John Huston's seminal detective story is the film that created the perception of film noir as we know it. Bogart's hard boiled Sam Spade became his quintessential role, even more than Rick from Casablanca or Allnut from The African Queen. In short, this most definitely is the stuff dreams are made of.
Bogart's Spade has to solve the murder of his partner, Miles Archer, which is in turn tied up in a certain titular black bird. The story, adapted from the novel by Dashiell Hammett, spirals and turns with masterful arcs and plot twists that drive an incredibly strong mystery to its conclusion, which is too satisfying to describe. Huston's screenplay is without exaggeration the best example of what the genre has ever offered. Its memorable characters and more memorable lines stay with the viewer long after the final reel.
Besides giving Bogart one of his best roles (along with Casablanca, Key Largo, and The Petrified Forest), this film also introduced Sydney Greenstreet to the movie-going world. Previously a stage actor, Greenstreet portrayed the 'Fatman' Casper Gutman, who has spent his life obsessed with obtaining the Falcon. He employs Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre, at his wormlike best) and Wilmer (Elisha Cook Jr.) to help get it. Along with Mary Astor as the mysterious Miss Wonderlee, they comprise a first rate supporting cast that embodies the seedy world of two-faced criminals and thugs perfectly.
The gorgeous black and white cinematography and tense editing add to the suspenseful settings and music. Huston does fantastic work behind the camera, in his first film no less, weaving his marvelous script into a detective story that had already undergone two screen adaptations at that point. But in addition to the second-to-none cast, he brought to it a well of ingenuity and creativity that would separate it from other would be imitations and previous incarnations.
The Maltese Falcon is nearly the best thing everyone involved ever did, if only the main cast hadn't almost entirely reunited for Casablanca a year later. Its value to the cinematic world is almost incalculable, but its place in film history is one that's most assuredly definite.
Huston's directorial debut found detective Bogart trying to solve his partner's murder intertwined with recovering the elusive statue of a black bird....More at HotMovieSale.com
A gallery of high-living lowlifes will stop at nothing to get their sweaty hands on a jewel-encrusted falcon. Detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) wa...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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