The Maltese Falcon (1941)

the stuff that dreams are made of!
This movie is inimitable.

Terse, convoluted, gritty, and satirical. The scenes of this movie pack a visceral punch rarely matched in classic Hollywood movies.

The plot is confusing, if not incomprehensible at times. However, the basics are pretty straightforward. Sam Spade is a private eye working in San Fransisco with his partner. One afternoon a beautiful, malevolent women walks into Spade's office, paying him and his partner (Miles Archer) to find her sister. She claims her sister is in grave danger. She is, of course, lying. Her real goals are hidden, but slowly revealed as the movie progresses. Unfortunately her little ruse ends up getting Spade's partner killed. Thus is unleashed a complex series of events.
The plot focuses on Spade's attempt to keep up with the criminal elements around him. It seems every one is machiavellian, and the underworld Spade belongs to is byzantine in its betrayals, double-crossings, and machinations. The people he talks to are inveterate liars. One gets vertigo trying to make sense of it all. This makes us all the more amazed that Spade can keep his cool. Oddly, it turns out all the fuss in the movie has to do with the statue of a Maltese Falcon. An object worth killing and dying for.
Spade plays crooked, but deep down inside he is a Kantian. His ethical nature, stoic exterior, and masculine facade, make him irresistable as a protaganist. This is the movie that marked the rise of Bogart the superhuman-and rightfully so.

The Maltese Falcon is a rich movie, with myriad meanings. One of the major themes is the quest for an unattainable object and the havoc such a quest can cause. After all, the dead bodies in this movie accumulated over nothing more than the silly statue of a bird! It is interesting to compare the Maltese Falcon with Don Quixote. Both works contain the mythological heroic quest. However, in Quixote, the quest is needed to sustain life. Without it, Quixote dies. In the Maltese Falcon the quest causes death. When the quest is over, sanity is restored. This is an interesting contrast, and one well worth pondering.

Is the quest worth while? Or, should we stay sane and firmly planted on the sinful streets of the world?

In the end, it is hard to find any flaws in this movie. There are no superfluous scenes, nor is there any hint of condescending directing. Just straight to the point, action and dialogue packed delivery.


Brilliant!

CONFUSING CLASSIC
Famous 1941 film has lost its punch. Granted, one is assured of good acting with Bogart, Astor, Grreenstreet, Lorre, and Bond in the lineup. Likewise, Director Huston was never known for gaffes or poor quality. The casting is good. So, where's my problem? In a film dealing with dishonesty, there's not a single character that one can trust.This leads to a highly confusing tale that requires several viewings to set the audience straight. That's a definite no-no to me. Having seen this tale at least 6 times over my lifetime, I still couldn't begin to explain it to a non viewer with any sense of acumen. I'd rather try explaining baseball to a foreign novice. No, I think that this picture will continue on a downward spiral, based only on 70 year old reviews. Ted Williams is dead. Derek Jeter plays on.

CONFUSING CLASSIC
Famous 1941 film has lost its punch. Granted, one is assured of good acting with Bogart, Astor, Grreenstreet, Lorre, and Bond in the lineup. Likewise, Director Huston was never known for gaffes or poor quality. The casting is good. So, where's my problem? In a film dealing with dishonesty, there's not a single character that one can trust.This leads to a highly confusing tale that requires several viewings to set the audience straight. That's a definite no-no to me. Having seen this tale at least 6 times over my lifetime, I still couldn't begin to explain it to a non viewer with any sense of acumen. I'd rather try explaining baseball to a foreign novice. No, I think that this picture will continue on a downward spiral, based only on 70 year old reviews. Ted Williams is dead. Derek Jeter plays on.