The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Fred Dobbs and Bob Curtin, two Americans searching for work in Mexico, convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

John Huston (screen play), B. Traven (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt

Top 250 #76 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Dobbs
Walter Huston	...	Howard
Tim Holt	...	Curtin
Bruce Bennett	...	Cody
Barton MacLane	...	McCormick (as Barton Mac Lane)
Alfonso Bedoya	...	Gold Hat
Arturo Soto Rangel	...	Presidente (as A. Soto Rangel)
Manuel Dondé	...	El Jefe (as Manuel Donde)
José Torvay	...	Pablo (as Jose Torvay)
Margarito Luna	...	Pancho

Storyline

Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, both down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico in 1925, meet up with a grizzled prospector named Howard and decide to join with him in search of gold in the wilds of central Mexico. Through enormous difficulties, they eventually succeed in finding gold, but bandits, the elements, and most especially greed threaten to turn their success into disaster.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico | gold | prospector | tampico mexico | greed | 

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Taglines:

They sold their souls for...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 January 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Treasure of Sierra Madre

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$1,100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vincent Sherman was all set to direct a version of the story during the WWII years until his script fell foul of the Breen office for being derogatory towards Mexicans.

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Goofs

When Howard is trying to revive the Indian boy, there is nothing around the boy. Later a calabash gourd appears on his left side and changes position between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dobbs: Say buddy, will you stake a fellow Am...

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Time of the Apes (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms"
(1808) (uncredited)
Music traditional
Played on harmonica by Walter Huston

User Reviews

Truly something special

This film made a huge impression on me when I first saw it at the age of 15 or 16. A recent rewatching on DVD really served to bring home for me what makes this film so special.

The whole thing is quite good, but it really hits you when Howard goes off to celebrate with the Indians, leaving Dobbs and Curtin to care for his gold and burros. The ensuing scenes of their spiraling mistrust and tension are absolutely spellbinding--the kind of thing that makes you lean forward in your seat just to get your eyes a little closer to the raw humanity unfolding in front of you. Their paranoia, the way you can SEE scenarios of betrayal dancing in their eyes, Dobbs' burgeoning madness--these are the moments that make this film one for the ages.

At its best, film noir (which this most certainly is--Western surroundings or no) makes the viewer complicit in the evil depicted on screen. We find ourselves scheming and plotting in our heads along with the unsavory characters we are watching--we start to feel the same temptations and desires that they do. "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" accomplishes this bond with the audience as well as any film you are likely to see.

A magnificent film--one of the few great screen tragedies.