--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "kevinburtonsmith"
<kvnsmith@...> wrote:
>
> Now, has anyone seen THE BREAKING POINT, a film that
might actually
qualify as hard-boiled
> and/or noir?
I saw Garfield's "The Breaking Point" over 40 years ago. I
recall that it was a more faithful adaptation of the
Hemingway novel than the Howard Hawks version starring
Humphrey Bogart. I also recall that I enjoyed the
Bogart/Becall version more even though it was less faithful
and made less sense than the Garfield. I was, I suppose, a
sucker for Bogart, Becall, and the often fine character actor
Walter Brennan.
That said, I have no idea what I would think today with a
fresh viewing. My tastes have changed through the years. I
wish all these old movies were available for comparison. For
example, I also have a distinct memory that the 1930s version
of "Three Godfathers" starring Chester Morris, Lewis Stone
and Walter Brennan was superior in many respects to the John
Ford version that came a decade later starring John Wayne.
Yet the Ford/Wayne version is the only one I've seen in many
years. It has several fine qualities but the
Morris/Stone/Brennan version was much more hard boiled and
grim. Morris played it much tougher without the softening
aspects and humor Wayne conveyed in the Ford version. I wish
the earlier version was available for fresh viewing and
comparison.
Richard Moore
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