The Maltese Falcon (1941)

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

John Huston (screenplay), Dashiell Hammett (based upon the novel by)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George

Top 250 #122 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Samuel Spade
Mary Astor	...	Brigid O'Shaughnessy
Gladys George	...	Iva Archer
Peter Lorre	...	Joel Cairo
Barton MacLane	...	Lt. of Detectives Dundy
Lee Patrick	...	Effie Perine
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Kasper Gutman
Ward Bond	...	Detective Tom Polhaus
Jerome Cowan	...	Miles Archer
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Wilmer Cook
James Burke	...	Luke
Murray Alper	...	Frank Richman
John Hamilton	...	Bryan

Storyline

Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That's for Sam Spade and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn't like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wanderly, walks into their office; and by that night everything's changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby. It seems Miss Wanderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There's Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There's Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men -- and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon.

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Plot Keywords:

partner | murder | detective | maltese falcon | statuette | 

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Taglines:

A story as EXPLOSIVE as his BLAZING automatics!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gent from Frisco

Filming Locations:

Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Huston had Mary Astor run around the set several times before each of her scenes in order to give her a breathless, nervous appearance on screen.

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Goofs

When Gutman first puts the Falcon on the table he is smoking a cigar. When he begins to scratch the Falcon there is no cigar in sight.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sam Spade: Yes, sweetheart?
Effie Perine: There's a girl wants to see you. Her name's Wonderly.
Sam Spade: A customer?
Effie Perine: I guess so. You'll want to see her anyway. She's a knockout.

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Connections

Referenced in Skin on Skin (1983)

User Reviews

"The Greatest Movie Star of all time" and more

Bogart. The coolest guy to ever live?

Have you ever wondered what makes someone possess an essence that's defined as being "cool"? They seem to have that combination between imagery and soul that few people truly have. Is it in the style of clothes you wear or one's knowledge of independence? Is it the way you comb your hair or your unkempt humility for everything out there? It could be in your talk or how you walk, but maybe it's more about what you say and where you're going. In a sense it's an attitude that seeks to define character and break the mold of control. It's the fine line between knowing when to speak up and when saying less means more. So is Bogart the coolest guy to ever live? In a single word, absolutely.

The Maltese Falcon is basically a showcase for Bogart. A role that seems to be made for him, even with two previous attempts at the film. He is and always was born to play Sam Spade. The tough guy private investigator, who always has the right things to say. More likely to fire a witty comeback than a gun. Able to fall in love, even if only for the moment, and then send her to the gallows. All in the name of doing the right thing. It's not an emotional business.

The movie itself wrote the book of the crime and mystery drama story. Probably the best written plot in it's genre. No doubt that Bogart makes the character come alive, with that infectious voice and his uncompromising demeanor. But the movie itself is, to say the least, very good. The ending just does it for me. The last couple of lines are some of the best in film history.

Although it took me a while to finally see this film, I realize that it's one of Bogart's triumphs and has all the main reasons why I love the guy so much. Please, see this film and remember Bogart as he was.

"Heavy. What is it? The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of."