Key Largo (1948)

'Key Largo' 'Key Largo' is a classic film noir made in 1948, directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and Claire Trevor. It was adapted from the stage play by Maxwell Anderson which ran on Broadway from 1939-40. The movie did well at the box-office and was critically well received also. Claire Trevor won the Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the gangster's alcoholic moll, Gaye Dawn.

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Plot

The plot of the movie concerns a gang of hoods who have taken over a Key Largo hotel. (Key Largo is the largest of the remote coral islands in the Florida Keys.) Bogart, plays Frank McCloud who comes along to visit the father of a war time pal and of course, immediately gets involved in the action. Tempers begin to boil over within the confined space of the old building - linked only by a causeway to the mainland - and the conflict within the hotel is mirrored and accentuated by the late summer hurricane violence outside.

Production

Although the script was adapted from the 1939 play by Maxwell Anderson, there are many changes, such as the gang being Mexican bandits, not mobsters and the Frank McCloud character is a disgraced deserter from the Second World War, not from the Spanish Civil War. All the play's main characters had their names changed in the film version.

The dilapidated hotel and the beach area where much of the action takes place were constructed on the Warner Bros. lot, as Jack Warner did not want to repeat the costly location shooting of Huston's 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre' of the previous year, much of which had been shot in Mexico. The entire shoot took only 78 days.

The boat which Rocco's gang use to leave Key Largo, is the 'Santana', the same name as Bogart's own sailing yacht. The Santana yacht was actually owned by several different actors before Bogart. Sailing enthusiasts can find used yachts for sale anywhere, but would be hard pressed to find one with a history like the Santana.

The movie was the second pairing of John Huston and Humphrey Bogart in 1948, after 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre'. Both films are wonderful examples of director and actor working together at their artistic peak.

Karl Freund's black and white cinematography and the haunting music provided by Max Steiner wonderfully project the build up of tension between the main characters against the backdrop of the impending storm which seems to threaten the hotel both literally and figuratively. Warner Bros. insisted that the movie be filmed on the studio sound stage and not on location to keep costs down, but Karl Freund's expressive use of the camera negates any impression of staginess.

'Key Largo' is dramatic and full of suspense with great acting from a great cast. A good story well told.