The Man with Bogart's Face

We meet Sam Marlow (professional Bogart impersonator Robert Sacchi), a freshly-minted private eye, just as he's having the bandages removed from the plastic surgery he's undergone to make himself resemble his idol Bogie. No sooner has Marlow (yes, that's how he spells it, without the "-e") opened his p.i. office in Hollywood than he's up to his fedora in a search for rare sapphires with heiress and Gene Tierney manque Gena Anastas (Michelle Phillips in an engaging performance and a makeup job worthy of Kevyn Aucoin) and other classic movie star lookalikes. Andrew Fenady wrote the script based on his own delightful tongue-in-cheek mystery novel, but the movie's never more than a cute little time-passer (not that a cute little time-passer isn't welcome now and then, mind you!). They could've had fun with it and tried to capture the look and style of Bogart's classic movies, but this modestly-budgeted affair is for the most part shot and staged like a 1970s TV movie, complete with a cheesy soft-rock title song! Sacchi, though amiable enough, is a better impersonator than actor. True, he's got Bogart's mannerisms and appearance down, and he sports a wry streak at times, but he becomes disappointingly wooden in love scenes and other parts of the story that require him to show emotion. (No, being wooden in a love scene is not the same as having a woody in a love scene! :-) Having said all that, BOGART'S FACE is still pleasant light entertainment if you just want some good-natured mind candy to while away a rainy afternoon at home. The interestingly eclectic cast also includes Franco Nero as a Zachary Scott wannabe, Herbert Lom as a Joel Cairo type, Victor Buono as Phillips's Sydney Greenstreet-esque father, Misty Rowe as Marlow's ditsy blonde secretary ("...she looked like Marilyn Monroe and made as much sense as Gracie Allen..."), and Olivia Hussey and Sybil Danning as damsels in various forms of distress. And don't blink during the opening credits, or you'll miss venerable character actor Philip Baker Hall as Marlow's plastic surgeon!

Welcome to a memory trip down nostalgic lane, as "The Man with Bogart's Face" is a neat, affable little homage to a Hollywood legend. It's a typical throwback to those hardboiled crime dramas Bogart appeared in, but set in modern times and the notable gimmick (Robert Sacchi's private eye getting plastic surgery to look like Bogart) is well implemented. It's a one-idea concept (the usual free-flowing narration), but it's old fashion story-telling, dry, razor sharp humour, tightly drummed mystery / suspense and voluptuous dames (Michelle Phillips, Misty Rowe and Sybil Danning) go on to make an appealing package. While in a way you can call it a spoof, it doesn't over do it and does everything in a rather low-key and witty manner. Robert Sacchi simply fit's the part and truly embodies the spirit --- as he spends most of the time decked out in that hat and trench coat, putting on the voice and he always has something to say. Also popping up is Olivia Hussey, Frank Nero (whose character has strange fascination for the colour blue), Victor Buono, Herbert Lom and Yvonne De Carlo. The thoroughly plotted story has a whole bunch of random investigations that eventually come together (the search for the Eyes of Alexandria - two sapphires), as once a struggling private-eye Sam Barlow finds himself being showered in clients, money and danger. He's constantly in someone's sights - for good (the ladies) or bad (hooded hoodlums). Also the script manages to throw around plenty of movie references and that's part of its self-knowing charm. It's well-crafted by director Robert Day and the funky opening theme is quite a catchy title.

If you like Bogart, you will enjoy this film thoroughly. I only wish it was on video so I could buy it! Very nostalgic. Very Bogart...as he was in his Ace Private-Dick days as Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe.

Wow... Ok, Bogie fans, here's a unique treat for you -- a perfectly excellent noir detective story led by Robert Sacchi doing a holistic Humphrey Bogart impression so near-flawless that it's, paradoxically but truly and lovingly, a Bogie movie without Bogie. And a pretty darn good one at that.

Sacchi nails Bogart's look, voice, phrasing, facial expressions, posture, mannerisms, and cool suave. In fact, the only reason I said "near" flawless is that in some of the mannerisms he's too good. Meaning, he could have backed off a bit on the pointing, hand-to-lips, and face-twitch. He duplicates those Bogie quirks flawlessly, he just did them perhaps too often. Still, the performance is miraculous and only about .01% away from Flawless.

The wardrobe department nails the clothing (except for the paisley bathrobe... that one was a misfire). And the script captures not just the genuine hard-boiled spirit of Bogie's private dicks but also the emotional and ethical subtleties that Bogart displayed in most of his characters (with one exception -- a single line, an attempt at humor that was too lecherous for the character). Another smart feature of the script is its clever, un-forced nods to Hollywood history. But the dialog doesn't just re-use lines from actual Bogie films, it creates new quotables that are totally worthy of Humphrey Bogart's film legacy.

Other than the bathrobe, the theme song is the only truly bad thing about this movie (and it is genuinely atrocious!). But excusing those items and the photography in a few scenes looking like grade B 70s television production (modest budget), this is truly a great movie.

I usually dislike detective films, I mean I don't particularely like gumshoe films, which I rarely undertsand, because of the too complex plots. But here, this is an exceptional piece of work, funny, totally crazy and a fantastic tribute to Humphrey Bogart and his legend. Again, as for any private eye film, don't bother the details of the story, it's not important at all. Just enjoy and pay attention to those old actors such as George Raft, Yvonne De Carlo, Victor Buono. Useless to say it is a light hearted film, nearly a comedy and it could never had been a novel; only a movie. And it was actually a book. I hardly believe it. The director Robert Day was a British film maker who gave us some TARZAN adventures in the sixties. Good little, very small tribute to Gene Tierney for LAURA about which we can hear a bit of David Raksin's music. Yvonne de Carlo has a too tiny role here, if only tou sneeze, you'll miss her. She appears in the party, no lines. She deserved better. Poor Yvonne.