To Have and Have Not (film)

To Have and Have Not (film)
Name	To Have and Have Not
Director	Howard Hawks
Producer	Howard Hawks
Screenplay	William Faulkner; Jules Furthman; Howard Hawks
Based on	novel by Ernest Hemingway
Starring	Humphrey Bogart; Lauren Bacall; Walter Brennan; Dolores Moran; Hoagy Carmichael; Marcel Dalio
Music	Hoagy Carmichael; Max Steiner
Cinematography	Sidney Hickox
Editing	Christian Nyby
Studio	Warner Bros.
Released	1944
Runtime	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

To Have and Have Not (film) is a 1944 American romantic adventure film directed and produced by Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in her film debut. Adapted loosely from the 1937 novel by Ernest Hemingway, the film blends elements of crime drama, wartime intrigue, and screwball romance, and is notable for its improvisational dialogue, on-screen chemistry, and influence on film noir and popular culture. The movie established Bacall as a star and cemented Bogart's screen persona, while Hawks's collaboration with screenwriters including William Faulkner produced a narrative distinct from Hemingway's text.

Plot

Set in Martinique during World War II, the narrative follows Harry Morgan, an American fishing boat captain portrayed by Humphrey Bogart, who becomes entangled with Resistance activities and local politics after encountering a series of characters. Harry navigates interactions with the French consul, played by Marcel Dalio, and the expatriate community including a young, enigmatic singer, Slim portrayed by Lauren Bacall, whose first meeting with Harry sparks flirtation and alliance. Complications arise when Harry is coerced by corrupt local officials and foreign agents into smuggling and gun-running, leading to confrontations involving Walter Brennan's aging sidekick and scenes that culminate in both violent clashes and a tender resolution. The plot interweaves subplots featuring petty crooks, romantic rivalry, and moral choices against a backdrop of wartime occupation and resistance.

Cast

The principal cast includes Humphrey Bogart as Harry Morgan and Lauren Bacall as Slim, supported by Walter Brennan, Dolores Moran, Hoagy Carmichael, and Marcel Dalio. Additional credited performers and character actors feature in roles that populate Martinique's social milieu, including expatriates, officials, and underworld figures. The ensemble work includes performances that drew on stage and radio experience, with Bacall's musical interludes and Bogart's laconic delivery becoming central to the film's enduring appeal.

Production

Production was overseen by Howard Hawks at Warner Bros., with screenplay contributions credited to William Faulkner, Jules Furthman, and Hawks, adapting Ernest Hemingway's novel while departing substantially from its plot and tone. Casting paired established star Humphrey Bogart with newcomer Lauren Bacall, discovered after appearing in a Broadway production, initiating a professional and personal partnership that reverberated through studies of Hollywood stardom. Sidney Hickox's cinematography and Christian Nyby's editing shaped the film's pace, while on-set improvisation, rewrites, and collaboration between Hawks and his actors produced notable scenes, including the famous "You know how to whistle" exchange. Production faced wartime constraints and studio oversight, yet Hawks's direction allowed for a blend of genre elements and character-driven moments.

Music and Soundtrack

Music played a prominent role, with contributions from Hoagy Carmichael, who also appears onscreen, and score elements handled by Max Steiner. Songs performed within the film, including jazz-inflected numbers and standards, augment the nightclub and expatriate settings while showcasing Carmichael's musical persona. The soundtrack integrates diegetic performances and underscore, reinforcing mood shifts between romantic banter, tension, and action. Musical moments featuring Bacall and Carmichael became memorable set pieces that contributed to the film's popular reception and subsequent soundtrack releases.

Release and Reception

Released in 1944 by Warner Bros., the film received mixed contemporary critical responses but proved commercially successful and influential in later assessments. Initial reviews noted the chemistry between Bogart and Bacall and praised Hawks's direction, while some critics compared the screenplay unfavorably to Hemingway's novel. Over subsequent decades, film historians and critics re-evaluated the work, highlighting its genre hybridity, star dynamics, and stylistic contributions to film noir and romantic melodrama. The film's impact extended to popular culture, spawning references in literature and music and cementing Bacall's status as a cultural icon alongside Bogart's already established persona.

Themes and Analysis

Scholars have analyzed the film in contexts including star studies, auteurism, adaptation theory, and wartime cinema. Themes explored in criticism include masculinity and stoicism as embodied by Bogart's Harry, female agency and sexual autonomy signified by Bacall's Slim, and the moral ambiguities of collaboration and resistance within occupied territories. The adaptation's divergence from Ernest Hemingway's novel prompted debate about fidelity, with attention to William Faulkner's and Hawks's reshaping of narrative priorities toward romance and banter. The film's interplay of romance and violence, its use of improvised dialogue, and its mise-en-scène have been linked to developments in film noir, screwball comedy, and wartime melodrama, making it a frequent subject in studies of Hollywood's Golden Age, star partnerships, and cinematic representations of World War II-era geopolitics.

Humphrey Bogart Lauren Bacall Howard Hawks William Faulkner Jules Furthman Ernest Hemingway Hoagy Carmichael Walter Brennan Max Steiner Sidney Hickox Christian Nyby Warner Bros. Martinique World War II film noir screwball comedy Broadway studio system cinematography soundtrack adaptation stardom Hollywood Golden Age of Hollywood exile Resistance movements occupation French consul Marcel Dalio Dolores Moran ensemble cast improvisation mise-en-scène romantic melodrama banter dialogue star studies auteurism wartime cinema novel screenplay editing score jazz standards diegetic non-diegetic commercial success critical reception adaptation theory masculinity female agency sexual autonomy morality violence popular culture legacy cinematic history classic Hollywood film studies cultural icon box office criticism re-evaluation influence genre hybridity romantic banter

Category:1944 films Category:Films directed by Howard Hawks