High Sierra

 

 

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"High Sierra" released in January of 1941,gives us Bogart after having climbed that acting mountain for many years,just in hairs reach of the peak of super stardom.A classy tale of a heist gone wrong with lots of action and good acting throughout.
The story concerns one Roy Earle,a criminal who is sprung out of the pen by his old boss Big Mac(Don McBride).He has one last big job for him and wants him to take charge of a group of characters,none of which Roy really trusts.On the way out he meets up with a kindly family led by Pa(Henry Travers)and his granddaughter Velma(Joan Leslie).Roy falls for the granddaughter whom he later helps out by giving the funds necessary to correct her clubbed foot.But Roy's love in the end is unrequited and in the end chalks his good deed up to experience.
He reaches a camp where the "gang" are holed up waiting for the job to begin.One of the two men Babe(Alan Curtis) has brought along a girlfriend by the name of Marie(Ida Lupino),whom he periodically roughs up,much to the chagrin of Roy.After one such incident Roy gets rough with Babe and puts him in his place.Roy has wanted Marie to leave but in the end recants and Marie starts to fall for him.
Roy finally meets up with Big Mac who is in serious trouble,health wise.Big Mac gives Roy a letter to be opened if anything should happen to him.The day of the big job finally comes and Roy and company rob the safe of a very up-scale hotel.The front desk clerk Mendosa(Cornel Wilde) is their inside man who leaves the safe purposely unlocked.The job is taking a little longer than expected when a security guard making his rounds stumbles in on the heist and gets shot by Roy.While fleeing in seperate cars,Roy and Marie witness their three partners accidentally run off the road and seemingly killed.However Mendozza lives and eventually squeals on Earle.
By this time Roy has reconnected to hand over the jewels that were heisted,only to find that Big Mac has died.As instructed in the envelope he goes to another fence who tells Roy to return for his cut when he hears from him.When he gets the word and tries to collect he is discovered and the chase is on.He ends up in the Sierra Mountains and in the end,with Marie watching,dies there.He is now "free",as Marie,teary-eyed but comforted that he's in a better place(her identity as Roy's moll now confirmed),is led away by the police.
The screenplay was co-written by John Huston,the famous director to be of such super hits as "The African Queen","The Maltese Falcon" ,"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and so many more.The film was directed wonderfully by venerable director Raoul Walsh of "Sadie Thompson"(1928) fame and many other good pictures of the 20s and 30s.Bogie as mentioned was just near super stardom and after his next gig "The Maltese Falcon", would come "Casablanca" and the rest is history.Ida Lupino was a classy actress in these years and plied her trade skillfully.It wouldn't be until the late 40s that her star would rise to its' peak, but in the meantime she learned about directing and between that and acting would continue to work well into the 70s.Character actor Henry Travers("Ball of Fire",the angel in"It's a Wonderful Life",and so many more),is a welcome addition to the cast playing a very affable Pa.Also a welcome addition is Willie Best giving some comic relief as Algernon,the camp caretaker and keeper of a little dog by the name of Pard.Pard was in fact Zero,Bogie's OWN dog!Also here is a young 15 year old Joan Leslie in her first major movie role and the first time using that name(she was billed in bit parts at MGM using her real name of Joan Brodel!).Finally we see 25 year old Cornel Wilde,almost unrecognizable,at the start of his career in a bit part as the inside man at the hotel(Mendoza)who rats out Roy later in the picture.
This DVD has been transferred very well and the print,while exhibiting some flaws in keeping with its' age and condition,is generally in pretty good shape.Extras here are slim with just the theatrical trailer and a featurette about the movie.
Wonderfully acted and directed, with a good script with well fleshed out characters,"High Sierra" makes for very entertaining movie fare and has never failed to disappoint.A good addition for your DVD library.

This was the first of the George Raft reject parts that transformed Humphrey Bogart from James Cagney's second banana into...Bogart. The next two were "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca". In "High Sierra" Bogart plays a sociopath bank heister who still has a shred of humanity left, something like Frankenstein's monster but not as bulky. The character originally was stitched together from a number of Public Enemies by novelist W. R. Burnett. Bogart's performance is completely un-maudlin and genuine and like all his best work continues to last as the modern touchstone of American film acting. Another great directing job by Raoul Walsh as well, a man who could handle about anything the studio threw his way.

High Sierra (1941) is considered by most to be Humphrey Bogart's first real, breakout role, playing a part that wasn't initially offered to him. Bogart, the fifth member of Warner Brothers famous 'Murderers Row', came into the role of Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle only after fellow 'Row' members Paul Muni and George Raft didn't accept the part, one disagreeing on the script and subsequent changes, and the other being talked out of taking the part by Bogart, respectively. Bogart, who hadn't quite reached the level of big name star by this point, as evident to second billing to costar Ida Lupino, wanted the role badly, as he knew the character of Earle was something he could really sink his teeth into, and showcase his talent to the world.

As I said, Bogart plays Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle, a convicted bank robber serving a lengthy prison term, a life sentence, if I'm not mistaken, who has just been released. We soon find that Roy's early release isn't due to parole for good behavior, but strings pulled by his old boss, Big Mac (Donald MacBride). Seems Big Mac has a score in California that he wants Roy in on, so Roy leaves the Midwest to make the connection.

