With the release of The Maltese Falcon in 1941 Warner Bros. ushered in a new era in Hollywood. The film introduced John Huston as a director to be reckoned with. Humphrey Bogart made his debut as a good guy protagonist with a heart as hard as nails. And the genre "Film Noir"was born. The film also featured Sydney Greenstreet in his first screen appearance.
Unlike Casablanca I have not watched the Maltese Falcon multiple times. I watched it on TV when I was a kid(and barely understood it) and I watched it on home video when I was in my twenties, so returning to it now, after a couple decades, was like seeing it for the first time; especially on the new Blu-ray remastered HD disc.
Bogart is San Francisco private detective Sam Spade. he and his partner Miles Archer are hired by a woman to find her sister by trailing her boyfriend. When Miles is murdered on the job it becomes Spades task to solve this mystery case filled with lies, theft, murder and double-crosses. And he needs to do it before the police arrest him for the murder of his partner.
During the case he meets an interesting assortment of characters, the ineffective Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre), the sinister "Fat Man" Mr. Guttman (Sydney Greenstreet), the "gunsel" Wilmer (Elisha Cook Jr.) and he continually relies on his efficient secretary Effie (Lee Patrick). This motley crew is trying to put their hands on the elusive Maltese Falcon and they will stop at nothing, including murder, to get it.
Huston's screenplay is as tight as can be and the film follows a pattern of dialogue and then brief spurts of action. The film is all shadows and night and the cinematography is superb. The Maltese Falcon uses many of the same camera angles that James Tolland was experimenting with on Citizen Kane being filmed at RKO studios. both films introduced the camera as an expressive tool in movie making, rather than a device to record action.
The role of Sam Spade was a triumphant part for Bogart. he brought Dashell Hammett's character to life and created an indelible film image for himself that would last his entire career. The film is also notable for Mary Astor's performance. She was one of Hollywood's most bankable actresses and the type of role she plays in falcon was new to her and her fans, but they ate it up. The dialogue is classic and the closing line is one that has gone down in movie history.
Pop a bowl of popcorn, turn off the lights and watch the Maltese Falcon.
At the Movie House rating **** stars
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