (**1/2)

Overall rating **1/2 out of 4 stars

The Desperate Hours

Movie Review: The Desperate Hours (*** out of 4 stars)

Year of Release: 1955
Country of Origin: USA
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March

Plot outline: Three escaped convicts terrorize a suburban family they're holding hostage (IMDb).

The story (**)
How the story unfolds (*** the script does a great job of slowly ratcheting up the tension, and is packed with great dialog; its only real flaw is the Ralphie character which only serves as a plot device and acts as a speed bump in an otherwise brilliant story)
The characters (***)
The dialogue (***)
The acting (*** Humphrey Bogart brings an intense ferocity to the role, exuding a simmering rage that seems to seep out of his every word and action. Where a lesser actor would have over played the part, Bogart nails it perfectly. Opposite Bogart, Fredric March does an equally admirable job. Perhaps inspired by Bogart--or maybe vice-versa, March too plays his part believably low-key. These two anchor the movie and are a joy to watch.)

Overall rating *** out of 4 stars

The Barefoot Contessa

Movie Review: The Barefoot Contessa

Year of Release: 1954
Country of Origin: USA, Italy
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien

Plot outline: A Spanish dancer is plucked from obscurity and becomes a star with the help of a washed up director, only to find that happiness is more elusive than she thought (IMDb).

The Barefoot Contessa is simultaneously a scathing look at the Hollywood star system and, by virtue of it’s existence, a celebration of it. One scene has Humphrey Bogart’s character delivering a cynical speech about how acting talent only goes so far in Hollywood, how so much is tied to appearance and knowing how to manipulate the camera and light; all while Ava Gardner’s character is framed perfectly in the moonlight. And make no mistake, this is Gardner’s movie. She handles the role well, believably portraying a flawed but compelling character that could easily come across as unlikeable, were it not for her considerable talent. Bogart, who has top billing, is really just a supporting character but delivers a great performance. Edmond O’Brien turns in perhaps the strongest performance of all as an almost inhuman publicity agent who gradually finds humanity. The movie itself is mostly entertaining, and strongest in it’s first half, when it’s critiquing the Hollywood system. In the second half, the movie focuses on the Cinderella metaphor that had been running throughout, which is a significantly weaker device. Indeed, during the second half, the movie is almost a parody of itself. The first half pokes holes in the conventions of Hollywood storytelling, while the second half executes many of those same conventions. The ending, while not enough to justify the second half, is not a complete loss and keeps you from feeling burned. (FML)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

The Petrified Forest

Movie Review: The Petrified Forest

Year of Release: 1936
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Archie Mayo
Cast: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Genevieve Tobin, Dick Foran, Humphrey Bogart

Plot outline: A waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert (IMDb).

The Petrified Forest is a tight, well-written thriller with a knockout cast. Leslie Howard manages to mix just the right amounts of vulnerability, courage, and despair into his role as a disenchanted writer coming to terms with his own failed ambitions. On paper, the part could come off as pretentious or whiny, but Howard plays it perfectly without ever stooping to sentiment. Opposite him, Bette Davis is the very epitome of the wide-eyed dreamer. Though her role is written a bit thinner than Howard’s, Davis makes up for it with sheer charisma, winning the audience over the same way she wins over Howard’s character. Overshadowing both Davis and Howard though, is Humphrey Bogart. The Petrified Forest served as his first big break in Hollywood. While it wouldn’t be until High Sierra some five years later that he would graduate from supporting actor to star, it was this movie that made him a name. And for good reason. The script gives him a great role to work with. As Duke Mantee, Bogart is a force of nature, a chaotic whirlwind. Further, the script does a fantastic job of fleshing out Mantee with minimal dialog, creating a pair of anti-heroes in Howard and Bogart’s characters that have more in common than one would think. And that’s the movie’s strength. It’s not a hostage drama at all, but an exploration of dreams and ambitions, both gone and yet to come. That the script has the guts to follow this theme through to the end is, ultimately, what makes the movie, as a typical “Hollywood ending" would have killed it. The Petrified Forest’s only weakness lies in the sets, as the desert backdrops are so ridiculously fake they can be distracting early on, but it’s a small blemish on an excellent story. (FML)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

We're No Angels

Movie Review: We're No Angels

Year of Release: 1955
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett

Plot outline: After escaping Devil's Island, three convicts end up aiding a shopkeeper they initially intended to rob (IMDb).

