The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird (2006)

An appreciation and the story of the "making of" THE MALTESE FALCON.

Director:

Gary Leva

Stars:

Julie Rivett, Joe Gores, Eddie Muller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Rivett	...	Herself
Joe Gores	...	Himself
Eddie Muller	...	Himself
Richard Layman	...	Himself
Lincoln Hurst	...	Himself (as Lincoln D. Hurst)
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Himself
Larry Cohen	...	Himself
Rudy Behlmer	...	Himself
Eric Lax	...	Himself
Michael B. Druxman	...	Himself
Michael Madsen	...	Himself
Frank Miller	...	Himself
Henry Rollins	...	Himself
James Cromwell	...	Himself
Stephen D. Youngkin	...	Himself (as Stephen Youngkin)

Storyline

The Maltese Falcon (1941) is a national treasure. Often cited as the first Film Noir, many film historians consider it the greatest detective movie ever made. In One Magnificent Bird, we discover how the film's mean streets, dark shadows and razor-edged cast each became the prototype for future detective thrillers and atmospheric Noir dramas. Through interviews with such film artists as Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Madsen, James Cromwell, Frank Miller and Christopher McQuarrie, we uncover the magic that director John Huston brought to this, his first feature film. As a bonus, our documentary also examines the two previous attempts to adapt Dashiell Hammett's dark novel to the screen, first as a by-the-book detective picture, then as an out-and-out comedy starring a young Bette Davis.

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Plot Keywords:

making of | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leva FilmWorks

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Maltese Falcon statue featured throughout the program was provided by Ken Patterson's Haunted Studios. Ken has been selling castings of his "Real Maltese Falcon" since 1963.

User Reviews

It sure is, doll

This is the behind-the-scenes(note that it's retroactive, they didn't have people noting how it was made as it was going on, that's a more recent thing) featurette on The Maltese Falcon(which it contains spoilers for), on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD of it. It consists of interviews, clips of the movie, the other two versions and other pictures from the time(often ironically used, and to great effect) and footage from other sources. We hear from screenwriters, actors, film historians, biographers and relatives of the people behind it. Everyone has something interesting to say, and none of it is specialized to the point where you have trouble understanding. We're told Hammett's personal story, and go into the cast, the writing, the dialog and the impact it had, starting the genre of noir with its roots in German expressionism(what with directors fleeing Hitler), with the low angles, use of lighting and stark shadows. Yes, this has a love-fest going on, but they explain(and back up nicely by juxtaposing it with examples) why it is so amazing, instead of merely postulating. This is rather well-edited, it keeps to a solid pace, and with you finding out about all four leads, the inspiration for the novel, and what this production caused in the medium, in a mere 32 minutes, this is concise. There is disturbing content in this. I recommend it to any fan of the mystery genre. 8/10