Starring: Humphrey Boart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Syndney Greenstreet
Release Date: October 18, 1941
Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade: that hat, that jacket, that face. Possibly one of the most recognizable characters in cinematic history. Hell, even I could have recognized him, probably even as young as high school. The Maltese Falcon is just one of those classic movies that everyone’s heard of, everyone’s seen stills from, and everyone knows the classic lines.
The Maltese Falcon is a classic detective story, and is based on a book by the same name. It's the film that has been recognized as the first film in the "film noir" genre. Sam Spade (Bogart) is a detective who runs a private investigative firm with his partner Miles Archer. A beautiful woman, Ruth Wonderly (played by Mary Astor) enlists the agency to help her find her missing sister and tail the man that she's run off with, and Archer gladly volunteers. While Archer is out following this man, he's shot and killed. After the murder, Sam Spade finds himself in a tailspin of greed, murder, and betrayal. I couldn't possibly outline the entire plot here, but the complexity is astounding. It's confusing, and it pushes the limits at all times. There is a murder that takes place in the first 10 minutes of the movie. There is so much sexual innuendo going on between the characters, I couldn't believe my eyes. Also, one of the characters, Mr. Cairo, was written to be very homosexual and the character was incredibly controversial in its day. This is one of the movies that they're talking about when they say, "They just don't make 'em like they used to".
The performances are phenomenal. It's what you'd expect with Humphrey Bogart as the main character, right? And we're not disappointed. This is the role that made him famous, and rightly so. He takes on the role with ease. He IS Sam Spade. The rest of the cast is perfect as well. Peter Lorre as Joe Cairo, who you may know from Casablanca and Arsenic and Old Lace, and Sydney Greenstreet as Kaspar Gutman must be mentioned for their performances. They were both just plain fun to watch. Their characters had the most entertaining idiosyncrasies: Peter Lorre with his effeminacy, and Syndy Greenstreet with his sheer size. If you've never seen The Maltese Falcon, this might help with a visual: the Marvel comics' villain Kingpin was modeled after him.
God, writing about this movie makes me want to watch it again. I'm sure there are tons of things that I missed during my viewing, that's just how this film is. It eats away at you after you've finished watching it, invading your thoughts. You sure said it Bogie: "This is the stuff dreams are made of."
5 out of 5 stars
God, writing about this movie makes me want to watch it again. I'm sure there are tons of things that I missed during my viewing, that's just how this film is. It eats away at you after you've finished watching it, invading your thoughts. You sure said it Bogie: "This is the stuff dreams are made of."
5 out of 5 stars
Jenny Rushing
beccajane67@yahoo.com
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