The Maltese Falcon (1941) | |
| Director(s) | John Huston |
| Producer(s) | Henry Blanke (associate), Hal B. Wallis (executive) |
| Top Genres | Crime, Film Adaptation, Film Noir, Mystery |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Detectives, San Francisco |
Featured Cast:
The Maltese Falcon Overview:
The Maltese Falcon (1941) was a Crime - Film Noir Film directed by John Huston and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke.
The film was based on the novel of the same name and also Black Mask Magazine Serial written by Dashiell Hammett published in 1930 (novel); year n/a (magazine).
SYNOPSIS
One of the most popular crime films of all time has Bogart playing Hammett's private detective Sam Spade as he sleuths the backyard of San Francisco in search of an elusive black bird statuette and crosses wits with Astor's treacherous Brigid O'Shaughnessy and fat man Kaspar Gutman (Greenstreet). Memorable supporting performances by Lorre and Cook, Jr., playing two of the quirkiest villains of the 40's, only add to the unsettling atmosphere of this cynical parable of greed and deceit. After a brief career as screenwriter, this was Huston's directorial debut, and launched a career that spanned nearly half a century. Based on the Hammett novel that was previously filmed in 1931 as Dangerous Female, in 1936 as Satan Met a Lady starring Bette Davis, and redone in 1975 as The Black Bird.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Maltese Falcon was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.
Academy Awards 1941 --- Ceremony Number 14 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sydney Greenstreet | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Warner Bros. | Nominated |
| Best Writing | John Huston | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
Review: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 2, 2016 From 4 Star FilmsDashiell Hammet’s “blonde satan” Sam Spade is an icon of not only 20th-century literature?but also 20th-century cinema, thanks in part to Humphrey ?Bogart and John Huston.?He’s the cynical, hard-nosed, unsentimental P.I. whose general unpredictability sometimes leads to angry... Read full article
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Quotes from
Sam Spade: If you kill me, how are you going get the bird? And if I know you can't afford to kill me, how are you going to scare me into giving it to you?
Kasper Gutman: Well, sir, there are other means of persuasion besides killing and threatening to kill.
Sam Spade: Yes, that's... That's true. But, there're none of them any good unless the threat of death is behind them. You see what I mean? If you start something, I'll make it a matter of your having to kill me or call it off.
Kasper Gutman: That's an attitude, sir, that calls for the most delicate judgment on both sides. Because, as you know, sir, in the heat of action men are likely to forget where their best interests lie and let their emotions carry them away.
Sam Spade: Then the trick from my angle is to make my play strong enough to tie you up, but not make you mad enough to bump me off against your better judgment.
Kasper Gutman: By gad, sir, you are a character.
Kasper Gutman: Here's to plain speaking and clear understanding.
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Facts about
There is an inordinate amount of smoking done by the main actors in this film. According to then-studio employee (and future screenwriter) Stuart Jerome, this resulted in a feud between stars Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, and studio head Jack L. Warner. Warner hated to see actors smoking on the screen, fearing it would prompt smokers in the movie audience to step out into the lobby for a cigarette. During the filming of _Maltese Falcon, The (1941)_, Warner told director John Huston that smoking in the film should be kept to a minimum. Bogart and Lorre thought it would be fun to annoy Warner by smoking as often as possible, and got their co-stars, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet to go along with the joke. During the initial filming of the climactic confrontation, all four actors smoked heavily. After seeing the rushes, Warner furiously called Huston to his office and threatened to fire him from the picture if he didn't tell Bogart and Lorre to knock it off. Realizing their prank had backfired, Bogart and Lorre agreed to stop smoking on camera. However, when the next series of rushes came back, i Mary Astor's off-screen notoriety was instrumental in her casting. She was known for being adulterous, having had an affair with John Barrymore, widowed in a plane crash, a multiple bride, and an alcoholic. She also kept a diary of her various sexual exploits that was introduced as evidence in a custody hearing against her estranged husband over who should look after their daughter. The gossip rags thrived on this story.
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