This sounds as if it might be the wrong kind of tribute to Humphrey Bogart -- his widow telling us all about what a marvelous man he was, dedicated to his craft, generous to a fault, all of it illustrated by home movies of Bogart smiling with his arm around his wife, blowing out the candles on the birthday cake, tumbling with his two lovely children.
Instead, it's a warm and reasonably comprehensive examination of his career, focusing on the many films he made. There are some home movies shot on various locations or on Bogey's yacht, the Santana, but there are far longer clips taken from his film work, including out takes and deleted scenes.
The documentary -- and host Lauren Bacall -- aren't afraid to poke fun at Bogart's screen image and at some of his performances. You have seen nothing until you have seen Bogart play a zombie-like mad scientist in "The Return of Doctor X" (1939). Bogey would surely have thought that was perfectly okay. His role enactment was always of modest intensity, more like Spencer Tracy's than Robert DeNiro's. His failures aren't neglected.
Bacall is the host but there are contributions by diverse other talking heads who knew the actor -- John Huston, Richard Brooks, and Katherine Hepburn among them.
An interesting and pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. There are some sobering moments too. The movie is a little more than twenty years old and yet half the people adding comments and telling anecdotes are now gone.
Instead, it's a warm and reasonably comprehensive examination of his career, focusing on the many films he made. There are some home movies shot on various locations or on Bogey's yacht, the Santana, but there are far longer clips taken from his film work, including out takes and deleted scenes.
The documentary -- and host Lauren Bacall -- aren't afraid to poke fun at Bogart's screen image and at some of his performances. You have seen nothing until you have seen Bogart play a zombie-like mad scientist in "The Return of Doctor X" (1939). Bogey would surely have thought that was perfectly okay. His role enactment was always of modest intensity, more like Spencer Tracy's than Robert DeNiro's. His failures aren't neglected.
Bacall is the host but there are contributions by diverse other talking heads who knew the actor -- John Huston, Richard Brooks, and Katherine Hepburn among them.
An interesting and pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. There are some sobering moments too. The movie is a little more than twenty years old and yet half the people adding comments and telling anecdotes are now gone.