By the time of Humphrey Bogart’s final film performance, in 1956’s “The Harder They Fall,” the movie star had fallen gravely ill.
His years of smoking and drinking climaxed with what would become fatal esophageal cancer, which cast an unmissable pall on his performance.
And yet, he still brings his star-making qualities: the toughness and bitterness, the anger and wry sarcasm.Because “The Harder They Fall” is just one of many noir-era movies about the boxing underworld, it gets less respect than Bogart’s many classics.
He hadn’t even wanted to be in the movie, focusing his remaining energy in vain on another movie with his wife Lauren Bacall, according to Stefan Kanfer’s Bogart biography “Tough Without a Gun.” He had many reasons for not being interested in the movie, but the cast was a big one.”The Harder They Fall” is unromantic and cynical, with Bogart, reduced
Read full article