Director: John Huston
Original Release: 1941
Choice: My Wife's
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5
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Sunday, August 31, 2014
Family Movie Night: The Maltese Falcon
Title: The Maltese Falcon
Director: John Huston
Original Release: 1941
Choice: My Wife's
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5
The Maltese Falcon, based on Dashiell Hammett's novel of the same name, is Exhibit A for the film noir genre. It was also, decades ago, the first Humphrey Bogart movie I ever saw. Bogart plays Sam Spade, a San Francisco PI who gets mixed up with sinister characters, all in search of "the bird," a golden, bejeweled falcon statuette worth an unfathomable fortune.
The acting is good and the writing excellent. Apart from all of the devices which would come to define the form - shadows, silhouettes, morally ambiguous characters - much of the fun of the story is watching the abrupt shifts in power dynamics within a single scene. I enjoy the film and respect its stature within the medium but it's not one I feel compelled to watch repeatedly.
Director: John Huston
Original Release: 1941
Choice: My Wife's
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Excellent choice, Squid. You'll never see the detective dragging demons into the light more efficiently than in that film.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun movie. It would make a great stage play. I didn't know - until just now - that the Bogart film was actually the third adaptation of the Hammett novel.
DeleteI loved that movie and have been wanting to watch it again for some time, now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could ever drop it to a 3.
It's a high 3, but a 3 nonetheless.
DeleteThat's what's great about old movies--they didn't have the special effects we have today, so they had to be creative. There was such an art to it.
ReplyDeleteThe high tech stuff is certainly dazzling but one wonders how well stories will hold up once the tech is outmoded. The Maltese Falcon is still a great film, 73 years later. It still will be 73 years from now.
DeleteWatching old movies makes us wonder about the missing special effects. We are so used to new technology now.
ReplyDeleteSometimes less is more.
DeleteI always loved Peter Lorre. He might have been typecast most of the time, but his work was always great.
ReplyDeleteThe resume's impressive. Long term, being typecast isn't so bad if you get to be in two of an era's seminal films.
DeleteI don't think I've ever watched a Bogart film. I will save them to my DVR when I see them on the list.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely start with Casablanca. Besides that one and this one, I've seen two others: African Queen and Sabrina.
DeleteIt's set the standard for a lot of film noir films, but it probably feels so familiar that it's not that interesting. Great points Squid.
ReplyDeleteI should probably do more to clarify my ratings. I fear that when I give a movie a 3, people think I don't like it. The Maltese Falcon is brilliant. I can't possibly deny that. But once is enough for me to get the point. If I were more conscious of the tech side of film, I have no doubt I'd get plenty out of repeated viewings.
DeleteWhen you're slapped you'll take it and like it. I love that movie.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
The writing is brilliant - no argument there!
DeleteBrilliant movie.
ReplyDeleteNo argument here.
Delete