A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco. I’m going to be honest: I have tried to start this article four times now. All because I have no idea what I want to say about the film Casablanca. It’s a film that I own. It’s a film … Continue reading 3. Casablanca (1942)
A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette. I wonder if John Huston had any idea how much of a classic his directorial debut would be? The Maltese Falcon stars Humphrey Bogart as Private Investigator Sam Spade, Mary Astor as the femme fatale Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Gladys George as Iva Archer, Peter … Continue reading 31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Two Americans searching for work in Mexico convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Written and directed by John Huston, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre stars Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt as three men looking to strike gold in Mexico. But, the film easily becomes about the corrupting influence of greed. Bogart plays Fred C. … Continue reading 38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
In Africa during World War I, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship. Never in my life have I seen a character more annoyingly frustrating in a film than Katherine Hepburn’s Rose Sayer in The African Queen. Look, her performance is great. However, how Charlie Allnut, Humphrey Bogart’s character, doesn’t throw her … Continue reading 65. The African Queen (1951)
