Load of rubbish!!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

WELL NOW, HERE'S one for the books ! It seems that some particular, optherwise very conscientious writer really stepped on it ! The scribe in question (me), has failed to write his impressions of this John Huston production of THE MALTESE FALCON (Warner Brothers, 1941). IN ONE SENSE, this would be an easy error to commit; being that it is one of those "essentials", as they are called on Turner Classic Movies. We've truly screened it probably about 5 score times (that's a hundred, Schultz!). This celluloid mortal sin is compounded by the fact that our association with IMDb.com dates back to 2001. OH WELL, PLEASE accept our sincere Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpas ! Now let's move on and rectify the situation.WHAT MORE COULD be said about this Classic ? It ranks right up there with such Bogart standards as CASABLANCA, THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, DEAD END and HIGH SIERRA. once this movie hit the theatres, there was a new standard set for the Detective Story.MUCH LIKE SO many Warner Brothers production of the period, this FALCON wastes little screen time. The story telling is taut, but not at all lacking. Director and co-screen writer, Mr John Huston, worked very well with the film editing department, possibly doing his job just a little too well. The editor most likely had a lot less to do than was the norm.AS FOR THE selection of the actors and actresses who would bring it all to life on the silver screen, everyone pitched in and worked as a sort of rep-oratory company. In addition To costars Bogie and Mary Astor, we had Peter Lorre (newcomer to Warners), Gladys George, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, Ward Bond, Jerome Cowan,Elisha Cook, Jr.,James Burke, Murray Alper and John Hamilton. These were all folks who were regulars around Warner Brothers, contract players. The cast also contained a couple of others, who could only be called "Gems" and inspired bits of genius. FIRST OF ALL, we had an unbilled, uncredited appearance by a veteran as Captain Jacoby, skipper of the ill fated steamship, La Paloma. It was Walter Huston, veteran and Father of writer-director John Huston. (This is an appearance that many otherwise astute film buffs remain unaware of.THE CROWNING GLORY and ultimate find was the casting of 63 year old Sydney Greenstreet in hi first film. Adding to his outstanding talent, tyhe production team made the fully figured Mr. Greenstreet appear even heavier and more portly. This was accomplished by specially tailoring his costuming and with the use of low angle camera shots done by the cinematographers.THE STUDIO HAD considered casting Edward Arnold in the role; but Studio Head Honcho, Mr. Jack Warner, saw Mr. Greenstreet in a stage play in the Los Angeles area and the rest is history. IN PARTING OF this most unusual and long overdue review, let us just say from the bottom of our hearts, "THANKS, JACK !"

The film has a strong and great script. Sam Spade's character is written so well showing how he is clever, greedy, bold, and a good talker. The performers were perfect especially (Mary Astor) as (Brigid O'Shaughnessy) and (Peter Lorre) as (Joel Cairo). Of course i didn't mention (Humphrey Bogart) with them because i can't find the right words to describe his performance, but the way he talked in the movie was brilliant. The direction was good. The narrative was unbelievable There were nice clothes and suitable decor for a private detective's office The Soundtrack was very appropriate for a noir film. it was an interesting movie that i didn't want to end10/10

'The Maltese Falcon' is highly influential, oppressively dark and it presents a deeply pessimistic view of the world and life in Depression Era USA. The screenplay is very carefully structure and maneuvered to keep the viewer in the dark for almost the entirety of the film just like its protagonist Sam Spade. There is very impressive camera-work and crafty usage of lighting on show here which to a great extent laid down the framework for the visual language for film-noir. Reminiscent of German Expressionism, we see deliberately prominent shadows everywhere and a big chunk of the film gets engulfed by an oppressively, dark visual texture complimenting the thematic tone of the film. Like other noir films, the characters, including Spade himself are deliberately made to lack a sense of morality and they are shown to be greedy emotionless organisms who have opted to choose a life involving a constant pursuit of material gains, instead of being burdened by the worthless weight of a conscience.However if I have to be honest, even though I found myself relatively pleased and impressed by Huston's edginess and the colourful characters, I was never really bowled over by the film. I can easily understand and admire why it is so influential and important in American film history, but I'd be lying if I say the film and its contents lingered in my thoughts for a long time after it came to its conclusion. Whenever there is a film where the director is deliberately forcing the characters and the plot to remain and feel distant to the viewer, it has to be captivating and for the lack of a more appropriate term - fun. I find this aforementioned fun(along with thematic depth) in abundance while watching other noir films like 'Sunset Boulevard', 'Sweet Smell of Success', 'Ace in the Hole', etc. to name a few. Unfortunately 'The Maltese Falcon' never did manage to give me a similar fun experience at least on this first viewing which prevented me from being swept up by the film.I admire the quippy, razor sharp dialogue, I admire the technical elements like Huston and his cinematographer's lighting and intricate camera-work, I admire the colourful characters and the actors portraying them, but unfortunately I couldn't 'love' the film and as a whole it left me a bit underwhelmed.

History's first film noir, characterized by cynicism and "immoral" sexual attraction, The Maltese Falcon is a masterpiece of the crime drama genre. The opening theme music is ominous with lots of brass and strings. The cinematography throughout is nothing less than cool, with lots of low key lighting and sharp contrasts. The protagonist, Sam Spade, is a classic Bogart character. He is extremely intuitive, intelligent, and charismatic. Though he is weary of trusting law enforcement as a private detective, his independent case work yields great success and collaboration between himself and the police. Spade's counterpart is a woman named Ruth who goes by Brigid for the majority of the film, due to her ties to criminal activity. The viewer can sense that Spade knows Brigid is a liar and guilty of murder, but his affection for her jeopardizes the viewer's certainty about Brigid being brought to justice. However, Spade values his work more and eventually turns Brigid in to the cops. Overall, this film is extremely well written and expertly paced. There are no slow scenes and from the first scene the viewer is drawn intensely into the narrative.