I started the week watching tons of films every day and I’m finishing it with a few single-movie posts. I feel like I’m maybe being unfair to the stars whose filmography I did not feature more strongly. Just so you know, I have already seen most of Bogart’s oeuvre so I feel like I could relax a bit today.
Invisible Stripes (1939)
The film starring Bogie I still had to check out was Invisible Stripes from 1939. It is a „socially conscious” film one might say, about prisoners being released from Sing Sing and struggling to adjust to their new lives as free men.
Humphrey Bogart, who is one of said prisoners, is actually the one who talks about the titular „invisible stripes” – even though they might not be wearing the prison clothes anymore, they would still be seen as prisoners on the outside. This turns out to be true, as George Raft can feel the distrust of those once close to him and as he struggles to find a job.
Overall, it is a George Raft movie, Bogart is fourth billed. William Holden is also in this movie – he’s so young I barely recognized him.
It is a well done, sad, slice of life story with great acting.
Even though I only watched one film today and Humphrey wasn’t really the star, I feel like I spent a lot of time with him lately as I read the book Humphrey Bogart by Nathaniel Benchley just two days ago and I’m about to start Tough Without a Gun: the Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart by Stefan Kanfer. Of course, the Bogart-adjacent book I recommend most is Lauren Bacall’s autobiography By Myself.
Swingin' at the Seance 