Humphrey Bogart: The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille)

"Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2" may be as entertaining a collection of Bogart films, as he emerged as a major WB star, as you'll ever find. They run the gamut of early classic noir, espionage, action/adventure, broad comedy, and moody morality tale, each exceptional, and stamped with the distinctive Bogie 'style'.

"The Maltese Falcon" (1941) - One of the earliest examples of the style that became known as Film Noir, John Huston's crime classic has been described as the finest detective film ever made, and certainly deserves the title! The second teaming of the director and star ("High Sierra" had been released earlier that year), both films had a common history, as George Raft 'passed' on both properties (not wanting to work with an 'untested' director), and the films would launch Bogie into the superstardom that had eluded him in the 30s.

Dashiell Hammett's tale of amoral detective Sam Spade, the murder of his partner, and the offbeat collection of characters in pursuit of a fabulous, jewel-encrusted statue, had been filmed twice by WB in the thirties, but never truly captured the 'flavor' of the novel. Huston, with his eye for characterization, and use of light and shadow, not only got it 'right', but popularized a new genre, of beat-up, world-weary anti-heroes with their own 'codes of honor', duplicitous women, and endings where things seldom end 'happily ever after'. While Film Noir wouldn't become a film staple until after WWII, it seldom got better than this!

I could say MUCH more, but this 3-Disc collection says it FAR better...it is, simply, a MUST OWN!

"Across the Pacific" (1942) - The next teaming of Huston and Bogie may be one of the most enjoyable espionage comedy/dramas of WWII, made even more entertaining by the film's back story; Huston, who wanted, desperately, to get into WWII, managed to leave for the war after writing Bogie into 'certain-death' film climax, without a resolution! While the director and star thought it was hilarious, poor Vincent Sherman, called in to finish the film, probably lost a lot of sleep tying everything up!

Re-teaming the star with "Falcon" co-stars Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet (who are both superb), the film, despite obvious flaws, is eminently 'watchable', and remains one of Bogie's most popular films.

"Action in the North Atlantic" (1943) - One of WB's best wartime action/adventure films, Lloyd Bacon's tribute to the merchant marine is a marvelous ensemble piece, with great acting compensating for obvious stereotypes. Bogie isn't the focus of the story, but a team player, on a ship commanded by Raymond Massey (in one of his warmest, most ingratiating portrayals). This film has a famous back-story, as well; watching their stunt men performing a dive off a burning ship, Bogie and Massey, both a bit intoxicated (being 'off-duty'), started making bets on which stunt-man was braver...one thing led to another, until the stars, themselves, made the dive (which must have driven Jack Warner into apoplexy!)

"All Through the Night" (1942) - Humphrey Bogart made few comedies (mostly later in his career), but this 'Damon Runyon-Types vs. the Nazis', filmed just after "Falcon", is breezy fun, if totally outrageous! The story of gambler/promoter Bogie, investigating (for his mother!) strange goings-on, getting framed for murder, and discovering a Nazi cell in Manhattan with evil intentions, is so loaded with funny one-liners that you never miss the lack of logic.

Supported by a cast of GREAT comic actors (including William Demarest, Frank McHugh, Jackie Gleason, and Phil Silvers), hiss-able villains (headed by Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, who would re-team with Bogie in "Casablanca"), and lovely Kaaren Verne (the future Mrs. Peter Lorre) for romance, "All Through the Night" may not be a classic, but is FABULOUS fun!

"Passage to Marseille" (1944) - After the huge success of "Casablanca", WB attempted to find similar vehicles for Bogie, to attempt to recapture the magic. Some would work very well ("To Have and Have Not"); most didn't. This was one of the misfires, but it does offer "Casablanca" co-stars Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Helmut Dantine, in a tale of Devil's Island escapees, dealing with Vichy plots, finding their 'souls', and rejoining the fight to rid France of the Nazis. Atmospheric, if occasionally slow-moving, the film is not among Bogie's best, but is certainly watchable, and has WB's distinctive 'gloss'...

Quite a collection!

Re-releasing popular titles on DVD is par-for-course for most labels. Only two come back for another release when the reason is damned good...WB and Criterion. Unlike the other studios, only these two save the second dip for something far better, and this superb SIGNATURE COLLECTION VOLUME TWO contains four new-to-DVD releases, looking SENSATIONAL, but also a re-visit to THE MALTESE FALCON, which along with CASABLANCA and SIERRA MADRE, represents the very best of the world's most beloved and timeless movie actor.

I picked up my copy today, and all I can say is WOWEE!

The original FALCON DVD looked very good. It was released when WB didn't seem to care about their older films, and the extras were paltry and the quality was good but not great.

The new FALCON carries the excellence that has been the hallmark of the WB Special Editions that have become the industry standard against which others are measured. Tons of great new extra features, and the two previous film versions of the Hammett novel, both of which are fodder compared to the Bogart version, which looks and sounds SO MUCH BETTER here.

Best of all, the signature collection has taken pity on our shelving, and is packaged in sturdy slim-cases.

BRAVO, WARNER!

Finally, finally, finally, three Bogart films that used to be shown endlessly on TV when I was a child and which I absolutely loved are finally on DVD! I'm not talking about "Casablanca" or "The Maltese Falcon" Or "The Treasure of Sierra Madre", or any of those films that first come to mind when the name Humphrey Bogart is mentioned. I'm taking about "Across The Pacific", "All Through The Night", and "Action in the North Atlantic". God, I loved those movies!

I might have just been at an impressionable age, but some of those scenes have stuck in my mind for decades. For example, the atmosphere of the Panamanian movie theater that was showing a Japanese film in "Across The Pacific" (foreign movies in a foreign country - made the little kid that I was realize for the first time that the USA wasn't the only multi-ethnic country); the fact in "Action in the North Atlantic" that the ship convoy was going to help Murmansk (a novel concept at the time for this child of the Cold War - Russians as allies?), not to mention the fact that that was the first film I'd seen where Raymond Massey played a good guy - THAT was a novel concept; and in "All Through The Night", the New York gangsters being willing to fight a greater evil, and appreciating a damn fine cheesecake. Another great thing about these movies is all of the fine character actors that are in these films (Philip Ahn, Conrad Veidt, Jane Darwell, Sydney Greenstreet, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, among others)- they always add a uniqueness to their secondary characters that is absent, for the most part, in today's films.

I've wanted copies of these movies for years - who says dreams don't come true? ;->