The Breaking Point (1950) - Severely underrated?

politicidal

Yes, although there are naturally some changes for the movies, this film in most of its essentials represents what Hemingway wrote. (I read the 1937 source novel, “To Have and Have Not,” in anticipation of seeing this film.) The setting has been moved from the book's Key West and Cuba to the southern California coast and Mexico. John Garfield stars as Harry Morgan and is just about perfect. Like his novelistic counterpart, he is married (Phyllis Thaxter) with two young daughters (Sherry Jackson and Donna Jo Boyce). Three years later, Jackson would become a TV celebrity as Danny Thomas’ daughter on “Make Room For Daddy.” A new character added for the film is the blond-bombshell, Leona (Patricia Neal), who throws herself at Harry, adding more tension to Morgan’s marriage. Neal gives us a much more layered characterization than many other actresses would, showing small signs that Leona is not happy with the way her life has gone. Basically, Curtiz has directed a screenplay that is a very close approximation to what Ernest Hemingway wrote, plotwise. It is also a fine movie on its own, with several noir touches and some very tense scenes. The ending of this film is ambiguous (a cop-out?) while Papa Hemingway’s is not. The final shoot-out on the boat (from film and book) may also remind you of the gunfight that wraps up John Huston’s “Key Largo” from 1948.