Michael Curtiz and his all-star cast are clearly having a blast with this roguishly charming comedy, even though they never shift higher than second gear. Too dark for a farce and not wild enough to classify as screwball comedy, the movie teeters along an odd middle ground, searching for an elusive tone that never comes. The main fascination comes from seeing tough-guy Humphrey Bogart in one of his very few comedies. His wry sense of humour practically drips with sarcasm. Peter Ustinov excels at effete snobbery and gets off some of the best lines, while the gravel-voiced Aldo Ray is by turns menacing and charming and sometimes both at once. Contemporary viewers watching Ray in this picture will immediately think: Hey! That's where Michael Madsen got his shtick! Leo G. Carroll is serviceable in his trademark role as a benign and lovable fuddy-duddy, Basil Rathbone isn't given much of a stretch playing the bad guy, while Gloria Talbott, while adequate, is easily the weak link in the supporting cast. And we know that any time a deadly snake is introduced early in the movie, that serpent is going to pop up sooner or later as a key plot point. (SE, FML)

My judgement: **1/2 out f 4 stars

High Sierra

Movie Review: High Sierra

Year of Release: 1941
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart

Plot outline: An aging ex-con sets out to pull one more big heist (IMDb).

High Sierra is the last time Humphrey Bogart is forced to take second billing, and for good reason. He’s a tour-de-force in this crime epic, and pretty much carries the entire movie. The script by John Huston is good, but not as tight as some of his better efforts. While it does a good job moving through quite a bit of story, many of the supporting characters are underdeveloped and forgettable. This is compounded by patches of uncharacteristically trite dialog and ill conceived comedy. But the movie makes good use of the scenic beauty of the Sierra Mountains with dark cinematography that makes it foreboding in the manner that would develop into film noir. High Sierra is a great role for Bogart that - with a tighter script - could have been part of a great movie. (FML)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

To Have and Have Not

Movie Review: To Have and Have Not

Year of Release: 1944
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Howard Hawks
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall

Plot outline: A skipper-for-hire's romance with a beautiful drifter is complicated by his growing involvement with the French resistance (IMDb).

To Have and Have Not was Howard Hawks’ answer to Casablanca and while he never quite equals Michael Curtiz’s classic, he does deliver a good picture thanks in large part to Lauren Bacall. Making her movie debut at only 19 years of age, Bacall exudes the confidence and charm of a veteran actress, easily matching star Humphrey Bogart’s considerable screen presence. The chemistry between the two makes the movie, and the sparks flying on screen didn’t stop when the camera’s stopped rolling, as Bogart married Bacall in 1945. Bacall’s great chemistry didn’t stop there though. Her scenes with Dolores Moran (who found her role reduced in favor of Bacall’s) are dynamite, especially the subtle gag when Bogart asks her to fan some fumes away. Despite her relative inexperience, Bacall refuses to allow anyone to overshadow her, yet she goes about it in such a subtle, seductive way, that you can’t help but admire her. To Have and Have Not is considerably weaker when Bacall is off screen, as the rest of the cast is somewhat lacking, especially compared to Casablanca. Dan Seymour has neither the intensity of Conrad Veidt nor the presence of Sydney Greenstreet, and thus makes a sub par villain, while Walter Brennan’s character seems to exist solely as a plot device. Finally, while the script does a good job maximizing the Bogart-Bacall romance, the abrupt ending will no doubt leave some scratching their heads. (FML)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

They Drive by Night

Movie Review: They Drive by Night

Year of Release: 1940
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart

Plot outline: Two brothers struggle as wildcat truck drivers; one comes to harm, the other is accused of his friend's murder (IMDb).

