he killed George Raft's career.
according to a TCM bio i watched yesterday.
shareDeliberately, or was just that Bogart was so boss Raft caved in?
sharehe was a better actor and the director's recognized it.
shareBogart doesn't get the credit he deserves as an actor. He's one of those who gets saddled with the "oh, he was always just playing himself!" thing, but I don't think he was, and even if he had a narrow range, so what? One can accomplish greatness in a narrow range. Just ask Billie Holiday!
shareI think Bogart was a fantastic actor. It wasn't at all unusual on the old IMDb boards every six months or so to see a 'Who was the better actor - Brando or Bogart?' thread appear, and opinion was always pretty evenly spread (I'd certainly sooner watch him than Brando any day).
shareGenerally-speaking, yeah, I'd agree that I'd rather watch Bogart. That could be the films, though. So, I prefer The Maltese Falcon to The Wild One, for instance. Bogart is a real talent. I feel like there are, broadly-speaking, three kinds of actors: leads, character actors, and chameleons. Or, at least, those are the three kinds of roles. Some actors are really good at one or two of those categories, but if the public doesn't perceive them as "chameleons," they get rated lower.
Bogart is deceptive. He's like a villain who got to play the hero, and as a result, he's hard to pin down. I think because he had VERY distinctive mannerisms, speaking voice, and physicality a lot of people pigeon-hole him into a particular type of role. I've seen his breadth, though, and whether he's playing it cool (Sam Spade) or utterly losing control (Capt. Queeg) he's always great.
'Bogart is deceptive. He's like a villain who got to play the hero, and as a result, he's hard to pin down. I think because he had VERY distinctive mannerisms, speaking voice, and physicality a lot of people pigeon-hole him into a particular type of role. I've seen his breadth, though, and whether he's playing it cool (Sam Spade) or utterly losing control (Capt. Queeg) he's always great.'
Good points. One of my very favourite performances of his is Charlie in The African Queen. Very different type of role for him (which of course he won the Oscar for).
I think my personal favourite is his role in In a Lonely Place. He plays right along the edge of likeable and hatable, and it's really something. He's at his "Bogarest" in The Big Sleep (in my opinion), but for dramatic range, yeah, I'd agree with you that Charlie is up there. I also admired his comic capabilities in Sabrina. We don't get to see that a lot with Bogey - outside of a few choice one-liners or sardonic quips, of course.
shareThe Big Sleep is a great one. I haven't watched that in some while. My absolute favourite Bogart role is Rick Blaine. But then Casablanca is my all time favourite movie!
shareIf forced, I will answer, "What's your favourite movie?" with "Casablanca," but I find that category too large. How do I compare Casablanca with Duck Soup or 2001 or Lord of the Rings? But, yes, Casablanca basically has everything you could want in one picture, and yes, Bogart knocks it out of the park.
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