The Maltese Falcon –
Film Review
Sam Spade (Bogart) is a private eye with his partner Miles
Archer (Jerome Cowan). When the pretty Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor) comes in to
their office with a story about her sister and mystery man Thursby, they take
the case, but soon enough Archer turns up dead, and later that night so too
does Thursby. The police suspect Spade may be involved, and meanwhile Spade
uncovers a plot where Wonderly is in fact O'Shaughnessy, and a group of
questionable people including Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) and Kasper Gutman
(Sydney Greenstreet) are all looking for a famed Falcon statue.
John Huston’s ‘The Maltese Falcon’ is an exceptional and
classic film noir. Immaculately designed, evocatively photographed, and easy to
watch but also morally complex, and ultimately unsettling, the film remains a
beloved classic to this day. The story is rich and compelling whilst the
acting, particular that of Humphrey Bogart, is truly outstanding.
Adapted for the screen from Dashiell Hammett's classic
detective novel of the same name, the movie sticks close to the book and even
keeps the majority of the original dialogue making it one of the greatest
adaptations of all time.
Another surprising thing about this movie is how it is made
up almost entirely of talk, unlike some other films noir’s which prefer gritty
action and slick violence, yet the wonderfully crafted performances by an
exceptional cast are so focused that conversations become the action of the
movie.
What makes the film such a classic noir is that, Huston and
his cinematographer, Arthur Edeson, use light and shadow liberally and none of
what transpires during the course of The Maltese Falcon does so in
bright sunlight. The street scenes are in the black of night and, with the
exception of Spade's office and Gutman's drawing room, few sets are well-lit.
Huston employs interesting camera angles to vary the film's visual look.
Greenstreet, for example, is often shot from below so he fills up and towers
over the scene. There's also a long, unbroken take when Spade meets Gutman that
often goes unnoticed and unmentioned because it flows so well and does not call
attention to itself.
All in all, this is a stirring and memorable movie that
despite the twisty, turny nature of the plot, never becomes incomprehensible.
This one set a standard that is still influencing pop culture today, and
definitely deserves to be seen.
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