They Drive by Night is generally regarded as George Raft’s best Warner Brothers movie. But, the truth is that Raft probably comes off the least effective among his co-stars. The beautiful Ann Sheridan was allowed the most memorable, snappy dialogue, which she delivered as only Sheridan could; Ida Lupino was finally given the chance to display her acting range as the murderess; and Humphrey Bogart got the opportunity to shed his patented B-picture tough guy in a brief yet compelling scene where he expresses his bitterness both at his injury and having to accept what he perceives as his brother’s charity. Raft, on the other hand, maintains his tough yet cool composure throughout and is not afforded a single scene to match the dramatic intensity of Lupino or Bogart. Perhaps his shining moment comes when he trades punches with a pugnacious fellow trucker. Critics and fans have noted that the movie succeeds best as a straight trucker drama and loses momentum once its focus shifts to Lupino’s determined and unbalanced infatuation with Raft, a plot device borrowed from Bordertown (1935), starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis. At that point the wisecracking Sheridan becomes less visible while Bogart disappears almost completely from the movie, only to pop up briefly in the courtroom and in the final scene. An almost painfully trite addendum to the obligatory happy ending. (SO)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Sahara

Movie Review: Sahara

Year of Release: 1943
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Zoltan Korda
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carrol Naish, Lloyd Bridges, Rex Ingram

Plot outline: An American sergeant leads a group of allied soldiers on a retreat across the North African desert during World War II (IMDb).

Humphrey Bogart may have top billing, but Sahara is basically an ensemble movie. The various allied soldiers are all well written, especially Rex Ingram as a Sudanese soldier, and everyone gets a moment to shine. The Germans on the other hand, are a bit more one-dimensional.Nevertheless, Sahara celebrates valor and sacrifice, and also goes beyond many war pictures in weighing exigencies of war against moral regard for the life of an enemy soldier, in balancing patriotism with cooperation among soldiers of various nationalities against a common enemy, and in a theological dimension that more than once indicates whose side God is on. There’s a humorous discussion between Ingram (the Sudanese muslim) and Bennett (the Texan): After listening to the muslim’s defense of polygamy, the Texan comments laconically that his wife wouldn’t like such an arrangement; whereupon the muslim admits that it’s the same with his own wife! The well-done action scenes and the somewhat somber third act make Sahara hold up well over time. Of course, having Bogart in the cast doesn’t hurt either. (SG, FML)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

The Maltese Falcon

Movie Review: The Maltese Falcon

Year of Release: 1941
Country of Origin: USA
Director: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet

Plot outline: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette (IMDb).

There have been better detective movies, better mysteries; Chinatown, for example. But, no other movie defines the genre as well as The Maltese Falcon. All of the stereotypes are there. The fast-talking tough guy detective, who can size up a situation quicker than anyone. His loyal Girl Friday, willing to obey orders no matter how outlandish. The femme fatale, beautiful but duplicitous. The money, the slang, the cops, the guns, the hit men. Evening is eternal. And colourful bad guys, all too ambitious and greedy to avoid their fate either in prison or the morgue. Its greatness comes in gathering all the elements of its style with such forcefulness. And the cast is outstanding. Could it have been made without Humphrey Bogart in the lead? Sure, but it wouldn't have been as good. Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet - all lend their inimitable Hollywood personas to their memorable characters. John Huston's crackling dialogue and confident direction aspire to greatness. Like all things, however, the movie is not perfect. The editing is below the usual Warner Bros. standards, and the climatic scene of Greenstreet discovering the true nature of the black bird is marred by an anonymous voice over. The line "Fake! It's a phony! It's lead! It's lead! It's a fake!" is clearly not delivered by any of the actors present in the room. Such flaws are trivial, of course, and don't reduce the pleasure one receives from viewing such a great movie. If anything, they are like a beauty mark on the face of a lovely model, which confirms her true identity as her style is changed by varying attires. (BK)

My judgement: **** out of 4 stars

The Caine Mutiny

Movie Review: The Caine Mutiny

Year of Release: 1954
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray, Robert Francis

Plot outline: When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny (IMDb).

