High Sierra (1941) Blu Ray

"High Sierra" was a seminal film in the career of Humphrey Bogart. In stark contrast to his privileged New England background, Bogart had already established himself in the gangster genre with his memorable role as Duke Mantee in "The Petrified Forest"(36). It was a role that had not quite propelled him to super stardom, but that was to change after "High Sierra". Paul Muni was originally offered the role but eventually turned it down. It was then offered to George Raft who was allegedly talked out of it by Bogart, who coveted the role for himself. The rest as they say is history!The film follows the fortunes of gangster Roy "Mad Dog" Earle, who seems to be loosely based on John Dillinger who is mentioned in the film. Earle following his release from prison at the start of the film goes straight back to his old ways, and is immediately involved in planning a hotel robbery with a couple of young thugs and their moll. But things aren't like the old days, and the new breed of gangsters can't be trusted. Things start to go wrong early on. Earle has already spent time in prison and he doesn't intend going back. We head to a spectacular finale, where the forces of law and order close in on the last gangster on the slopes of spectacular Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the USA. Much in the same way as James Cagney did in "White Heat"(48), Earle refuses to go quietly.The film is based on the book of the same title by W R Burnett, who also wrote the screenplays for "Little Caesar" and "Scarface". The screenplay was also co-written by Burnett with the young John Huston. The film was to mark the start of a long and fruitful, and hard drinking friendship between Bogart and Huston. The support cast was extremely strong, with Arthur Kennedy appearing early in his career as a young thug. Ida Lupino plays the moll, fresh from her success in "They Drive by Night". In fact she took top billing ahead of Bogart. It was the last time that Bogart was to take second billing! Cornel Wilde appears as a quivering stooge, and the veteran Henry Hull appears as an underworld doctor. The film was directed by the prolific Raoul Walsh, who had a good reputation for handling action sequences, of which this film contains plenty.The resulting film is a hugely impressive and entertaining slice of film noir. Bogart is at his snarling and irrepressible best as Earle, the gangster with a soft heart. You just had to dig very deep to find it! The location filming on the slopes of Mount Whitney help to lift the film way above the usual gangster fare. There are many good scenes. I especially liked the scene where Earle explains about the stars to a crippled girl. When asked how he knows so much, he explains that he had had a lot of time on his hands where he had been. There is another poignant scene when Earle leaves prison to enjoy his new freedom amongst the waving branches of the trees in a local park. The climactic scene on Mount Whitney is a famously spectacular ending to the film. The only discordant note is the racial stereo type, in the eye rolling character of Algernon. Unfortunately this was a distasteful common comic device of the period.Walsh remade the film later in 1949 with the western "Colorado Territory" with Joel McCrea in the lead. The film has dated remarkably well and the black and white photography is crisp, clear and atmospheric. The DVD was an official English release and also contains the welcome 15 minute featurette "Curtains for Roy Earle: The making of High Sierra", an interesting insight into the films making. The price of the remaining DVD's is very reasonable given the films quality and scarcity. I was extremely pleased with my buy! This is probably my favourite gangster film, and one that I feel to be the very best in the large canon of work by the redoubtable Raoul Walsh. A fine addition to anyone's DVD collection, and worth every one of the five stars I have awarded it.

Humphrey Bogart (Roy Earle) is sprung from prison so that he can lead a gang in a robbery at a hotel for the wealthy. He meets his gang - Ida Lupino (Marie), Arthur Kennedy (Red), Alan Curtis (Babe) along with the inside man who works on reception at the hotel, Cornel Wilde (Mendoza) and heist mastermind Donald MacBride (Big Mac). However, on his way to meet up with his new crime unit, he befriends a family headed by Henry Travers (Pa) and falls in love with the daughter Joan Leslie (Velma). He retains his connection with this family throughout the film as he plans his robbery and escape. Does he pull it off......?The film has a nice setting and the ending stands out as we watch Bogart battle things out on the Sierra mountain range. There is a standout shot of a marksman looking down from a vantage point on the Sierra Nevada - nice camera-work. There is also a car chase up the mountain which is well executed and the stuff of nightmares as cars tear round bends not knowing what is around the corner. The cast are OK with Bogart as the standout character.Unfortunately, the film does not deliver on what should be an interesting story. It spends far too much time tracking Bogart's friendship with Travers and his family and, in particular, his perverted love for someone who is WAY too young for him - Joan Leslie - the daughter with a club foot. He pays for her defect to be cured and thinks he can swoop her away with him. What a perv. Lupino is a far more suitable love interest for him but I can understand him not wanting anything to do with her because of her affection for a bloody dog called Pard. The writers have given Bogart a sensitive side by thinking "Hmmmm. He needs to be sensitive. Lets get him to love a cripple and have a soft side for dogs. Yeah. That's a good idea." Well, it's not. He should have killed the dog in the first few scenes. And this is where the story gets stupid - he takes the dog with him to a robbery on Lupino's request. Aaaah! How sensitive of him! There is a lot more of that irritating dog in the film - it's really naff.Given the cast, the film is weaker than the sum of it's parts and it is just not gripping enough. Oh yeah....and Willie Best does his annoying black man thing in the guise of Algernon.

High Sierra is not just a hard bitten gangster movie, (although that theme runs throughout the film) it also tells the poignant story of a man hankering after his younger, easier days before he fell into a life of crime, after a chance meeting with a family he feels an affinity with. The man (Humphrey Bogart) is sprung from prison to oversee one last job that'll make everyone rich, but time has marched on and Roy "mad dog" Earle is of another age! The granddaughter of the family, who he has an impossible crush on rejects him, the three gang members he has to team up with just aren't good enough and the job goes horribly wrong, a guard is killed and from then on he's on the run. Ida Lupino (Marie) is terrific as the archetypal gangster's moll who sticks with Earle through thick and thin after he protects her from her thuggish boy friend, although Earle doesn't seem to realise how lucky he is to have her! The movie also benefits from some good comedy moments from Willie Best and a stray dog("oh! no he aint my dawg") There are early screen appearances for Arthur Kennedy and Cornel Wilde(his first) and good support from Joan Leslie and Barton Maclane The film ends with Earle making his escape into the High Sierra mountains with the ever faithful Marie looking on. Great film!

The story is pretty corny, but the strong cast make it work. Bogart and Ida Lupino are particularly good.The pace is brisk and the tension never eases. It's not Bogart's best but it is close and very enjoyable if you like films of the era.

Like Bogie films and really enjoyed this one, good story line, well acted. Just the thing for a wet sunday.