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 #119 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 5 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 | sierra madre mountains | national film registry | afi | 1920s | 

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Taglines:

The nearer they get to their treasure, the farther they get from the law.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

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

Executives at Warner Bros. were not quite sure what to do with the film. Initially, the suits promoted it as a Western. To further support the opening of the film, the studio lackeys distributed treasure maps showing the locations of the action in the film for display in theater lobbies.

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Goofs

When Dobbs finds the well, he is ahead of the donkeys. Next shot he is behind them.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The New World (2005)

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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

A Tale of Greed, With Outstanding Direction and Performance of the Cast

In 1925, in Mexico, Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is an American begging for food and trying to get any job. He meets Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), another American in horrible economical situation and also looking for job, and the former gold prospector Howard (Walter Huston), and together they go to the Mexican mountains seek for gold. After ten months of hard and tense work, including confrontation with bandits, each one of them gets a small fortune in gold. Meanwhile, their personalities are disclosed, and Dobbs shows himself a man obsessed by greed. The end of their journey is ironic and tragic. This movie is a masterpiece. Having an outstanding direction of John Huston, an astounding performance of Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt and supported by a fantastic screenplay, it is certainly one of the best movies ever, highly recommended for any audience. Walter Huston and Humphrey Bogart are really stupendous in their roles. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): `O Tesouro de Sierra Madre' (`The Treasure of the Sierra Madre')