Humphrey Bogart is an aimless fisherman who gets drawn into the growing French Resistance in Martinique. Lauren Bacall is the American songbird who seduces him and subsequently reawakens his sense of purpose. Ernest Hemingway’s self-described “worst” novel is gleefully translated to the screen by director Howard Hawks, who ditches most of the plot to play up the nuclear chemistry between his two leads. Sure, there’s a lot borrowed from 1942’s Casablanca, but you’d be hard-pressed to hold back a smile whenever Bacall teases Bogie or tutors him on the importance of whistling. It’s a debut performance for the ages, bolstered by the memorable tunes that Bacall sings alongside co-star/songwriter Hoagy Carmichael. Featuring a Walter Brennan character that can best be described as a “Walter Brennan type.”
Music Box Theatre screens films of all genres and from every era of cinema, both new releases and repertory. These films may sometimes contain upsetting, outdated, or offensive material. While we aim to introduce many of our screenings, we do not always provide warnings about potentially triggering content within the films we screen. We encourage our patrons to research the film before they attend using trailers, reviews, or content information found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com.
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