Bogie: A Celebration of the Life and Films of Humphrey Bogart

by Richard Schickel, Stephen Humphrey Bogart (Foreword), George Perry (Editor)

In the fifty years since his death in 1957 Humphrey Bogart has firmly established his position as one of the iconic figures in the history of cinema, a star of the same magnitude as Monroe, Gable or Chaplin, and the personaification of one of Hollywood's most enduring genres, film noir. In this lavishly illsutrated survey of Bogart's life and work, Richard Schickel assesses his career and enduring legacy while George Perry provides a detailed review of the films he made over three decades, with a particular focus on his key roles. Published with the authorization of the Estate of Humphrey Bogart, this official celebration is a fitting tribute to a much-loved star. Having started out playing a series of supporting roles and "B" movie leads in routine gangster films, Bogart first emerged as a figure to be reckoned with in High Sierra before starring as the private eye Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon in 1941. Then, two years later, came Casablanca, the film in which, for the first time, he was allowed to show the humanity that lay behind the mask of the laconic, wisecracking tough guy. A humanity that was fully realized in the part of Charlie Allnut in The African Queen for which he won an Oscar in 1952. In all, Bogart appeared in over seventy-five films, and consistently lived up to his own definition of stardom -- "you have to drag your weight at the box office and be recognized wherever you go" -- and was later adopted as a cult figure by a new generation of fans, who saw him as an existentialist hero. Five decades after his death, he remains an invigorating presence in our imaginations. While Bogart's magnetism is to this day unmatched on screen, his private life was equally entrancing. He had already been married three times when he met Lauren Bacall on the set of Passage to Marseille and told her, "I saw your test. We're going to have a lot of fun together." She provided a much-needed stabilizing influence to his life and together they formed one of the most celebrated on- and off-screen couples. They had a son and daughter and appeared together in four movies including Key Largo and The Big Sleep . On the night Bogart won his Oscar for The African Queen, Bacall reflected that "Bogie had everything now-- a happy marriage, a son, another child on the way, an ocean racing yacht [the legendary Santana ], success, and the peak of recognition in his work."

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Richard Schickel is an important American film historian, journalist, author, filmmaker, screenwriter, documentarian, and film and literary critic.

Mr.Schickel is featured in For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. In this 2009 documentary film he discusses early film critics in the 1960s, and how he and other young critics, rejected the moralizing opposition of Bosley Crowther of The New York Times who had railed against violent movies such as Bonnie and Clyde.
In addition to film, Schickel has also critiqued and documented cartoons, particularly Peanuts.

Schickel was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964. He has also lectured at Yale University and University of Southern California's School of Film and Television.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 2006 as a remembrance commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Humphrey Bogart. The first half of the book is a brief but thoughtful biography/critical filmography by Richard Schickel, who had previously written similarly about D.W. Griffith, but with a lot more detail and depth. I was surprised at how harshly Schickel treated The Petrified Forest, but I have to concede that he has a point.

The second half, by George Perry, is more about the individual movies, with each film, even the minor ones, getting at least a paragraph, and some getting a lot more than that.

There are photographs throughout the book, big, glossy, full-page photographs, and some of them are fantastic. (My favorite might be the production still from High Sierra, where Bogart is slouched in a chair with a rifle across his lap.)

I'm not 100 per cent sure that I have a favorite actor, but if pressed to name one, I'm 100 per cent sure that I'd choose Humphrey Bogart. This was a very quick read -- it has fewer than 200 pages and many many photographs -- but well worth reading for any Bogart fan.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't nearly as good as Schickel's book on Cagney, mainly because only part of it is by Schickel, with a large chunk by another writer who repeats what he's just said. Beautiful photos of Bogie's films, though.

[Sebastian Zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and revealing book about the life of Bogie. It's surprisingly detailed given its relatively short length and many pages dedicated to pictures. If you're a fan --like me -- of Humphrey Bogart, you're gonna love this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#39 of 120 books pledged to read during 2021

[Cortney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I felt like an insider to his wild life, learning many personal things about him...one being that he called his boat keeper "Squarehead", which is how I came to call Mark the same. I love Bogart. Handsome man.

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book filled with photos from Humphrey Bogart's life and career. It runs through his life, his movies, and what influenced and shaped him, and how he came to be the icon that he was then, and is still today.

[Richard Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining read about one of my favorite actors of all time.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing isn't brilliant, there are typos, and much of the biography is rehashed in the filmography. But oh! the glossy full-page photos!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great images and facts.