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 (screenplay), B. Traven (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt

Top Rated Movies #124 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Fred C. Dobbs
Walter Huston	...	Howard
Tim Holt	...	Curtin
Bruce Bennett	...	Cody
Barton MacLane	...	Pat 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 | sierra madre mountains | national film registry | afi | 1920s | 

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Taglines:

The more he yearns for a woman's arms . . . the fiercer he lusts for the treasure that cursed them all!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 January 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Treasure of Sierra Madre

Filming Locations:

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,014,000

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

A doctor was assigned to the unit in Mexico and one night he had to attend to John Huston, who had an adverse reaction to marijuana, having smoked it for the first time with his father. He never touched the stuff again.

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Goofs

When Howard and Curtin pursue Dobbs, they pass a "dead" donkey left by Dobbs. The donkey is breathing and the ropes used to tie its legs are visible.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: The Lastest Gun in the West (2002)

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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

Terrific acting, screenplay n direction. Bogart was equally good as Huston n in my opinion Bogart's best acting display.

I first saw this in the early 90s. Revisited it recently on a blu-ray. Treasure of the Sierra Madre is one of my favourite n in my opinion Bogarts best acting display. Searching for gold has always been a popular film topic n this film has really nailed it with superb display of human nature. Bogart was phenomenal in this film. In this film he is so full of paranoia, insanity n evil but u still feel pity for him. His grungy, unkempt n unshaven look added to the character. The film has a dark tone dealing with human nature of greed, paranoia, evil intentions, insanity n ignorance but it has its share of laughs. Walter Huston's happy dance, Bogart's evil smile, Holt showing equanimity in adversity n Alfonso Bedoyas ignorant n illiterate attitude. The scene, where the character of Holt wondering whether to help his fellow colleague trapped inside the mine n his sympathy towards the widows share of gold as well his infatuation with the widow by jus looking at the photo were again some of the common human nature dealt very well in the film. The scene where the three leading characters are ready to kill the fourth one was indeed mans darkest nature. Was surprised to see someone like Bogart playing a diametrically opposite character compared to his earlier films. A remake is needed with more focus on the action n adventure.