Humphrey Bogart In High Sierra

A gangster movie which isn’t set in Chicago, or some inner-city, but out in the sierras where it’s morphed into a noir film. Bogie as “Mad Dog Earle” rushes towards death, as his sense of doom is written over every inch of his face. Tired of being surrounded by sharks he latches onto something he sees as pure, pure on the inside — a clubfooted girl living out in the sticks, away from the dog-eat-dog world of cons & cops. Busted out of jail he longs for one more heist that’ll allow him to retire & get out of the game. Three partners & one introduces him to Marie, Ida Lupino.  Lupino was one of Hollywood’s greatest and hardest working. A very beautiful and very sexy woman without a doubt, yet she somehow lacked the screen presence of her contemporary leading ladies. Nevertheless, she was brilliant and flourished as an actress into her 60s, and was a pioneer woman film and TV director. She is one of my favorite actors of all time, and I love this movie.

I’ve seen this probably dozens of times. Who can forget Bogie in this role? The stark images, the noirish feeling of inescapability. The Sierras, or the dog Pard.

Of all the 14 karat saps… starting out on a caper with a woman and a dog.

John Huston, W.R. Burnett & Bogie. Nuff said…