"The Maltese Falcon" is the unforgettable, groundbreaking crime drama which is regarded by many as the first film noir of the classic period. Its significance in Hollywood history is enormous as it provided John Huston with his directorial debut and Humphrey Bogart with the role which made him into a major star. Huston's screenplay famously remained very faithful to the style of dialogue used in Dashiell Hammett's book and in so doing provided some wonderfully economic and incisive lines, particularly for Bogart's character.
Bogart's role also had a broader significance because as Sam Spade, he brought to the screen a new type of hard boiled detective who was destined to become the template for a whole succession of others who would appear in numerous films noirs particularly in the 1940s and 1950s. These men would be morally ambiguous , fast talking tough guys who had a cynical attitude to the world and who lived by their own set of principles.
Sam Spade is no one's idea of nice guy. He keeps his emotions armour plated and when his business partner is suddenly murdered shows no concern of any sort. He had also been having an affair with his partner's wife but in his dealings with her, he also seems rather cold and offhand. Despite these characteristics and his obviously jaundiced attitude to life and people, his character is redeemed to some extent by a subtle quality which Bogart's innate charisma brings to the part.
In "The Maltese Falcon" Spade is hired by a Miss Wonderley (Mary Astor) to find her sister. This job leads to the death of his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) and shortly after, to the murder of the alleged seducer of Miss Wonderley's sister. Miss Wonderley then contacts Spade and tells him that her real name is Brigid O'Shaughnessy and that the story about her sister had been as false as the name she'd given him and she then pays him to find out who was responsible for the two murders.
Spade's subsequent investigations bring him into contact with Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre), the "Fat Man" Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) and his henchman Wilmer (Elisha Cook Jnr.) and it becomes apparent that they are all on a ruthless quest to locate the priceless statuette called "The Maltese Falcon". Furthermore, he discovers that O'Shaughnessy's earlier subterfuge had been linked to the fact that she also had been trying to find the "Falcon". Spade eventually identifies the murderer and informs the police who go on to arrest the culprit.
Brigid O'Shaughnessy had acted naive, timid and vulnerable when she had first encountered Spade but his natural scepticism prevented him from being taken in by her. Joel Cairo was a small, nervy, effeminate man and Wlmer was generally a silent presence during Spade's conversations with the "Fat Man". Gutman was sophisticated, good humoured and friendly on the surface but was also extremely dangerous and untrustworthy. He also delivers some amusing and eccentric lines such as when speaking to Spade he says "Now Sir, we'll talk if you like and I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man that likes to talk".
Bogart and Huston worked well together and went on to collaborate on other major successes such as "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948), "Key Largo" (1948) and "The African Queen" (1951). "The Maltese Falcon" was also a great box office success, was well received by the critics and was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Sydney Greenstreet) and Best Adapted Screenplay (John Huston).
Bogart's role also had a broader significance because as Sam Spade, he brought to the screen a new type of hard boiled detective who was destined to become the template for a whole succession of others who would appear in numerous films noirs particularly in the 1940s and 1950s. These men would be morally ambiguous , fast talking tough guys who had a cynical attitude to the world and who lived by their own set of principles.
Sam Spade is no one's idea of nice guy. He keeps his emotions armour plated and when his business partner is suddenly murdered shows no concern of any sort. He had also been having an affair with his partner's wife but in his dealings with her, he also seems rather cold and offhand. Despite these characteristics and his obviously jaundiced attitude to life and people, his character is redeemed to some extent by a subtle quality which Bogart's innate charisma brings to the part.
In "The Maltese Falcon" Spade is hired by a Miss Wonderley (Mary Astor) to find her sister. This job leads to the death of his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) and shortly after, to the murder of the alleged seducer of Miss Wonderley's sister. Miss Wonderley then contacts Spade and tells him that her real name is Brigid O'Shaughnessy and that the story about her sister had been as false as the name she'd given him and she then pays him to find out who was responsible for the two murders.
Spade's subsequent investigations bring him into contact with Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre), the "Fat Man" Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) and his henchman Wilmer (Elisha Cook Jnr.) and it becomes apparent that they are all on a ruthless quest to locate the priceless statuette called "The Maltese Falcon". Furthermore, he discovers that O'Shaughnessy's earlier subterfuge had been linked to the fact that she also had been trying to find the "Falcon". Spade eventually identifies the murderer and informs the police who go on to arrest the culprit.
Brigid O'Shaughnessy had acted naive, timid and vulnerable when she had first encountered Spade but his natural scepticism prevented him from being taken in by her. Joel Cairo was a small, nervy, effeminate man and Wlmer was generally a silent presence during Spade's conversations with the "Fat Man". Gutman was sophisticated, good humoured and friendly on the surface but was also extremely dangerous and untrustworthy. He also delivers some amusing and eccentric lines such as when speaking to Spade he says "Now Sir, we'll talk if you like and I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man that likes to talk".
Bogart and Huston worked well together and went on to collaborate on other major successes such as "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948), "Key Largo" (1948) and "The African Queen" (1951). "The Maltese Falcon" was also a great box office success, was well received by the critics and was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Sydney Greenstreet) and Best Adapted Screenplay (John Huston).