BOGART: LIFE COMES IN FLASHES

(director/writer: Kathryn Ferguson; screenwriter: Eleanor Emptage; cinematographer: Franklin Dow; editor: Mick Mahon; cast: Stephen H. Bogart, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn, John Huston, Maud Humphrey, Kerry Shale (narrator); Runtime: 99; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Eleanor Emptage, Robbert de Klerk; Dog Star Films; 2024-UK)

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

An intimate biopic on the iconic actor Humphrey Bogart, December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957, who starred during Hollywood’s Golden Age from 1921 to 1956. Best known for his iconic performance in Casablanca (1942). His other classic films I also loved include: High Sierra (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Big Sleep (1946), Key Largo (1948), The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948), In a Lonely Place (1950), The African Queen (1951), (The Caine Mutiny (1954), and Sabrina (1954).

The official Bogie bio-pic was made with assistance from Humphrey Bogart’s estate and by his son Stephen.
 
The homage documentary is directed by Kathryn Ferguson (“Nothing Compares”/”Rita of the Sky”) and scripted by Eleanor Emptage, and features family letters, rare archival footage, movie clips, home movies, photographs and interviews. It uses Bogie’s own words to tell his life story.

It’s the first official feature documentary about Bogart’s life. The filmmaker explores his relationships with the likes of Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn,  Dan Seymour, Pat O’Moore, Helen Hayes, Stephen Bogart (one his two sons), Helen Menken, Mary Philips, Mayo Methot, Louise Brooks, and many more.

Though it offers no new revelations, it views the star through the significant women in his life that include his successful illustrator domineering mother Maud Humphrey (whom he worshiped), and his four wives (Helen Menken, Mary Philips, Mayo Methot and, the love of his life, his soul-mate last wife Lauren Bacall (she was 19 when she married the 44-year-old).
 
The legendary actor is still fondly remembered for his cheeky quip in Casablanca to Ingrid Bergman: “Here’s looking at you, kid,” a film many critics consider to be Hollywood’s finest film ever.

REVIEWED ON 11/15/2024  GRADE: B
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