31
The
Maltese Falcon
Release date 18th October 1941
Country : USA
Running time : 100 mins
Genre : Thriller
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre
Screenplay by John Huston based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett
Directed by John Huston
Private investigator Sam Spade becomes involved with sultry Brigid O' Shaughnessy and a gang of crooks all anxious to get their hands on a mystical black bird The Maltese Falcon.
This film seems to epitomise the dark detective movies of the 40s, it is often labelled as the first or certainly an early example of film noir. Bogie delivers the dialogue so well. It is interesting that it isn't criticised for its labyrinth of a plot : it is very complicated, yet the action is so interesting, the characters so vivdly drawn any holes in the plot are conveniently forgotten.
"The film was famously set to star George Raft who rejected it because he didn't want to be handled by a debut director..."
From an Interview of John Huston.
DVD
available from Warner Home Video :Release date 18th October 1941
Country : USA
Running time : 100 mins
Genre : Thriller
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre
Screenplay by John Huston based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett
Directed by John Huston
Private investigator Sam Spade becomes involved with sultry Brigid O' Shaughnessy and a gang of crooks all anxious to get their hands on a mystical black bird The Maltese Falcon.
This film seems to epitomise the dark detective movies of the 40s, it is often labelled as the first or certainly an early example of film noir. Bogie delivers the dialogue so well. It is interesting that it isn't criticised for its labyrinth of a plot : it is very complicated, yet the action is so interesting, the characters so vivdly drawn any holes in the plot are conveniently forgotten.
Sydney Greenstreet is Gutman and vice versa,you can't think of anyone more perfect for that part.Lorre to my mind is the weakest link but he does give us some fun with his overacting on the discovery of the fake black bird : the sequence to me is the weakest in the film but it could be said it works very well as comic relief.
"The film was famously set to star George Raft who rejected it because he didn't want to be handled by a debut director..."
From an Interview of John Huston.
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Written content copyright Derek McLellan,2005.
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