Intrigue Before the War
Added 11/2/2008
On November 17, 1941 the Army court martial finds Captain Richard Leland guilty and he is discharged. What was his crime? Will Rick try Canada? Will he go to China? Rick books passage on the Genoa Maru. There he meets Alberta Marlow, who is traveling to California on her way home (not by railroad?). Doctor Lorenz is returning to the Philippines. Their conversation introduces the people and tells us about them. Miss Marlow suffers from sea-sickness. Lorenz plies Rick with drinks and seems inquisitive. Rick drinks too much. In New York Rick views a store window to check for a shadow, and uses an old trick to shake this rough shadow. [A smooth shadow must have been watching.] We learn of his secret mission.
Rick talks to Miss Marlow and notices another man following them. Back at the ship Rick saves Doctor Lorenz from an assassin. Who is he? [Was this a gambit to put Rick in good with Lorenz?] Joe Tatsuiko introduces himself; he has no accent. The Japanese are taught to hide their emotions. Do they look alike? "Some joke?" Does Rick need money? Will he remember the guns of the Canal Zone accurately? Judo used the strength of an opponent against himself. [Is it only an Oriental concept?] Japanese ships are banned from the Panama Canal so they will travel across the isthmus. Lorenz asks for specific information about Army scout planes. Rick visits a bank office to open an account and they exchange news.
Rick tries to learn more about Miss Marlow. He delivers the report to Lorenz and tries to get more money. [Do some of the scenes remind you of "The Maltese Falcon"?] Did Rick make a mistake in bargaining so Lorenz could outsmart him? There is unexpected drama at the theatre. Rick visits a plantation on a tip, finds a secret, and is found out. The meeting reveals the facts about the plot. Could something occur to upset the plan? Will the Panama Canal be sabotaged?
This film shows the attitude of public opinion in 1942. Does some of the dialogue recall earlier Bogart films? Some of the dialogue reminds me of Raymond Chandler's work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Bogey playing Bogey...only Peter Lorre is missing...
Added 8/30/2007
This is Humphrey Bogart the way his fans like him best--being pure Bogart and relishing his role the way he did Sam Spade in THE MALTESE FALCON. He has some crackling good dialogue to share with Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet and director John Huston keeps things moving at a lively pace with the usual amount of twists and turns.
Only problem is this is one of those espionage tales full of hidden identities--a bit disconcerting considering how complicated the plot is. But after awhile that doesn't matter. What counts here is the great chemistry between Bogart and Astor, Bogart and Greenstreet, Bogart and Sen Young. In short, it's Bogey doing what he does best--and Greenstreet as well--with Bogart as the tough guy whose mission is to destroy a scheme by spies to blow up the Panama Canal. All of the shipboard scenes are great fun and played for comedy as well as drama. It has plenty of suspense along the way. Sen Young is especially good in a colorful supporting role. It's slam bang entertainment all the way.
Of course, at the end, Bogey single-handedly destroys the enemy and is free to pursue the mysterious Mary Astor. At times it seems as though these are characters left over from THE MALTESE FALCON with Astor again playing a woman who just might be treacherous. The only ingredient missing among the supporting cast is Peter Lorre.
For Bogart fans, this is a must see. John Huston had to leave toward the end of the shooting to go into war service. Filming was completed by Victor Sherman who took no credit for his work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Hail hail the gang' s still here.
Added 8/9/2006
Fresh from the triumph of The Maltese Falcon, most of the principals plunged right into Across the Pacific. You have Sidney Greenstreet, still at the top of his game playing the same type of sinister character, shades of difference. Mary Astor looks great as a bad girl/good girl. Then there's Bogie of course & director John Houston who got drafted & didn't quite finish "Pacific". The cheesy sets, one woman character & script writing as you go, indicates this was a rush job done on the cheap. It tried capitalize on Pearl Harbor hysteria & goose The Maltese Falcon audience. But I found "Pacific" to be a better movie. Maybe better isn't the right word. I liked it a lot more. Maybe it was the subject matter. War & rumors of war vs murder & a stupid bird statue. Fine movies both. These were warm-ups to Bogart's classic, Casablanca.
