I actually think this film is kind of overrated, mainly because I'm not the biggest fan of film noir. From a filmmaking standpoint it's excellent, but I wasn't a fan of the screenplay much at all. Performances were quite good though.

B

I agree that is is a little overrated. Good perfromances, though.

B

Incredibly quick-paced and slavishly faithful to the novel, it definitely deserves its classic status, but I wouldn't call it the greatest noir ever made. Bogart is pitch-perfect as Sam Spade, and Lorre and Greenstreet do great supporting work, and the dialogue is just as slick and snappy as it is in the book. But that's because it's the exact same dialogue, save for the famous last words. For someone who'd never read the novel, I'm sure it would be fresh and exciting, but for me, having just read the novel, it was kinda boring. Same with the story; I knew exactly what was gonna happen. This is only a minor knock against the film, because it's solidly directed by Huston and it's very entertaining. But it's not a masterpiece.

Here you go, Lecter.

I have nothing to add to the Maltese discourse. This is, without a doubt, among the best Hollywood pictures ever made.

Thanks, yosh!

B+



The Maltese Falcon is one of the oldest BP nominees that I have seen to date and I'm not sure that in our days and time the movie would have received such acclaim and awards attention. That's not to say that it's a mediocre film, it sure as hell isn't and I'm sure it is of historical significance, being one of the first, maybe even the first movie of its kind with its distinct film noir feel, but I feel that all the historical importance aside, better noirs have been made after it and not all were showered with as much praise.

However, it certainly does deserve the praise for some of its aspects. First of all, Humphrey Bogart makes this film. He IS the movie and everything it embodies. I'm not sure why Sidney Greenstreet was nominated for an Oscar in his rather unimpressive role, but Bogart was snubbed. Bogart's Sam Spade is the prototype of a noir anti-hero. Spade is an asshole, there's little noble about him, he's not a polite, politically correct shiny hero and for that he feels quite real and is simply cool. Bogart manages the character perfectly. As for the rest of the cast, they all just play second fiddle to Bogart. I found Peter Lorre pretty good and it was interesting how the filmmakers didn't really try to hide the character's homosexuality. That was rather surprising. Mary Astor, on the other hand, wasn't a very good femme fatale, in my opinion. I didn't really feel the chemistry between her and Bogart and that was supposed to be one of the film's essential parts. Therefore, Bogart's decision at the end didn't feel as heavy. Sidney Greenstreet delivers a solid, though not really remarkable performance.

John Huston did a decent job directing this film, but even moreso with adapting Dashiell Hammett's original novel. The dialogues are spraking, but as I said, it would be nothing without Bogart's great delivery of his lines. The storyline itself was quite interesting. Probably the best part of the whole thing was the fact that the Maltese Falcon never actually appears in the film and is never really found. The falcon itself is besides the point, it's Spade's search for the murderer of his partner. That only becomes clear at the very end and the way the movie leads up to that is quite smart.

I can see why it is so loved and respected.


i think the name is so unique and exotic so you would remember it.


I just love the line "what dreams are made off"

Yes better film-noir was made, but Bogart in my opinion gives his most iconic performance in this film, and is sort of like Downey Jr. with Iron Man in that he makes this film work.

A-

The production from top to bottom is impeccable and the performances all around are magnificent. The screenplay excells with its unrelenting fast pace and fascinating insights to the characters it unrolls. The cynicism of the entire ordeal is quite in keeping with the darker edge that the film puts up. And yet, it never really reaches that level of awe that Billy Wilder and Joseph Mankiewicz have provided for me before. It's a magnificient film, have no doubt, and deserves top recognition, but it just doesn't have the secret ingredient propelling it beyond all expectation and into the list of all time bests, unlike Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve.

a perfect score