NEXUS ISSUE 19 2014

nexus magazine
AUTEUR PRESENTS LAUREN BACALL
Auteur Dr Richard Swainson
Lauren Bacall once said that "being a widow is not a profession".
Though her reputation rested solidly on the fact of having been married to
Humphrey Bogart from 1945 to 1957, she was only 33 when he died. Perhaps
not a great actress but a distinctive Hollywood personality, Bacall's career
continued until this year, a full seven decades after the most celebrated
debut in movie history.
Auteur House stocks the majority of Bacall's best work. Here's a top ten
list, in chronological order:
1. To Have and Have Not (1944). The legend was born when 19 year old
Bacall taught Bogie how to whistle. Fidelity to the Hemingway book took
a backseat to the pair's smouldering chemistry though the film is still a
gripping thriller.
2. The Big Sleep (1946). One of the great works of the American cinema.
Bacall's part in this adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel was beefed up
after the initial version was completed. The final result is nonetheless seamless,
with dialogue of unprecedented wit and sexual subtext.
3. Dark Passage (1947). The least known of the Bogie-Bacall films but in
some ways the most fun. Bogie only appears on screen after about an hour,
his character initially bandaged and director Delmer Daves employed a first
person camera technique to innovative effect.
4. Key Largo (1948). The last of the couple's pairings, Key Largo offers
better parts to the supporting players, with Claire Trevor winning an Oscar
and Edward G Robinson deserving one. A stilted and stagey play adaptation.
5. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Bacall is on hand at the changing of
the blonde-sex-symbol guard as Betty Grable passes the baton to Marilyn
Monroe. The tale of three gold-diggers who end up seemingly settling for
less, it is amusing if indebted to Monroe's earlier Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
6. Written on the Wind (1957). One of Douglas Sirk's now critically admired
1950s melodramas. A purposefully over-the-top tale of lust, infidelity and
addiction. Dorothy Malone won a supporting Oscar; Bacall is solid in the lead.
7. The Shootist (1976). John Wayne's final, poignant film in which the
real-life health woes of the Duke bleed into those of his screen character.
Bacall is the widow who offers non-sentimental solace. A mature, moving
performance.
8. Dogville (2003). Taking an unfussy part in Lars Von Trier's ensemble,
Bacall proves herself up to the challenge of experimental cinema, shooting
on a bare soundstage with largely imagined props and backdrops. A triumph
for all concerned.
9. Birth (2004). Another strong if small part in an unusual, cutting-edge
drama. Nicole Kidman thinks her dead husband has been reborn as a young
boy. Mummy Lauren begs to differ.
10. The Walker (2007). Paul Schrader's character study of a gay dog-walker
and his upper crust clientele is an acquired taste but this film is impeccably
acted, not least by Bacall, employing her caustic wit magnificently. At 83
she's still got it.
16 nexusmag.co.nz