The Maltese Falcon [DVD] [1941] [2020]

This was the directorial debut of the great, if variable, John Huston, who went on to make such classics as The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The Asphalt Jungle, The Red Badge Of Courage and Moby-Dick, as well as offbeat films like Wise Blood, Fat City, The Misfits, Freud, and The Dead.It was also the film that finally, after over a decade in bit parts and second leads, consolidated Bogart as a rough-edged, romantic anti-hero of the forties, after his recent breakthrough movie, the superb High Sierra.Perhaps most important of all, it introduced the grateful filmgoer to the massive presence of English-born (from Sandwich!) character actor Sidney Greenstreet, who showed he was not some delirious freak of nature by enlivening later films such as Casablanca, The Verdict, and The Mask Of Dimitrios, all with the unique Peter Lorre,who here plays the prim, perfumed and splendidly named Joel Cairo. Rounding out the corrupt cabal of falconers are Elisha Cook Jr - always great value - as Wilmer the gunsel, and impetuous femme fatale Mary Astor. Bogart as Sam Spade has to decide how far to throw in his lot with these ne`er-do-wells, such is his liking for money and a pretty face, and it`s by no means sure what the denouement of this dark and perverse noir thriller will be - unless of course one has already seen it or read the book, to which it is remarkably faithful.I must have watched it...oh, a dozen times at least, and the pleasure comes from the numerous unforgettable moments: Lee Patrick - as one of that staple of the period, the loyal, wisecracking dame, here as Spade`s secretary and much besides - announcing Joel Cairo with a knowing expression and the single word, "Gardenia!".The way the camera films Greenstreet`s Fat Man from a low angle to emphasise both his bulk and his menace. Mary Astor rearranging the room to hide her fluster, and Bogart telling her sarcastically: "Oh, you`re good, you`re very good...". An uncharacteristically restrained Ward Bond (without a stetson for once) trying to be chummy with Spade while calming his unsmiling lieutenant. Greenstreet`s delighted laughter, hiding such malign purpose, yet genuinely appreciative of Spade`s unpredicatability: "My, but you are a character!" And Lorre simply being Lorre. When was he ever less than enthralling to watch, if only because he was so unlikely a presence, even less likely a film star. His tiny stature beside Greenstreet`s vastness is worth its weight in, appropriately enough, gold.Huston, apart from a couple of odd edits, doesn`t put a foot wrong, and all present grasp their roles as if they knew they might be onto something rather special.There are film noirs I watch more often - The Big Sleep, Out Of The Past, Gilda - but this is a bona fide classic, which bears and repays repeated viewings.Imagine seeing this for the first time back in 1941...

This review is from: The Maltese Falcon [1941] [DVD] (DVD)Sam Spade, a tough private detective gets involved in a murderous hunt for The Maltese Falcon, a legendary statuette thought to contain diamonds.What can I possibly say that hasn't been said, written and studied by the greatest film critics and industry members, about The Maltese Falcon before? Well nothing by way of new stuff or a differing slant on the plot, I can merely concur and hopefully jolt prospective first time viewers into believing the reputation afforded this stunning piece of cinema.First off I have to let it be known that The Maltese Falcon is far from being my favourite Bogart movie, in fact it's not even my favourite Bogart movie from 1941, it's well trumped in my affections by High Sierra, but few films ever get as close to being perfect as the Maltese Falcon clearly is. The source from Dashiell Hammett is first rate, yet it took someone like John Huston (director and screenwriter) to bring it triumphantly together. It had been adapted for the screen twice before with less than favourable results, but Huston, working tightly from Hammett's dialogue driven astuteness, molds a claustrophobic, shadowy classic amongst classics, that in the process laid the cornerstone for what became known as essential film noir.You will search in vain for faults here, every scene is as tight as a Duck's bottom, not one filler scene is in this picture. The cast are across the board perfect in performances, Bogart (Spade) is peerless, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet (film debut) and Elisha Cook Jr. stand out, but every other member of this cast add something good to this picture. The plot (of which I'm "so" not going to summarise for you) is complex to a degree, but really it all makes sense, you do not need to be Albert Einstein to knit the twisters nicely together. Also don't be fooled into thinking this is a film devoid of humour either, it has deadly wry smirks popping up all over the place, OK ,so they may be the sort of smirks brought about by devilish unease of admiration, but rest assured they are valid and integral to The Maltese Falcon's classic standing.I could go on fawning but I really don't need too, the Academy may well have saw fit to not award this picture any awards for 1941, but time is an immeasurable force sometimes, and time now shows that The Maltese Falcon stands proud as not only a Titan of cinematic entertainment, but also of technical movie brilliance. 10/10

Private detective Humphrey Bogart (Sam) is drawn into a case that involves finding a blackened gold statue of a bird that is covered in jewels - the "Maltese Falcon". He is approached by 3 individuals to help find it - Mary Astor (Miss O’Shaughnessy), Peter Lorre (Mr Cairo) and Sydney Greenstreet (Mr Gutman). These three individuals will stop at nothing to get it and there are also 3 murders that need explaining by the end of the film. Sam needs to piece together what has been happening.The cast are good in this film - except the very annoying pipsqueek that is Elisha Cook Jr, who is usually badly cast as a "heavy". What a joke! Well, he's cast as a "heavy" again in this film although they have given him what sounds like a suitably girlie name - "Wilmer". Everyone else does well with my favourite being Peter Lorre who provides some memorably humorous sequences, eg, his first appearance when he is so doggedly determined to search Bogart's office. Lorre also has an unpredictable edge to his character that is genuinely funny, eg, his declaration that he is tired and wants to go home at an opportunistic occasion and his non-greeting to Bogart one morning in a hotel. His dialogue delivery is inspirational at these moments. However, the dialogue, in general, was spoken quite quickly - it seemed like everyone was using too many words. In fact, you can’t afford to let your mind wander at any point or you will lose the plot. A mention must also go to Lee Patrick who plays the secretary "Effie". She was very good in her role and deserved a bit of romancing.The story is good and Bogart is a bit of a ladies' man in this film which is odd coz he's got a weird mouth. Anyway, he knows what he is doing and I wasn't as sharp as Bogey in figuring things out.