To Have and Have Not (film)
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| To Have and Have Not | |
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| Directed by | Howard Hawks |
| Produced by | Howard Hawks |
| Written by | Ernest Hemingway (novel) Jules Furthman, William Faulkner |
| Starring | Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall |
| Music by | Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer (song) |
| Cinematography | Sid Hickox |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. |
| Release date(s) | October 11, 1944 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
To Have and Have Not (1944), is a film directed by Howard Hawks that is nominally based on the novel To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in Martinique under the Vichy regime. In this exotic location, the world-weary fishing boat captain Harry 'Steve' Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) is urged to help the French Resistance smuggle some people onto the island. He is hesitant, until the person who had been hiring out his fishing boat gets accidentally shot. In desperation because he will not be able to recover the $800 he is owed, he ends up working with the Resistance and smuggles a husband and wife onto Martinique. Meanwhile, a romance unfolds between Harry and Marie 'Slim' Browning (Lauren Bacall), an American pickpocket who has come to the island.
[edit] Background
This was Lauren Bacall's first film, at the age of 19. Bacall was discovered by Howard Hawks's wife, who noticed Bacall on the front cover of Harper's Bazaar. His wife subsequently showed the photo to her husband, who soon sought out Bacall and signed her for the role. However, after filming began, a romance developed between Humphrey Bogart and the new star, despite the disapproval of Hawks. This romance would eventually lead to Bacall's first marriage and end Bogart's marriage to his then wife Mayo Methot. It also would create a memorable onscreen chemistry between Bogart and Bacall, which would be taken advantage of later on in several other movies, such as The Big Sleep.
The film comes from the first fifth of the novel of the same name, except the setting is moved from Key West to Martinique. The screenplay was further developed by William Faulkner, an intense rival of Hemingway, in order to have a more coherent plot. In addition, Slim's part was greatly extended to take advantage of the Bogart-Bacall chemistry.
[edit] Music
In the movie, Bacall sings "How Little We Know" by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. Another Carmichael songs, "Hong Kong Blues" (co-written with Stanley Adams), was also used. Incidentally, Carmichael plays Cricket, the piano player in the film.
Another song played in the film was "Am I Blue?", written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke.
[edit] Trivia
- Hawks and Hemingway were good friends. There is a rumor that there was a bet between Hawks and Hemingway, where Hawks bet Hemingway that he could turn his worst book into a great film.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
- Slim: "You know you don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything, and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and... blow."
(Last two sentences were included at #34 on the American Film Institute's list of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes.)
- Slim: "Give her my love."
- Steve: "I'd give her my own if she had that on!"
[edit] References
- Mast, Gerald (1982). Howard Hawks, Storyteller. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195030-91-5.
