Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Rating: Nr

Yes, it's true: you can virtually see Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall falling for each other in To Have and Have Not (1945), Howard Hawks's variation on Casablanca but adapted from--as legend has it--Ernest Hemingway's self-declared "worst novel." (The story goes that Hawks told Hemingway he could make a movie of the author's least work, and Hemingway gave him the rights to this story.) The script by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman actually makes this one of Hawks's and Bogart's most interesting and often exciting films. Bogart plays a boat captain who reluctantly agrees to help the French Resistance while wooing chanteuse Bacall. Hoagy Carmichael, wry at the piano, adds a delicious accent to an already wonderful mood.

Bogart and Bacall were never more popular than in The Big Sleep, the 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, directed by Howard Hawks. Bogart plays private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by a wealthy socialite (Bacall) to look into troubles stirred up by her wild, young sister (Martha Vickers). Legendarily complicated (so much so that even Chandler had trouble following the plot), the film is nonetheless hugely entertaining and atmospheric, an electrifying plunge into the exotica of detective fiction. William Faulkner wrote the screenplay.

Dark Passage (1947) is a gimmicky film noir starring Bogart as an escaped criminal who undergoes plastic surgery and holes up at the home of Bacall's character while healing and preparing to prove his innocence. If you can last through the first half-hour of this thing--which is shot entirely from the subjective view of Bogart's bandaged face, which we don't see until later--you might find ample reason in the stars' performances to stick around for the conclusion. But director Delmer Daves (A Summer Place) tests a viewer's endurance with such an obvious, attention-getting ploy.

John Huston (The Maltese Falcon) directed Key Largo (1948), a smart thriller about a gangster (Edward G. Robinson) who holds a number of people hostage in a hotel in the Florida Keys during a tropical storm. Bogart is the returning war veteran who takes on the villains, and Bacall is on hand as one of the people on the wrong end of Robinson's gun. Somewhat similar in tone to To Have and Have Not this moody movie captures a certain despair offset by the bond between individuals united by common purpose. Claire Trevor won an Academy Award for her part as Robinson's alcoholic girlfriend. --Tom Keogh

quick no fuss shipping. Bogie and Becall the signiture collection is very high quality copy. The double feature of THE BIG SLEEP was an added extra bonous. We love watching the older great films. This was definately four of the old greats. This time frame from hollywood by far their greatest time and will not be repeated. I would recomend this to anyone who loves the old classics. Very happy with product. And Amazon. Good work folks

The signature collection of DVD's starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall turned out to be a wonderful buy. I had seen Key Largo and The Big Sleep, but I had not seen Dark Passage and To Have and Have Not. These two movies were pure excitement and on-the-edge-of-your-seat action. It is a great addition to a classic movie library.

very few film couples lasted as long as this couple, both on screen and in real life.

Great value and excellent quality films starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Really enjoyed the bonus background information about the film and the stars.

My favorite's are Dark Passage and Key Largo but The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not are wonderful too. I can watch them over and over again.