Warner
Bros., 100m 24s
It is
always a pleasure to revisit KEY LARGO,
one of the finest Warner Bros. products of the classic studio system era. Every
time I watch it, I admire it a little more. Though not an overtly noir production in terms of visual
style, its character types and situations reflect a society still coping with
the aftermath of prohibition and war, which neatly positions the film in the noir universe from a narrative sense.
Dramatic events of the past almost always give shape to the film noir.
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| "Frank McCloud, no address." |
Set in
the upper Florida Keys, an unlikely area for a noir story to unfold, KEY
LARGO presents a group of disparate people struggling to find themselves
after World War II. The drama occurs at and around a hotel owned by James
Temple (Lionel Barrymore with pants under armpits), who is confined to a
wheelchair more often than not. He lives at the hotel with his jaw-droppingly
beautiful daughter-in-law Nora Temple (Lauren Bacall), the widow of the elder
Temple's son George, who was killed overseas. Dropped off by bus is visitor
Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart), who served as George's commanding officer in
Italy. The war took a lot out McCloud, maybe everything. Despite an American
victory, he has been converted into a defeated character, an itinerant
job-hopper since the war ended. Nothing sticks to McCloud, who may have landed
in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not only is a hurricane approaching, but
an unsavory group of mugs led by exiled mobster Johnny Rocco (Edward G.
Robinson) have rented the entire Temple hotel for one week under the pretense
of a deep-sea fishing trip. Rocco's cohorts include Richard "Curly"
Hoff (Thomas Gomez, RIDE THE PINK HORSE
[1947], FORCE OF EVIL [1948]),
Edward "Toots" Bass (Harry Lewis, THE UNSUSPECTED [1947], GUN
CRAZY [1950]), Angel Garcia (Dan Seymour, THE BIG HEAT [1953]) and the gangster moll Gaye Dawn (Claire
Trevor, MURDER, MY SWEET [1944], BORN TO KILL [1947]). In a related plot
thread, the local sheriff Ben Wade (Monte Blue) and his deputy Clyde Sawyer
(John Rodney) are looking for two Native Americans who escaped from jail: John Osceola (Rodd Redwing) and Tom Osceola
(Jay Silverheels). The Osceola brothers trust Mr. Temple, who truly wants to
assist them. The boys get no help from the egocentric Rocco, though, who is
loyal to nobody, not even his old crime buddy Ziggy (Marc Lawrence in a
hilarious turn).
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| "There's only one Johnny." |
The
role of the cigar-chomping gangster figure Rocco points to one of the major
differences between the noir film of
the late 1940s and the gangster film popularized in the 1930s. One of the last
of a dying breed, Rocco is set up as McCloud's double, each man with no clear
role in post-WWII, post-prohibition society. Despite his lack of place, the
arrogance of the gangster persists. In a memorable moment, Rocco cannot stop
talking about himself long enough to get a complete shave. However, other folks
do not share the gangster's high opinion of himself. Though he is unable to
mount much of a challenge, Mr. Temple is the most outspoken about the
"filth" Rocco represents. Temple embodies a familiar noir staple: the crippled man whose ideals are undone by
physical limitations. McCloud suggests Rocco turn his gun on the hurricane in a
pointless gesture that only would underscore the gangster’s loss of power since
the time of prohibition. Interestingly, Rocco is in the process of making his
comeback as a counterfeiter; he literally cannot make money any of the
old-fashioned ways (alcohol, slots, etc.).
Both
Bogart and Robinson appeared as arch criminals in plenty of gangster films for
Warner throughout the prior decade, so there is an obvious irony at work when
Robinson's character is at odds with the man Bogart portrays. It seems McCloud
would rather live a coward than die a hero when he admits, "One Rocco more
or less isn't worth dying for." But McCloud ejects from self-preservation
mode when he instinctively shows compassion for the embarrassing drunkard Dawn
at her most humiliated. In the film's dramatic turning point, Nora reacts to
the moral worth of McCloud; her gaze at him completely altered from that point
on.
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| Mirrors suggest layered personalities in the film noir |
KEY LARGO was the fourth collaboration between
director John Huston and Bogart, who had combined previously on THE MALTESE FALCON (1941), ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942), and THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
(1948). Maxwell Anderson's 1939 play, in which Paul Muni played McCloud, was
adapted for the screen by Huston and Richard Brooks (BRUTE FORCE [1947], CROSSFIRE
[1947], MYSTERY STREET [1950]). The
dialogue is terrific and eminently quotable, especially when Rocco dominates
the scene, as when he condemns the people he propped up who ultimately deported
him, or when he lectures Dawn about her excessive drinking. Rocco's unfailing disregard
for others allows for the redemption of some of the film's flawed characters
and implies a second chance for the downtrodden.
Some
location footage from the Florida Keys is featured, but cinematographer Karl
Freund (METROPOLIS [1927], DRACULA [1931]) worked mostly within
Warner sound stages (what a time traveling treat it would be to visit them!).
In what makes for a superbly noir
environment, the heat of the off season locale is noticeable on the sweaty
faces of characters. The well-staged hurricane, a compilation of stock footage
from NIGHT UNTO NIGHT (1949),
injects more chaos into an already unstable situation. The editing by Rudi Fehr
(POSSESSED [1947], THE DAMNED DON'T CRY [1950]) is
skillful, particularly during the sequence when Rocco gives McCloud a gun and
taunts him. As usual, the score by Max Steiner is overbearing at times. Great
performances abound, especially by Robinson and Trevor, who won an Oscar for
Best Supporting Actress. Bogart offers one of his most subtle performances as
the disillusioned veteran McCloud.
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| Warner Blu-ray |
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| Warner DVD |
The
Warner Archive Collection dual-layered Blu-ray version of KEY LARGO boasts a magnificent transfer, framed at the correct
theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 (the DVD version released in 2000 compressed
the image to 1.33:1). The lack of supplemental material other than a trailer
(2m 24s) is odd considering the revered status of this beloved black &
white classic. Despite the absence of bonus features, this is a nice upgrade
for owners of the DVD, no doubt about it.
