The Maltese Falcon (1941) | |
| Director(s) | John Huston |
| Producer(s) | Henry Blanke (associate), Hal B. Wallis (executive) |
| Top Genres | Crime, Film Adaptation, Film Noir, Mystery |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Detectives, San Francisco |
Featured Cast:
The Maltese Falcon Overview:
The Maltese Falcon (1941) was a Crime - Film Noir Film directed by John Huston and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke.
The film was based on the novel of the same name and also Black Mask Magazine Serial written by Dashiell Hammett published in 1930 (novel); year n/a (magazine).
SYNOPSIS
One of the most popular crime films of all time has Bogart playing Hammett's private detective Sam Spade as he sleuths the backyard of San Francisco in search of an elusive black bird statuette and crosses wits with Astor's treacherous Brigid O'Shaughnessy and fat man Kaspar Gutman (Greenstreet). Memorable supporting performances by Lorre and Cook, Jr., playing two of the quirkiest villains of the 40's, only add to the unsettling atmosphere of this cynical parable of greed and deceit. After a brief career as screenwriter, this was Huston's directorial debut, and launched a career that spanned nearly half a century. Based on the Hammett novel that was previously filmed in 1931 as Dangerous Female, in 1936 as Satan Met a Lady starring Bette Davis, and redone in 1975 as The Black Bird.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Maltese Falcon was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.
Academy Awards 1941 --- Ceremony Number 14 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sydney Greenstreet | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Warner Bros. | Nominated |
| Best Writing | John Huston | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
The Maltese Falcon (1931, Roy Del Ruth)
on Mar 28, 2019 From The Stop ButtonNot to be too obvious, but I really wasn?t expecting a twist ending for The Maltese Falcon. But only because I?ve? read the book, seen the 1941 version, seen spoofs of it; I sort of figured I?d be able to guess the plot turns. And I did, right up until the end, when Falcon shows its been doing an en... Read full article
Review: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 2, 2016 From 4 Star FilmsDashiell Hammet’s “blonde satan” Sam Spade is an icon of not only 20th-century literature?but also 20th-century cinema, thanks in part to Humphrey ?Bogart and John Huston.?He’s the cynical, hard-nosed, unsentimental P.I. whose general unpredictability sometimes leads to angry... Read full article
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Quotes from
Detective Tom Polhaus: [picks up the falcon] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade: The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Detective Tom Polhaus: Huh?
Sam Spade: Now, let's *talk* about the black bird.
Kasper Gutman: Let's. Mr. Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be got for that black bird?
Sam Spade: No.
Kasper Gutman: Well, sir, if I told you... If I told you *half*... you'd call me a liar.
Sam Spade: No, not even if I thought so.
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Facts about
In all the scenes involving Mary Astor, there's a suggestion of prison. In one scene, she wears striped pyjamas, the furniture in the room is striped and the slivers of light coming through the Venetian blinds suggest jailcell bars. When she steps into the elevator at the end of the film, the lighting also suggests bars.
A copy of John Huston's first draft script was accidentally sent to studio head Jack L. Warner as well as the film's designated producer, Henry Blanke. To his surprise, Warner loved the script and insisted that Huston started shooting it immediately.
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