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The Maltese Falcon 10 out of 10
Running time: 1:41 MPAA rating: PG (Violence.) Peruvian rating: Apta para Todos
Cast:
Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton
MacLane, Lee Patrick, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Jerome Cowan,
Elisha Cook Jr.
Photography:
Arthur Edeson |
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Pretty much everyone seems to agree on the fact that The Maltese Falcon is one of the best films ever made. It's the movie that launched Humphrey Bogart's career, established John Huston as a masterful director, and basically created the film noir genre, and every critic, it seems, believes it's the kind of film that's impossible to criticize. I agree with them. Even though I'm not too familiar with "old movies" - I'm barely 17 years old, after all -, and today was the first time I saw this particular film, I was enthralled by the its smart and believably-constructed dialogue, interesting plot, amazing direction and compelling performances. John Huston, who would be later regarded as one of the most significant motion picture directors ever, along with his team, made one of the most memorable films one could ever hope to see, as well as a masterpiece of direction, scripting and acting.
The movie tells the story of private investigator Sam Spade, (Humphrey Bogart), who learns that his partner, Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) has been murdered, and discovers a conspiracy to steal the Maltese Falcon, a black statue in the form of a bird which is worth a fortune because it is encrusted with jewels and made out of gold. Spade doesn't allow his personal feelings and temptations for Brigid O'Shaughnessy, (Mary Astor), the woman who at first hired the San Francisco detective under false pretenses and name to tail a mysterious man named Thursby, to sway his professional commitment, and decides to temporarily protect the woman until he can find out what the plot is all about, and why he has been receiving visits from a mysterious man called Joei Cairo (Peter Lorre), who seems to want the statue himself.
Humphrey Bogart's performance as Sam Spade is virtually flawless, giving an air of security and self-confidence to the character, which I'm pretty sure wasn't present in the screenplay. One can believe Spade is capable of everything he does, and Bogart makes the character an overconfident man who, even though is not perfect, seems to outwit the majority of other characters in the movie. Mary Astor as attractive Brigid O'Shaughnessy is also amazingly effective, making her character more than a delicate and whining woman. One can believe O'Shaughnessy is pretending to be fragile, and Astor's performance never becomes annoying, developing her character throughout the film. Additionally, her chemistry with Bogart is palpable and, although their "love" is not a central part of the story, they share a couple of glances and kisses, and they both shine when appearing on-screen. The rest of the cast is also excellent, with Peter Lorre as Cairo being, at first, a menacing and mysterious figure, and Sydney Greenstreet as the "Fat Man" standing out as a suave-yet-dangerous criminal boss. His gunman, played by Elisha Cook Jr. is also worth mentioning, getting more and more frustrated as he's pushed around by Bogart. His part is small, but his performance, involving body language and "evil" looks more than anything else, is effective.
John Huston's direction is amazing, framing every shot in the movie with care, enhancing shadows and dark images, and making his characters look as interesting as possible. This is truly one of the first movies of the "film noir" genre, and it's become one of the most well-known and loved motion pictures ever filmed. The movie moves at a brisk pace, unveiling surprising plot twists which, instead of cheating the audience or making her feel stupid, enhance the viewing experience, and make the viewer want to know more about the plot and lies and the falcon itself. The script is brilliant, treating the material as smartly as it can, developing its characters and characterizing them as effectively as possible - we know, for example, that Brigid O'Shaughnessy is a compulsive liar, but we can't help but believe her every time she says something unless Spade doesn't believe her. Additionally, the dialogue is brilliant, with every plot twist explained at the end of the movie, and every character uttering smart and memorable lines. The film contains many classic and famous lines such as "when your partner gets killed, you gotta do something about it", but the most memorable one was ad-libbed by Bogart - "the stuff dreams are made off" - and pretty much sums up the whole movie.
The Maltese Falcon is one of those rare movies that do absolutely everything right. Performances are amazing and memorable, direction is superb, the screenplay is smart, witty, doesn't cheat the audience and has a couple of classic lines, characters are believable and wonderfully characterized, the score is memorable and effectively sets the tone and mood of the movie, and the film as a whole is amazingly entertaining and interesting to watch. Sam, the main character, may not be the most likeable film protagonist ever, but Bogart's performance makes the viewer see past his faults and, basically, makes it a three-dimensional character worth rooting and caring for. The Maltese Falcon is one of those films that will remain a classic virtually forever, and that's amazingly difficult to criticize. It's so difficult, in fact, that I decided not to criticize it at all, and only praise it, for everything in it is worth praising. Yes, today was the first time I watched The Maltese Falcon, but I'm sure it won't be the last.
©2007 Sebastián Zavala - GG site