To Have and Have Not

In Martinique during World War II, a fishing boat captain (Humphrey Bogart) reluctantly aids the French resistance with the help of his alcoholic partner (Walter Brennan) and a sultry saloon singer (Lauren Bacall).

To Have and Have Not was director Howard Hawks’ answer to Casablanca and while Hawks never quite equals Michael Curtiz’s classic, he does deliver a very good picture thanks in large part to Lauren Bacall.

Making her film debut at only 19 years of age, Bacall exudes the confidence and charm of a veteran actress, easily matching star Humphrey Bogart’s considerable screen presence. The chemistry between the two makes the film, and the sparks flying on screen didn’t stop when the camera’s stopped rolling, as Bogart married Bacall in 1945.

Bacall’s great chemistry didn’t stop there though. Her scenes with Dolores Moran (who found her role reduced in favor of Bacall’s) are dynamite, especially the subtle gag when Bogart asks her to fan some fumes away. Despite her relative inexperience, Bacall refuses to allow anyone to overshadow her, yet she goes about it in such a subtle, seductive way, that you can’t help but admire her.

To Have and Have Not is considerably weaker when Bacall’s off screen, as the rest of the cast is somewhat lacking, especially compared to Casablanca. Dan Seymour has neither the intensity of Conrad Veidt nor the presence of Syndey Greenstreet, and thus makes a sub par villain, while Walter Brennan’s character seems to exist solely as a plot device.

Finally, while script by Jules Furthman and William Faulkner does a good job maximizing the Bogart-Bacall romance, the abrupt ending will no doubt leave some scratching their heads.