‘Bogart’ examines the life of an actor for the ages
There are few actors whose name is both noun and verb. But then there are precious few Humphrey Bogarts. His story is unique in every way, from his arduous climb to the top to his status as a pop culture icon, who continues to epitomize cool nearly 70 years after his death. If ever there was an actor/activist who deserved a cradle-to-grave documentary, it is he. That’s why when I got word of Kathryn Ferguson’s “Bogart: Life Comes In Flashes” I was sure it was, as Bogie would say, going to be “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Alas, it’s not.
In fact, it’s a bit of a mess, brimming with missteps and omissions too numerous to count. But because it is Bogart, you can’t help being captivated by the abundance of home movies and family photos filling the screen, demonstrating that even at leisure, he was larger than life. Equally affecting, is Ferguson’s idea to structure her film around the five women who shaped Bogart’s colorful journey: his mother, famed illustrator Lucy Maud Montgomery; his first three wives, actresses Helen Menken, Mary Philips and Mayo Methot; and, of course, his greatest love, Lauren Bacall.
Outside of those inducements, there’s little to recommend here. It’s basically a rehash of familiar facts interspersed between clips from his dozens of movies, none identified by their title or year of release. And it’s that lack of depth and detail that proves so frustrating. Well, that, and the somnambulant actor providing the voice of a disembodied Bogie reading excerpts from his writings. Couldn’t Ferguson find an impersonator who sounds remotely like Bogart; say, Jerry Lacy, who did a marvelous job mimicking him in Woody Allen’s “Play It Again, Sam”?
Like many family-sanctioned bio-docs, “Bogart” pulls its punches on more than a few occasions. But without the collaboration of Bogart and Bacall’s son, Stephen, we wouldn’t have all this fascinating footage, such as Bogie captaining his yacht populated by celebrity guests, or the intimate photos of Stephen’s parents embracing and playful, madly in love.
Still, I wanted more details, like how significantly Bogie’s abandonment might have contributed to Methot’s early death, likely from alcoholism. Just as intriguing, why did he stay with Methot so long when their shared fondness for liquor only fortified their codependency? And why did the brawling couple wholeheartedly assume the tabloid moniker “the battling Bogarts”?
What I did glean was Bogart’s indebtedness to Leslie Howard, whom he credits with saving his movie career when the Brit went to the mat demanding that his buddy be cast in “The Petrified Forest.” Bogie was so grateful that he and Bacall named their daughter after Howard. Also, Bogart’s tenacity – sticking it out for years as a supporting actor (mostly in gangster flicks) at the whim of tyrannical studio boss Jack Warner before getting his big break, courtesy of best pal John Huston, who cast him as the lead in “The Maltese Falcon.”
From then on, it was the golden age for Bogart, who would star in timeless classics such as “Casablanca,” “In a Lonely Place,” “The African Queen,” “The Caine Mutiny” and “The Big Sleep,” where he met the then 19-year-old Bacall. Despite the 25-year age difference, the two would forge a romance so legendary it would be immortalized in song. And like many great loves, it ended in tragedy, with cancer claiming Bogart a mere few weeks after his 57th birthday in 1957. We see newsreels of the funeral, attended by a who’s who of Hollywood royalty, including Marlene Dietrich, Danny Kaye, Gregory Peck, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
There never was and never will be another like him. But Ferguson (the Sinead O’Connor doc, “Nothing Compares”) doesn’t always effectively establish that uniqueness, partly because she jumps around too much in time. One minute she’s exploring Bogie’s childhood and the next singing his praises as a Broadway actor. And back and forth it goes to the point of confusion.
Plus, there’s nothing current about it. The content is culled entirely from the past, including archival interviews with Huston, Bacall and Ingrid Bergman, with whom he shared top billing in a movie that many consider to be the finest ever made, “Casablanca.” But what about his lasting influence on today’s stars?
As I said, nothing here is newly discovered beyond the rare photos and home movies. For the moderately curious, that’s probably enough. For them, “Life Comes in Flashes” could well be revelatory. But for seasoned geezers like me, you’re better off curling up with any of his fabulous films and basking in the aura of one of Hollywood’s most mythic stars.
Movie review
Bogart: Life Comes In Flashes
Rated: Not rated
Director: Kathryn Ferguson
Runtime: 99 minutes
Where: In theaters Nov. 15
Grade: B-
