Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 1 DVD Credits:

Region: 1

Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 1 DVD Release Date: 2nd October 2006

Our Rating: Extras Rating:

User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 1 DVD Review:

Humphrey Bogart is best known for his role as Rick in Casablanca, and although a fantastic 2-disc special edition of that film is included in the set, it is just a starting point for an eclectic selection of Bogart’s body of work. Along with the role of a noble cantina owner there is also a maddening thief, a gangster, and a young truck driver. There are films with Bogart in the lead and even one with him as a supporting actor. The four films seem somewhat off-balanced with two of them in their own individual box containers with two discs and the other two only containing one disc in a slim disc container, but as awkward as they look together in the box it is a fantastic collection of films.

Casablanca: Two-Disc Special Edition

Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Casablanca is even more importantly a fan favorite. Bogart is the owner of a gin joint in Morocco during Nazi occupation when an ex-flame, played by Ingrid Bergman, comes into his establishment with an important political figure. It was the role that made Bogart a huge romantic star, taking him away from the gangster roles he had become known for. It has some of the most memorable music and dialogue in any film. The final scene is known by more people than have actually seen the film, which is a statement of how deep this film is in our culture.
The two-disc special edition has two commentary tracks on disc one, which also holds a digitally transferred version of the film. The first commentary is a wonderfully insightful commentary by Roger Ebert who is also able to hold interest far better than most in commentary tracks. The second commentary track is by film historian Rudy Behlmer, and there is an introduction by Lauren Bacall. The second disc has a number of deleted and additional footage, a television adaptation of Casablanca starring Charles McGraw, a Screen Guild Players radio broadcast with Bogart, and a few other featurettes, but the best of the bunch is a Looney Tunes parody, Carrotblanca.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Two-Disc Special Edition

This is one of Bogart’s most unsavory roles. He plays Fred C. Dobbs, a man down on his luck in Mexico when he decides to try and make a fortune in gold with an old miner and a new friend. This remarkable film also stars Walter Huston, the father of the film’s writer and director, John Huston. It was the winner of three Academy Awards and shows the slow progression into madness when three miners are tempted and paranoid about their gold. They begin to suspect each other but Bogart is especially fascinating as the maddening Dobbs.
The first disc of the two-disc special edition has a feature-length commentary by Eric Lax as well as an introduction to the film by Leonard Maltin. There are also newsreels and a number of shorts. The second disc has an extensive documentary about the film, Discovering Treasure: The Story of The Treasure of Sierra Madre. There is also another Bugs Bunny cartoon that spoofs this film as well, a radio broadcast of The Treasure of Sierra Madre with Bogart and Walter Huston, and a number of publicity and storyboard galleries.

High Sierra

This is an important film for the collection because it was Bogart’s first real starring role. He plays Roy Earle, a prohibition era gangster who has just left prison in the 1940s. He plans one last job while attempting to start a relationship with the granddaughter of a man he meets on the road. He pays for her to get a surgery but she doesn’t love him. A woman brought along on the heist named Marie (Ida Lupino) does love him. Directed by Raoul Walsh with a script by John Huston and W.R. Burnett who wrote the novel, High Sierra is a fantastic film and one of the last traditional gangster films. The special features include a featurette, Curtains for Roy Earle: The Story of High Sierra, and a theatrical trailer.

They Drive By Night

Also directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Ida Lupino, They Drive by Night actually has Bogart in a co-starring role. He plays one of two truck driving brothers, the other being played by George Raft, who was almost given the role of Rick in Casablanca surprisingly enough. Raft is on a mission to make a success of the truck driving business but after an accident which costs his brother’s arm he starts working for an old friend who has a wife (Lupino) that wants him at any cost. She murders her husband hoping that she can win him over, but it just results in a great deal of drama and a final courtroom scene. Bogart has a small but entertaining role in the film but it is mostly interesting to watch Rat, who Bogart seems to have taken some influence from after working with him. The special features include a featurette about the film and a vintage musical short.

Our Rating: Extras Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 1 DVD review written by: Ryan Izay