The Movie: It is November 1941. Bogart is Rick (no not that one) & he's been cashiered out of the U.S. army in disgrace, for being a thief. He goes to Canada to enlist. They've heard of him & don't want him either. From there he boards a Japanese cruise ship bound for New York & then Asia through the Panama Canal. Maybe China isn't so picky. Or maybe he can sell himself to Japan if the $$$ is right. The ship gets to New York where we find he is actually an spy for The USA. He is on the trail of Dr. Lorenz, (Greenstreet) an agent with strong Japanese loyalties & lots of money to disperse to traitors, like Rick, for example. Rick has extensive knowledge of the Panama Canal fortifications, from his years of service there. Lots of romantic activity for Rick on this long ocean voyage in the person of Alberta (Astor). They fall in love. Their easy, smart, somtimes sexy banter show that these two people know each other & have an immediate chemistry. They get to Panama & the intrigue continues & the action part of the movie kicks in. Rick gets captured, beat up, escapes & shoots down an escaping Japanese plane carrying a bomb. Dr Lorenz is arrested & Bogie & Mary are reunited in one of those patented Warner Brothers quick endings. This is good stuff, almost *****. I'm sure this has been mentioned but what's with the title? Nobody ever gets to the Pacific in this one.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Bogart takes down a Japanese plot in WW II
Added 3/15/2006
The movie opens with Humphrey Bogart being discharged from the army for stealing money; he goes to Halifax to join the Canadian army, but they've heard of him and don't want him either. So he hops a freighter for the Orient via the Panama Canal when he sees pretty Mary Astor go aboard (there's the romantic angle for the picture). The scene is set for another outing where Bogart plays the "I-look-out-for-only-me" guy who is forced to change his mind for the good of his country, except that 30 minutes into the picture we see that he is actually working undercover for the US Government already, trailing Japanese spys who want to blow up the canal. It's a nice, but totally unexpected, twist.
Sidney Greenstreet plays the head Japanese bad guy, and he is excellent - his is the best performance in the movie. The dialogue and much of the love-play between Bogey and Astor are top-notch, too. John Huston directed, but left the production (gleefully) right at the point where Bogart is being held captive and the Japanese are about to take off in a plane to bomb the canal. Huston left to join the army, thinking he left Bogart in an impossible situation (a good joke), but he forgot this was Hollywood where anything is possible: Bogey gets free, stops the Japs, arrests Greenstreet, and wins Astor! Hooray for Hollywood! Not a great, great movie by any means, but it's very well done and highly entertaining.
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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UNDERRATED GEM
Added 11/17/2004
The story is corny, the acting is good and the sets are right out of the sound stages at Warners. What makes this movie special is the interaction between Bogart and Mary Astor. The dialogue between the two is crisp and realistic. Astor gives a much better performance than in The Maltese Falcon. Both Bogart and Astor are relaxed and comfortable with their characters. This movie fan finds himself watching this one more than Falcon.
7 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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Intrigue Before the War
Added 11/2/2008
On November 17, 1941 the Army court martial finds Captain Richard Leland guilty and he is discharged. What was his crime? Will Rick try Canada? Will he go to China? Rick books passage on the Genoa Maru. There he meets Alberta Marlow, who is traveling to California on her way home (not by railroad?). Doctor Lorenz is returning to the Philippines. Their conversation introduces the people and tells us about them. Miss Marlow suffers from sea-sickness. Lorenz plies Rick with drinks and seems inquisitive. Rick drinks too much. In New York Rick views a store window to check for a shadow, and uses an old trick to shake this rough shadow. [A smooth shadow must have been watching.] We learn of his secret mission.
Rick talks to Miss Marlow and notices another man following them. Back at the ship Rick saves Doctor Lorenz from an assassin. Who is he? [Was this a gambit to put Rick in good with Lorenz?] Joe Tatsuiko introduces himself; he has no accent. The Japanese are taught to hide their emotions. Do they look alike? "Some joke?" Does Rick need money? Will he remember the guns of the Canal Zone accurately? Judo used the strength of an opponent against himself. [Is it only an Oriental concept?] Japanese ships are banned from the Panama Canal so they will travel across the isthmus. Lorenz asks for specific information about Army scout planes. Rick visits a bank office to open an account and they exchange news.
