***

Michael Curtiz brings a master skipper’s hand to the helm of this thriller, Hollywood’s second crack at Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not. John Garfield stars as Harry Morgan, an honest charter-boat captain who, facing hard times, takes on dangerous cargo to save his boat, support his family, and preserve his dignity. Left in the lurch by a freeloading passenger, Harry starts to enter­tain the criminal propositions of a sleazy lawyer (Wallace Ford), as well as the playful come-ons of a cheeky blonde (Patricia Neal), making a series of compromises that stretch his morality—and his marriage—further than he’ll admit. Hewing closer to Hemingway’s novel than Howard Hawks’s Bogart-Bacall vehicle does, The Breaking Point charts a course through daylight noir and working-class tragedy, guided by Curtiz’s effortless visual fluency and a stoic, career-capping performance from Garfield.

Warner Home Video

Region 0 - NTSC

Region 'A' - Blu-ray

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.64 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical trailer (2:13)

DVD Release Date: June 14, 2011
Keep Case

Chapters 27

Chapters 23

The uncompressed linear PCM, mono, sound (24-bit) is excellent supporting the score by the iconic Max Steiner (Mildred Pierce, Key Largo, Casablanca, The Caine Mutiny, Bird of Paradise, Beyond the Forest, Pursued, The Fountainhead etc. etc.) score emboldening the drama, conflicts and atmosphere. There is also Patricia Neal in the bar singing Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone. Of course, the Criterion has optional English (SDH) subtitles and their Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked.

Criterion add some great new extras starting with a 22-minute interview with critic Alan K. Rode (author of Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film) discussing The Breaking Point, its director and giving fabulous background on the production and why circumstances made it so underrated. Wonderful. There is also a new, 17-minute, piece featuring actor and acting instructor Julie Garfield on her father, actor John Garfield discussing his performance in The Breaking Point. Fluid Style is a new 10-minute video essay by Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos (Every Frame a Painting) analyzing Curtiz’s methods and understated artistry in The Breaking Point. It is an excellent addition. There are 5-minutes of excerpts from a 1962 episode of Today showing contents of the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, Florida, including items related to To Have and Have Not, the novel on which The Breaking Point is based plus a trailer. The package has a linear notes booklet with an essay by critic Stephanie Zacharek.

This is a masterpiece film and deserves such a stellar Blu-ray release from Criterion. In my opinion, this is essential. I LOVE The Breaking Point. Out highest recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD: It's unfortunate that the best film based on Ernst Hemingway's novel To Have and Have Not is overshadowed by Bogie and Bacall pairing in 1944 film of the same name (reviewed HERE). That honor goes to The Breaking Point with John Garfield and Patricia Neal, directed by Michael Curtiz in 1950. From 1937 novel, we get the same characters and motivations, only the location and the ending are changed, making this the most faithful adaptation. Hollywood would make another stab at it in 1958 as The Gun Runners with Audie Murphy in Bogart/Garfield role of Harry Morgan and directed by Don Siegel. The Breaking Point is also the most noir of the three films, with overall air of despair and hopelessness hanging like a dark cloud over John Garfield's character, a former PT boat captain now trying to make a living off his fishing boat to feed his wife and two daughters. The supporting cast is just as excellent - Phyllis Thaxter as his suffering wife Lucy, Patricia Neal as potential love interest/femme fatale and Juano Hernandez in a thankless role of the shipmate and best friend. As correctly noted on the back cover, "the film’s quiet final image is the one that will haunt you."

The legal dispute kept the film out of circulation for a long time, with no recent TV airings or official home video release until 2011, when film debuted on TCM and a few months later got a DVD release as part of Warner Archive Collection on MOD disc. The disc is not labeled as remastered, but based on the quality of the print, this is definitely a new master. The single-layered disc features a very good progressive transfer, with very minimal damage and very good contrast. The mono audio is fine, but per usual standard for MOD discs, there is no subtitles or closed captioning. The disc features a 2-minute theatrical trailer and the film is divided onto 27 chapters. The film is clearly a winner and this is highly recommended release.

  - Gregory Meshman

Warner Home Video

Region 0 - NTSC

Region 'A' - Blu-ray