Watch Bogart: The Untold Story For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

A Major Disappointment

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

This TV documentary came out in 1996, the same year Humphrey Bogart's son Stephen had his book published - 'Bogart: In Search of My Father'. Stephen was only eight years old when his father died in 1957, and after many years decided that he needed to get to know his Dad as a man and real live human being instead of just a famous actor. Admittedly, the documentary, which runs a scant forty six minutes, can't be considered a definitive treatment, but appears to be a good starting point for anyone interested in Bogart's career.A number of people are interviewed in the film, most notably Bogie's fourth wife Lauren Bacall, director John Huston and movie historian Robert Sklar. All offer their own unique, personal insights into the man and the actor, with intervening clips of some of his better known movie roles. It was his tenth film, "The Petrified Forest" that put Bogart on the Hollywood map, one that typecast him for part of his career as a screen heavy. Even so, he often found himself in support roles to actors like James Cagney, George Raft and Edward G. Robinson, all of whom he appeared in pictures with.It was 1941's "The Maltese Falcon" which rebooted Bogart's career by casting him as a tough guy that wasn't a villain, gangster or an outlaw. The following year saw Bogart enhance his appeal as a leading man by playing opposite Ingrid Bergman in a role that expanded his range as an actor. That film was "Casablanca" which has stood the test of time and remains my very favorite movie of all time. To my mind it has everything - drama, mystery, espionage, patriotism, romance, humor and song - an unbeatable combination that places it at the top of many film critic Best Lists.An interesting item revealed by Bogart's son was how he came by his name Stephen. It was the name Lauren Bacall used when referring to Bogie's character Harry Morgan in the 1944 film "To Have and Have Not". It was their first picture together and the one that led to their eventual marriage of a dozen years. It came at a time when Bogart's third marriage to actress Mayo Methot was enduring a particularly rocky time. Right after Bogart divorced Methot, he married Bacall eleven days later.Serious fans of Humphrey Bogart may not learn much new in this documentary style program, but it still comes across as entertaining and knowledgeable. To learn even more, one can get a nicely detailed take on the life and character of Humphrey Bogart by sourcing his son Stephen's book which contains even more insight into the life of the celebrated actor.

This is a short film that is a combination biography and filmography of Humphrey Bogart that was made for Turner Classic Movies. Interestingly, it's narrated by his son, Stephen Bogart, a man who barely knew his father when the man died in 1957. Through the film, it's as if Stephen is introducing his father to the audience as well as to himself.The film follows Bogart from his childhood to his death and makes a few detours along the way to discuss his marriages as well as highlight a few films ("The Maltese Falcon", "Casablanca", "The Treasure of Sierra Madre", "Key Largo" and "The Caine Mutiny") and pretty much ignores his flops or good films that are not as famous. This is mostly because the film is so darned short--and clocks in at only about 45 minutes--not very long for a man as complex or as prolific as Humphrey Bogart. Well worth seeing and worth your time but certainly not a documentary for the advanced students of Bogartology.

Spoilers -- Third time is a charm, they say.... in bogey's case, the fourth time was the charm. Married to four actresses, he had to wait until he worked with Lauren Bacall to find true love. Bogey's story, with it's up and downs, is told in detail by his son Stephen, who had written a bio about H.B. We get to hear the details of the good times and the bad, the early, stormy, marriages, the period of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, and his private times, like sailing on his boat, drinking, and chess. Stephen talks about the rough relationships HB had with directors (John Huston) and even fellow actors. The bonus here is that in addition to hearing tidbits about HB, we also get to see clips from many of his films, most of which have been restored by now. Also interesting commentary by one "expert" on his life - Lauren Bacall herself, along with others familiar with HB and the industry at the time. I LOVE the quote from Bacall when she speaks of wife #3: "I had been warned she might drop a lamp on my head.' Several years after winning his Oscar for "African Queen", HB died of cancer. Bacall never did win the Oscar, although they had done some of their best films together (Key Largo, To Have and Have Not, Dark Passage). Directed by Chris Hunt, who had made numerous made-for-TV projects during the 1990s and early 2000s.