Rick tries to learn more about Miss Marlow. He delivers the report to Lorenz and tries to get more money. [Do some of the scenes remind you of "The Maltese Falcon"?] Did Rick make a mistake in bargaining so Lorenz could outsmart him? There is unexpected drama at the theatre. Rick visits a plantation on a tip, finds a secret, and is found out. The meeting reveals the facts about the plot. Could something occur to upset the plan? Will the Panama Canal be sabotaged?
This film shows the attitude of public opinion in 1942. Does some of the dialogue recall earlier Bogart films? Some of the dialogue reminds me of Raymond Chandler's work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Bogey playing Bogey...only Peter Lorre is missing...
Added 8/30/2007
This is Humphrey Bogart the way his fans like him best--being pure Bogart and relishing his role the way he did Sam Spade in THE MALTESE FALCON. He has some crackling good dialogue to share with Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet and director John Huston keeps things moving at a lively pace with the usual amount of twists and turns.
Only problem is this is one of those espionage tales full of hidden identities--a bit disconcerting considering how complicated the plot is. But after awhile that doesn't matter. What counts here is the great chemistry between Bogart and Astor, Bogart and Greenstreet, Bogart and Sen Young. In short, it's Bogey doing what he does best--and Greenstreet as well--with Bogart as the tough guy whose mission is to destroy a scheme by spies to blow up the Panama Canal. All of the shipboard scenes are great fun and played for comedy as well as drama. It has plenty of suspense along the way. Sen Young is especially good in a colorful supporting role. It's slam bang entertainment all the way.
Of course, at the end, Bogey single-handedly destroys the enemy and is free to pursue the mysterious Mary Astor. At times it seems as though these are characters left over from THE MALTESE FALCON with Astor again playing a woman who just might be treacherous. The only ingredient missing among the supporting cast is Peter Lorre.
For Bogart fans, this is a must see. John Huston had to leave toward the end of the shooting to go into war service. Filming was completed by Victor Sherman who took no credit for his work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Hail hail the gang' s still here.
Added 8/9/2006
Fresh from the triumph of The Maltese Falcon, most of the principals plunged right into Across the Pacific. You have Sidney Greenstreet, still at the top of his game playing the same type of sinister character, shades of difference. Mary Astor looks great as a bad girl/good girl. Then there's Bogie of course & director John Houston who got drafted & didn't quite finish "Pacific". The cheesy sets, one woman character & script writing as you go, indicates this was a rush job done on the cheap. It tried capitalize on Pearl Harbor hysteria & goose The Maltese Falcon audience. But I found "Pacific" to be a better movie. Maybe better isn't the right word. I liked it a lot more. Maybe it was the subject matter. War & rumors of war vs murder & a stupid bird statue. Fine movies both. These were warm-ups to Bogart's classic, Casablanca.
The Movie: It is November 1941. Bogart is Rick (no not that one) & he's been cashiered out of the U.S. army in disgrace, for being a thief. He goes to Canada to enlist. They've heard of him & don't want him either. From there he boards a Japanese cruise ship bound for New York & then Asia through the Panama Canal. Maybe China isn't so picky. Or maybe he can sell himself to Japan if the $$$ is right. The ship gets to New York where we find he is actually an spy for The USA. He is on the trail of Dr. Lorenz, (Greenstreet) an agent with strong Japanese loyalties & lots of money to disperse to traitors, like Rick, for example. Rick has extensive knowledge of the Panama Canal fortifications, from his years of service there. Lots of romantic activity for Rick on this long ocean voyage in the person of Alberta (Astor). They fall in love. Their easy, smart, somtimes sexy banter show that these two people know each other & have an immediate chemistry. They get to Panama & the intrigue continues & the action part of the movie kicks in. Rick gets captured, beat up, escapes & shoots down an escaping Japanese plane carrying a bomb. Dr Lorenz is arrested & Bogie & Mary are reunited in one of those patented Warner Brothers quick endings. This is good stuff, almost *****. I'm sure this has been mentioned but what's with the title? Nobody ever gets to the Pacific in this one.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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