Humphrey Bogart really shows his range as an actor, playing against type as the compulsive, paranoid, Captain Queeg. From the speech patters, to the darting eyes, and nervous habits, Bogart creates the foundation that scores of actors would build on in years to come. Fred MacMurray, despite relatively little screen time, turns in a particularly nuanced performance that plays in perfect counterpoint to Bogart’s, while José Ferrer resists the urge to overact in what could be a showy role and instead effectively punches home the movie’s very sober message. The only real problem with the movie is the length. There’s an entire sub-plot featuring Robert Francis and May Wynn that doesn’t really pay off, but shows promise. Interestingly, according to the IMDb, there initially were two scripts for the movie, one with the romance and one without. Both scripts ran over three hours and fleshed out many more of the characters, but the studio head insisted the movie run two hours and thus much of the material was cut, but, surprisingly, the romance stayed. Despite the dull romance, the characters are all credible and well defined. (FML)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

The Roaring Twenties

Movie Review: The Roaring Twenties

Year of Release: 1939
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George

Plot outline: Three WWI army buddies get mixed up with the mob in peacetime (IMDb).

The Roaring Twenties is an ambitious gangster movie buoyed by James Cagney’s strong performance. Initially, the movie fires on all cylinders. The opening battlefield scenes are great and do a wonderful job of efficiently introducing the characters. As the setting shifts to post-war New York the script compensates for disappearance of Humphrey Bogart’s character with the introduction of Frank McHugh and Priscilla Lane’s, as Cagney’s character begins his rise to prominence. Everything’s working now, and Cagney’s chewing up the scenery, but then, it begins to stumble. Starting with the introduction of a far-fetched love triangle between Cagney, Lane, and Jeffrey Lynn and culminating in a ludicrous finale, the script abandons any sense of gritty realism, and instead wallows in clichés. It drags in the middle and, much like its protagonist, is finished long before the end credits. Nevertheless, there’s some good stuff here. (FML)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

The African Queen

Movie Review: The African Queen

Year of Release: 1951
Country of Origin: UK, USA
Director: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn

Plot outline: In Africa during WWI, a gin-swilling riverboat owner is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship (IMDb).

One of the most popular of all classic Hollywood movies, The African Queen was also the only movie which paired Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn together as the leads. The top-ranked American Film Institute Actor and Actress, respectively, they proved to have good romantic screen chemistry together as a middle-aged Odd Couple forced together by circumstance, and learning to like it. Although unquestionably a good movie, The African Queen itself is not as impressive as the clever Hollywood formula construction upon which it was based. In retrospect, it was genius to cast Bogart as the salty but kindly sea merchant, and Hepburn as the prim but headstrong missionary. The problem was that their characters were too fluid. Bogart is all too willing to risk his life (and hers, too) on an unlikely mission that had little chance of impacting the war, anyway, which was waged on the battlefields of France. The feel-good story certainly delivers, but relies too strongly on coincidences. The Germans arrive at the village seemingly just after Bogart has left, delivering as an aside the news of the sudden war. Bogart shows up again the day that the failed missionary has died, despite earlier saying that he wouldn't be back for some time. On the day chosen to torpedo the Louisa, there is a terrible storm. But they go ahead with the plans anyway, despite an earlier assurance by Bogart that the Germans would return again and again. There's hardly need to mention the incredible timing of the Louisa hitting the African Queen, after the marriage ceremony but before the execution. Somehow, Bogart and Hepburn are united again but separated from the German crew, with nowhere to go but back to the leech-infested marsh. Then there is the stereotyped depiction of Africans as simple-minded children, of WWI era Germans as bullying oppressors, and of missionaries as clueless fools. Bogart's character rings the most true, but it is his performance that makes it credible. (BK)

My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars

Angels with Dirty Faces

Movie Review: Angels with Dirty Faces

Year of Release: 1938
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan

Plot outline: Childhood chums on opposite sides of the law fight over the future of a street gang (IMDb).

The great success of Dead End, the 1937 movie that starred Joel McCrae, Humphrey Bogart, and the "Dead End" kids, inevitably led to a sequel. Angels with Dirty Faces reunited Bogart and six of the "Dead End" kids. Because the producing studio had been changed from United Artists to Warner Brothers, the character names were also changed. McCrae was both romantic lead and good guy in Dead End. In the sequel, James Cagney takes over as leading man, while the good guy is the priest played by Pat O'Brien. The plot tells the familiar story of childhood pals going separate ways, become rivals as adults. Rocky Sullivan (Cagney) grows up to be a career criminal and racketeer, while Jerry Connolly (O'Brien) becomes a priest. They both vie for the souls of the "Dead End" kids, who seem destined to become the next generation of Rocky Sullivans. Other story lines have Sullivan double-crossed by his lawyer/partner Frazier (Bogart), and Sullivan romancing a reluctant Laury Ferguson (Ann Sheridan). Cagney is excellent. He is perfectly cast as a gangster, the little tough guy with a deeply hidden heart of gold. During shootouts with the police, one can't help but root for him, all the while aware that the 1930s code requires him to come to a bad end. Bogart's character is cowardly and two-faced when compared to his aggressive character from Dead End, while the hoodlum kids have been softened and placed in more secondary roles. Angels with Dirty Faces is Cagney's movie, and he dominates every scene he is in. (BK)

