The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) | |
| Director(s) | John Huston |
| Producer(s) | Henry Blanke, Jack L. Warner (executive) |
| Top Genres | Action, Adventure, Drama, Western |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Gunfighters, Wild West |
Featured Cast:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Overview:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) was a Adventure - Drama Film directed by John Huston and produced by Henry Blanke and Jack L. Warner.
The film was based on the novel of the same name written by B. Traven published in 1927.
SYNOPSIS
Many consider this to be John Huston's finest moment, though he supplied many to choose from. It is in any case a classic tale of greed and its corrosive effect on the human soul. Two drifters on the bum in Mexico (Bogart and Holt) see their fortunes rise after working for some pocket money and Bogart wins a lottery. They take their new means and team up with an old prospector they meet in a flophouse (Walter Huston) to venture into the mountains to dig for gold. Bogart declares that he won't fall prey to Huston's warning about riches turning men's heads, wanting only his fair share. Their luck seems to hold after surviving a bandit attack and hitting a strike, but as the gold dust piles up, the wariness sets in. Bogart is magnificent as he slowly lets the greed and suspicion eat him alive, pulling a gun on his onetime partner and succumbing at last to the bandit's gun. Essential viewing for any classic-movie fan.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1990.
Academy Awards 1948 --- Ceremony Number 21 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Huston | Won |
| Best Director | John Huston | Won |
| Best Writing | John Huston | Won |
| Best Picture | Warner Bros. | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Field Trip: Screening of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" at AMC River East 21
By Stephen Reginald on Jan 12, 2018 From Classic Movie ManField Trip: Screening of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" at AMC River East 21 Treasure of the Sierra Madre on the big screen Date: January 14 at River East 21, 322 East Illinois · Chicago, IL Time: 2:00 p.m. TCM Big Screen Classics Presents The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, A Sp... Read full article
Win Tickets to see ?TCM Big Screen Classics: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (70th Anniversary) (Giveaway runs December 14 ? December 30)
By Annmarie Gatti on Dec 13, 2017 From Classic Movie Hub BlogWin Tix to see ?The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? on the Big Screen! In Select Cinemas Nationwide Sunday, Jan 14 and Tuesday, Jan 16! ?Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.” CMH is thrilled to announce the 3rd ... Read full article
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 17, 2015 From 4 Star Films?If you was to make a real strike, you couldn?t be dragged away.? Not even the threat of miserable death would keep you from trying to add ten thousand more.? Ten you?d want to get twenty-five, twenty-five you?d want to get fifty, fifty a hundred.? Like roulette. One more turn, you know.? Always one... Read full article
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
By Beatrice on Mar 21, 2015 From Flickers in TimeThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre Directed by John Huston Written by John Huston based on the novel by B. Traven 1948/USA Warner Bros. Repeat viewing/Warner Bros. DVD #223 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die John Huston’s tale of gold lust will never grow old. Fred C. Dobbs (Humphr... Read full article
Lux Radio Theater – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre – 1949
By Bogart Fan on Aug 24, 2014 From The Bogie Film BlogMy Review —Huston and Bogart are Awesome— Producer: William Keighley Honorary Bogie Radio Fix: out of 5 Bogies! The Lowdown Two down-on-their-luck men pool their resources with an old prospector to search for gold in Mexico. You can read my original write up on the film here. What I ... Read full article
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Quotes from
Flophouse Bum: I don't know. Because it's scarce.
Howard: A thousand men, say, go searchin' for gold. After six months, one of them's lucky: one out of a thousand. His find represents not only his own labor, but that of nine hundred and ninety-nine others to boot. That's six thousand months, five hundred years, scramblin' over a mountain, goin' hungry and thirsty. An ounce of gold, mister, is worth what it is because of the human labor that went into the findin' and the gettin' of it.
Flophouse Bum: I never thought of it just like that.
Howard: Well, there's no other explanation, mister. Gold itself ain't good for nothing except making jewelry with and gold teeth.
Dobbs: Conscience. What a thing. If you believe you got a conscience it'll pester you to death. But if you don't believe you got one, what could it do t'ya? Makes me sick, all this talking and fussing about nonsense.
[Howard eats, while Dobbs and Curtin snooze]
Howard: Hey you fellas, how 'bout some beans? You want some beans? Goin' through some mighty rough country tomorrow, you'd better have some beans.
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Facts about
Humphrey Bogart started losing his hair in 1947, round about the time he was making Dark Passage, partly because of hormone shots he was taking to improve his chances of having a child with wife Lauren Bacall (although his excessive drinking and lack of vitamin B were probably also factors in his hair loss). He was completely bald by the time he arrived in Mexico. Once on location, Bogart started taking vitamin B shots, and some of his hair grew back. But he did sport a wig throughout the entire shoot, albeit one that was artfully muddied and matted to cover up the joins.
John Huston's original filmed depiction of Dobbs' death was more graphic - as it was in the book - than the one that eventually made it onto the screen. When Gold Hat strikes Dobbs with his machete, Dobbs is decapitated. Huston shot Dobbs' (fake) head rolling into the waterhole (there's a quick shot of Gold Hat's accomplices reacting to Dobbs' rolling head that remains in the film and in the very next shot you can see the water rippling where it rolled in). The 1948 censors would not have allowed that, so Huston camouflaged the cut shot with a repeat shot of Gold Hat striking Dobbs. Warner Bros' publicity department released a statement that Humphrey Bogart was "disappointed the scene couldn't be shown in all its graphic glory". Bogart's reaction: "What's wrong with showing a guy getting his head cut off?"
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