Along the way, Roy has a chance meeting with Pa Goodhue (Henry Travers), a farmer who lost his farm, and is now traveling west with his wife and his clubfooted granddaughter Velma (Joan Leslie), who we will see again later.

On reaching the Sierra mountains, Roy meets with the other members of the criminal enterprise Big Mac has arranged, two younger, hot-tempered men, Babe and Red, who have a have a female companion, Marie, played by Ida Lupino. Roy objects to having a woman around, as it's just an unnecessary complication. Marie manages to get Roy to change his mind, as she despises the thought of having to return to her previous career of dancing in a two-bit hall with men for a quarter a dance. Soon Roy learns of the score, and things seem easy enough, but even the simplest plans can go awry.

Directed by actor/writer/director/producer Raoul Walsh, High Sierra is a rich, tense noir crime drama based on a novel by W.R. Burnett and adapted for the screen by Burnett and legendary director/actor/writer/producer John Huston. Bogart really adds depth to his character of Roy, presenting the duality of a seemingly cold-blooded killer who has a soft side. That certainly doesn't mean he's soft, especially when someone gets in the way of his plans. Presented is a character who knows his time is past, and is looking to make his way out, and having thoughts of a future that will never be...and then settling for less than he hoped for, not realizing that maybe that was even too much to hope for...the supporting cast was wonderful, but I found the sort of pseudo comic relief of the character Algernon, a black worker at the fishing camp Roy and his small gang hole up before the score, played by Willie Best, a bit awkward. At the time, it was probably more acceptable, but the stereotyping may chaff contemporary audiences. A minor point, but one I hope wouldn't sour potential viewers from seeking out this film. I just try to understand it for what it was and is, a form of ignorance that has, hopefully, long since past. Best to acknowledge it happened and move on. What I found really interesting was how the noir concept was flawlessly transplanted from dark city streets to the majestic Sierra mountains on the Neveda /California border. Another thing I really loved was the snappy exchanges and use of gangster colloquialisms. The dialogue zings along, just adding a real element of fun to the movie, despite the drama nature of the material.

The picture quality here is beautiful, and the audio sounds wonderful. I was also pleased to see an excellent featurette called "Curtains for Roy Earle", which talks about how Bogart got the role in the movie, his minor skirmish with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and the film in general. Also included is a theatrical trailer for the film. If you're a fan of Humphrey Bogart, High Sierra is a must see film. If you like good movies in general, you won't be disappointed here. While the role of Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle may not be the one most remember Bogart for, it certainly confirmed his status as an actor in every sense of the word, and served well to showcase his talent and made him a star. Another film soon to follow, The Maltese Falcon (1941) took the star and made him a legend.

Cookieman108

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5.0 out of 5 stars "Of all the 14 Karat saps...starting out on a caper with a woman a dog...Bogart"
Warner Bros. Pictures presents "HIGH SIERRA" (1941) (100 min/B&W) -- Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy, Joan Leslie & Henry Hull... Read more

Published 14 months ago by J. Lovins

5.0 out of 5 stars The convergence of old ways and newly found self...
The callous Roy Earl (Humphrey Bogart), a skilled robber, is pardoned and released back into society from being locked up in a prison. Read more

Published on Mar 12 2004 by Kim Anehall

3.0 out of 5 stars Old style Hollywood crime thriller
One of the old films that when we start watching it, we know how it will turn out-making it sad and a bit predictable, in a funny way. Read more

Published on Dec 12 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Bogart - Classic Film
Bogart fans rejoiced when High Sierra was finally released on DVD. Bogart plays Roy Earle, freed from prison for the sole purpose of getting "that last big score". Read more

Published on Nov 18 2003 by Keith Garlington

4.0 out of 5 stars TOUGH GUY GET BURNED - GREAT LOOKING DVD!
"High Sierra" is the story of an convict who is makes parol only to find himself thrown back into the hopper of organized crime. Read more

Published on Nov 6 2003 by Nix Pix

5.0 out of 5 stars Bogart and Lupino at their best
In HIGH SIERRA Humphrey Bogart plays professional criminal Roy Earle who is pardoned from prison because of the influence of a crime boss named Big Mac. Read more

Published on July 31 2003 by Peter Kenney

5.0 out of 5 stars An Old Rebel and his Faithful Lady
At the close of "High Sierra" Ida Lupino exhibits a look of serenity as she exclaims the word "free! Read more

Published on Jan 31 2002 by William Hare

4.0 out of 5 stars Crime Doesn't Pay - Again!
The movie starts by showing how a lifer convict can be pardoned to allow him to continue crime in another state, but provides no other details. Read more

Published on Jan 28 2002 by Acute Observer

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Run
Bank-robber Roy Earle (Bogart) may be outside the law, but he's a lot more sympathetic than those functionaries carrying out the law. Read more

Published on July 2 2001 by Douglas Doepke

5.0 out of 5 stars "yeah...the gun just went (knock-knock-knock)"
This was the very first Bogart film I ever saw, and it remains my favorite to this day. The above is an excerpt from a speech made by Bogart's character early on, in which he raps... Read more

Published on Dec 31 2000 by R. L. MILLER

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