Tonight in Radford I watched "To Have and Have Not," a traditional Humphrey Bogart film that portrays Bogie as a real American man. He has a woman throwing herself at him, but he remains passive while trying to stay out of a political debate in Martinique. Yet he gives in to both the woman and the cause he is not fighting for.
In this film only a woman with sass and sexiness could catch and keep Bogie's eye. This woman must be sensuous, beautiful, thin, curvy, and fascinating. Lauren Bacall is all of this and more. She is everything a woman could want to be, and she gets the man through her sexual wiles.
This film is a Hemingway story, and therefore is slow moving until the sudden action that peppered the film, and the surprise ending after a plot that involves little growth. I didn't even realize the movie was ending until "THE END" flashed across the screen.
Regardless of the blatant sexism and the slow moving plot, I had a wonderful time watching this film. There were about ten of us watching it in Radford, and we were all lying on mattresses (and on each other) that had been brought over by the boys of Buck. A wonderful and homey atmosphere pervaded the art gallery, and I could feel myself melting into the atmosphere. Also, there were great musical numbers in the film that featured Bacall's deep and sensuous voice. I enjoyed myself, and will definitely watch all the black and white movies shown on campus (even if they are on Wednesday night).
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