The Germans Wore Gray, You Wore Blue.
One the things I love about watching old films again and again is noticing the little things I may have missed the first few times, small details, maybe a set decoration or wardrobe choice, that make a film richer if you notice such things. When you're focusing on the story and characters the sets and props can go unnoticed.
Have you ever noticed how paltry the Maltese Falcon statue is? The mysterious object behind the intrigue is an unremarkable chunk of cheap art that few would give second notice to. The storm scene in The Caine Mutiny is also cheesy, a ship model tossed about in a tub, as are the battle scenes in Action in the North Atlantic, but I love those scenes because that was the technology of the day. I believe the boat used in Key Largo is the same boat used in To Have and Have Not. It was named Santana in Key Largo which happens to be the name of Bogart's personal yacht, which is currently under restortation somwhere in Rhode Island.
When watching films from 1930's - 50's I admire the way men dress in suits and hats, women's hairstyles, the decor of the era, furniture, archetecture and cars. It was a large period in many ways with big style and fashion unique to the time. When I know a film so well I don't have to follow the story too closely these are things I focus on.
I've noticed how every actress in Bogart films is hot unless the role is specifically not meant to be. Even very small roles, like the Acme Bookstore clerk in The Big Sleep, are filled with sultry and sexy women. When I was young I never noticed this about old films because sexuality is downplayed, no skin, no sex, and everything was done with innuendo and double entendre. It's easy to miss if you don't look for it.
Another detail I pay close attention to are the crossover actors appearing in multiple Bogie films. Of course there are our favorite costars, Lauren Bacall, Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet, but there are several others appearing in multiple films with Bogie, sometimes in very small roles.
Angel, the gangster bartender in Key Largo is played by Dan Seymour. He also appears in Casablanca as a door man in Rick's Cafe Americain and a large role in To Have and Have Not as Capt. Renard, the fat Vichy cop. Elisha Cook Jr plays the young hapless, hotheaded, thug Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon and an unfortunate small role in The Big Sleep. Marcel Dalio is hotel operator and resistance sympathizer Frenchy in To Have and Have Not and a dealer at Rick's in Casablanca. He's also has a one scene role in Sabrina, a film I watched for the first time this evening. Bruce Bennet appears in Dark Passage, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Sahara. The list could go on.
Of all the actors who've worked in multiple Bogie flicks none are more interesting than the three I first mentioned. I own all the Bogie-Bacall films. Every time Peter Lorre appears on screen I'm delighted. I love his face. I could listen to Sidney Greenstreet speak for hours. "I'm a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk" ... and Greenstreet's jovial manner in his roles as Kasper Gutman and Ferrari allow him to talk. I sometimes replay his scenes just to hear his lines again.
I could make this a very long post if I started into the great quotes from these films, but they're too numerous to mention and I could never decide which are the best. I haven't the desire to undertake that task.
So this is where my brain goes between December 24th and New Years Day every year, Bogie Week has me thinking about the little details and dialouge of classic films I love. I know it's weird and few have a passion for such trivial things, but if you love film nior and how Hollywood did things 60+ years ago, you'll understand.
....... Post Bogie Week edit ........
I was a little tipsy when I wrote the post above. It's a little rambly and disjointed but I'm leaving it as is.
I ended up watching 19 Bogart films over a 12 day period, a record marathon. I had eight days off work through the holidays and not wanting to spend money it was easy to have matinees and double features. I watched another Greenstreet film, Across the Pacific. I had never seen it but it could become one of my favorites. Greenstreet has a major role as a treasonous American in the days leading up to Pearl Harbor. The Japanese are plotting their attack on US interests. Mary Astor, of Maltese Falcon fame, is also in the film. It takes place mostly aboard a Japanese merchant ship and in the Panama Canal Zone. It has a Casablanca feel, espionage and intrigue.
I also watched Bogie's final film for the first time, The Harder They Fall, with a young Rod Stieger. Bogie plays Eddie Willis an aging sportswriter who's out of work and is offered a gig promoting an up and coming boxer. The boxer is managed by gamblers and the whole thing is rigged. Eddie struggles with the obvious tanked fights and corruption. The last frame of Bogart's film career is him sitting at a type writer.
I wrapped up my marathon by streaming High Sierra. I've seen it a few times, it's good but not on my list of favorite Bogie films. I realized Barton MacLane is another frequent costar, he's also in Maltese Falcon, Sierra Madre, All Through The Night and Bullets or Ballots.
I don't believe I'll ever break this new record of 19 films. I don't usually have 12 days of Bogie and access to unseen films is becoming limited. I actually saved a few never viewed films on my Amazon watchlist for next year.