“The Maltese Falcon” is a brilliant classic film noir about a detective who takes a case brought to him by a very secretive woman and got tangled in a crime web. The film is directed by John Huston, and the main characters are played by Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George and Peter Lorre. The story was written by Dashiell Hammett, and the screenplay also by John Huston. The film was released on October 3rd, 1941. The locations for the movie include San Francisco, California, USA.
Maltese Falcon is about a San Francisco detective, Sam Spade and his female client, Miss Wonderly. The Maltese Falcon is an intriguing movie that involves murder, crime investigation, mystery, and suspense. It is a film that involves a detective who
…show more content…
got tangled in a crime web after he picked up the case of a woman that got his partner killed. After Sam’s partner was murdered another person was killed and all accusations were pinned on Sam. Sam’s adventure began when he was confronted by a man Joel Cairo, insisting he locates a small and valuable figurine. Later on, as Sam continued his investigation for the search of the killer, he found out that, the only way to clear his name and found his murderer(s) is to obtain the Maltese Falcon. The settings of the Maltese Falcon utilizes the urban scenes, which includes, apartment blocks, back alleys.
The notable futures of the settings include the little lighting, dark corners, and shadows. The setting emphasizes the use of shadows and darkness in the movie. Not forgetting the important feature I noticed while watching the film. The use of smoke or smoking cigarette by the characters. The use of smoke can be directly overlooked as a hobby, but observing the characters, the smoking scenes surrounds a mystery or puzzle. A perfect example would be a scene where Sam questioned Miss Wonderly. She decided not to answer but rather smoke a cigarette. Another important feature of this film is the Femme Fatale. The Femme Fatale in this movie is the Sam’s Spade female client. Femme Fatale is believed to be dangerous, beautiful and double-dealing. In the film Maltese Falcon, the Miss Wonderly is cunning and deceptive, and she always creates problem for Sam. When Miss Wonderly was introduced into the movie, she had a wonderful costume compared to the secretary. Miss Wonderly was in high heels, furs, gloves, and hats. Not forgetting the Male costume, Sam, and other male characters can be seen wearing suit and hat. An important fact is they all carry guns and those who did not carry have the ability to use one when the situation
emerges. Sam Spade is an intriguing character, who’s got all kinds of cards up his sleeves. After the numbers of movies have watched, I thought I could figure out what most characters are thinking. Unfortunately, the Maltese Falcon proved me wrong. This movie was surprisingly entertaining and never failed to captivate me. Humphrey Bogart, who acted has Sam did an excellent Job with the role. There was a scene where Sam told his secretary to keep Archer's wife away from him. And few minutes after, he was found groping his partner’s wife behind the closed door of his office. There are moments along the movie durations, where I think I’ve figured Sam out only to be corrected. Sam Spade was a random and wild character with multiple sides. He does not show much of his facial expressions, but when it comes to solving cases, he is the best out there. Joel Cairo was an exceptional character down to his actions, his words, his expressions, and costume. He serves as a major comic relief in the film, and his part was well played. A scene was shown where Joel got knocked by Sam for pointing a gun at him. After Joel woke up, he spoke with Sam and things were apparently settled. As Joel was about to leave, he asked for his gun, and after Sam had returned it, Joel pointed the gun at Sam again. Miss Wonderfully could win a Grammy award for being so sly and deceptive, unfortunately; there is no such prize. Miss Wonderly did a good job on her role, from the very moment she was introduced into the film, she was excellent with her acting skills. A viewer could see she could not be trusted, but it made it more fascinating to watch her play her part. Although Miss Wonderly nailed her role in the movie, I wished, she was more sophisticated and alluring. A lying, deceptive, secretive woman but sophisticated would have fit perfectly into the description. The runtime for the Maltese Falcon is one hour and forty minutes, which is relatively long. Sometimes the movie felt a bit drawn out but the suspense and mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. Apart from the duration of the film, it was a lovely, successful, exciting movie with the unforgettable, unique and perfect cast. John Huston did a great job combining comic reliefs or comedy, mystery, suspense, crime investigation, and murder. It was a movie that keeps the audience alert and focused. It is a film I will watch when trying to avoid crime research and murder shows.