My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars

Dark Victory

Movie Review: Dark Victory

Year of Release: 1939
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Plot outline: A young socialite is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and must decide whether she'll meet her final days with dignity (IMDb).

Based on the unsuccessful 1934 play of the same title by George Brewer and Bertram Bloch, Dark Victory is one of Bette Davis' quintessential romantic dramas. Edmund Goulding gets sensitive work from three central characters who virtually hold the movie together: Bette Davis' Judith Traherne - a young, carefree, hedonistic Long Island socialite/heiress with a passion for horses, fast cars and too much smoking and drinking; George Brent's Dr. Frederick Steele - a caring doctor; and Geraldine Fitzgerald's Ann King - a reliable, trustworthy friend and personal secretary. Davis was at the top of her game when the movie was made. Despite her performance that displays a marvelous gamut of emotions which layer her facial features and body language, I found the movie somewhat too sentimental, too melodramatic. I guess it's a melodrama of a now unfashionable kind. Her performance seems a bit overacted, but maybe because of the style of the times. Her character, had the movie been made today, could be that unsympathetic rich bitch who parties hard, hasn't a care in the world and is a victim of her own whims much like Paris Hilton. Nevertheless, Judith is not without her good points - she's flighty and impulsive but not a mean person. Some of the dialogue sounds corny now, like the caring doctor saying, "Women never meant anything to me before." I found the final death scene too staged, too arranged. If you like romantic dramas with a substantial dose of sentimentality and melodrama, you might like this movie.

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Casablanca

Movie Review: Casablanca

Year of Release: 1942
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains

Plot outline: Set in unoccupied Casablanca in western Morocco during the early days of World War II, an American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications (IMDb).

The 1940s is the golden years of Hollywood and Casablanca is certainly the pinnacle of it and most likely of all time. What make this movie so great and timeless - it still captivates the audience even after more than six decades? I can see at least five elements that contribute to its greatness and timelessness: the story, the setting, the script, the characters and the performances. The story is multi-layered, people are always captivated by the story of hope and despair, which is perfectly set in exotic Casablanca and beautifully narrated at the beginning of the movie:

With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up - Paris to Marseilles ... across the Mediterranean to Oran ... then by train, or auto, or foot across the rim of Africa, to Casablanca in French Morocco. Here, the fortunate ones through money, or influence, or luck, might obtain exit visas and scurry to Lisbon; and from Lisbon, to the New World. But the others wait in Casablanca ... and wait ... and wait ... and wait.

But not only that, Casablanca is also the story of love and sorrow, which is brilliantly performed by Humphrey Bogart as resilient, yet hurt and tough, yet sentimental Rick Blaine. The characters are also multi-layered, they real - not black and white, as mentioned before, Rick Blaine or Claude Rains as corrupt, yet independent Captain Renault, which is brilliantly performed and perfectly scripted in witty dialogue throughout the movie:

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
Croupier [a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]: Your winnings, sir!
Captain Renault [sotto voce]: Oh, thank you very much.
Captain Renault [aloud]: Everybody out at once!

And who can forget the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund? It's magic! Or Dooley Wilson with his classic songs: "As Time Goes By", "It Had to Be You" and "Knock On Wood". Or the legendary scene of "The Battle of the Anthems" when the German officers take over Rick's place and sing "Die Wacht am Rhein" and Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo then goes to the orchestra leader and asks him to lead "La Marseillaise". It's mesmerizing! I found not even a thousand words can fully describe the greatness of this movie, from start to finish. It wins three Oscars and gets five nominations. It's one of my personal favourites.

My judgement: **** out of 4 stars