To Have and Have Not (1944) - DVD

Help the Free French? World-weary cynic Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) isn’t interested. But he changes his mind when a sultry beauty named Marie asks him, “Anybody got a match?” And the spark flies between Bogart and nineteen-year-old Lauren Bacall in her screen debut. Packed with intrigue and crackling dialogue (including the unforgettable “how to whistle” instructions), this thriller captivates not only through what it shows, but also what it leaves unsaid. Director Howard Hawks handles it with great confidence, and the screenplay by William Faulkner and Jules Furthman is sharp and brisk. It bears little resemblance to Ernest Hemingway’s novel, but in many ways recalls Casablanca: French Resistance fighters, a blues pianist (Hoagy Carmichael), and a Martinique bar reminiscent of Rick’s Café Americain. Above all, it is a film of Bogart and Bacall, whose passion smolders from the tips of their cigarettes to the depths of their souls...