The movie exhibited the time in which it was made. The fifties were a time of glamour, prosperity, and entertainment; people coveted the highest standard of living. The movie presented these similarities in the grandeur of the wardrobe and jewelry that the characters wore. Smoking and drinking was a customary practice in the fifties and in the movie. Men were not the only ones drinking, for women indulged in these habits
While there are many different ways to classify a Neo-noir film, Roman Polanski’s, Chinatown captures many. The 1974 movie consists of many of these elements, including both thematic and stylistic devices. One of the main themes of neo-noir film that is constant throughout the film is the deceptive plot that questions the viewers’ ideas and perceptions of what is actually happening in the film. Every scene of Chinatown leads to a twist or another turn that challenges the practicability of the film’s reality. All of the never-ending surprises and revelations lead up to the significant themes the movie is trying to convey in the conclusion of the film.
Film noir, by translation alone, means dark film, and by that measurement Sunset Boulevard certainly fits the genre. A gloomy story that follows a jaded and sarcastic protagonist, Joe Gillis from his initial dire circumstances to his untimely death, Sunset Blvd. earns the description “dark” several times over. But there is more to film noir than crushingly depressing plotlines. There are common motifs and icons that are found in most film noirs, such as crime, dark alleys, guns and alcohol. Deeper than this, film noir features certain visual elements, character archetypes, and themes that create a unique style of film. Although some have argued that Sunset Blvd. fails to represent some of these elements, it has become known as one of the most iconic film noirs ever made. Sunset Boulevard (1950), written and directed by Billy Wilder exemplifies the film noir style through its use of visual elements (lighting, shots and angles), memorable characters, themes and overall structure of the film.
Dashiell Hammett’s novel, The Maltese Falcon, is a hard-boiled detective novel; a subset of the mystery genre. Before the appearance of this sub-genre, mystery novels were mainly dominated by unrealistic cases and detectives like Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. As Malmgren states, “The murders in these stories are implausibly motivated, the plots completely artificial, and the characters pathetically two-dimensional, puppets and cardboard lovers, and paper mache villains and detectives of exquisite and impossible gentility.” (Malmgren, 371) On the other hand, Hammett tried to write realistic mystery fiction – the “hard-boiled” genre. In the Maltese Falcon, Hammett uses language, symbolism, and characterization to bring the story closer to reality.
The Pacific coast port city of San Francisco, California provides a distinctively mysterious backdrop in Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. Unlike many other detective stories that are anchored in well-known metropolises such as Los Angeles or New York City, Hammett opted to place the events of his text in the lesser-known, yet similarly exotic cultural confines of San Francisco. Hammett used his own intricate knowledge of the San Francisco Bay Area - coupled with details collected during a stint as a detective for the now defunct Pinkerton Agency - to craft a distinctive brand of detective fiction that thrived on such an original setting (Paul 93). By examining the setting of 1920’s San Francisco in The Maltese Falcon, it becomes apparent that one of Hammett’s literary strengths was his exceptional ability to intertwine non-fictional places with a fictional plot and characters in order to produce a logical and exceedingly believable detective mystery.
PORFIRIO, R., SILVER, A., & URSINI, J. (2001). Film noir reader 3: interviews with filmmakers of the classic noir period. New York, Limelight.
In traditional hard-boiled American detective fiction there are many themes that seem to transcend all novels. One of those themes is the concept of power and the role in which it plays in the interaction and development of characters. More specifically, the role of women within the novels can be scrutinized to better understand the power they hold over the other characters, their own lives and the direction of the story. Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon exemplifies the varying ways in which female characters attempt to obtain and utilize power in hopes of influencing, manipulating and succeeding.
The book I read and am doing a presentation on is called Saving Private Ryan by Max Allen Collins. Saving Private Ryan is about the heroism of soldiers of soldiers and their duty during wartime, World War Two. This story is to remind you, the reader, that war is nothing but hell, orders on the front line can be brutal, and absurd. The story is set in Europe of 1944, as the Nazis are still advancing and taking over cities and countries. On June 6th, 1944, Captain Miller, and hundreds of other men leave Europe to accomplish one mission, Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day. When they get there, there will be a new task awaiting them.
V for Vendetta is a rather graphic novel written by Alan Moore in the late 1980's. The novel takes place in an alternate-reality; one in which Britain is ruled by a fascist government rules over Britain, and the rest of the world is believed to be in ruins due to nuclear war. The main protagonist/villain, depending on your viewpoint, of the story is a man simply called "V", He is a mysterious man and a self-described anarchist who survived a government experiment of a compound called Batch 5. Although his face is never shown in the book, V still draws the reader’s attention by being such a dark presence.
The film stays in line with classic noir in many ways. The usage of dark sets and high contrast lighting, which creates heavy shadows on the actors faces, makes the movie feel like it all happens at night and in dark alley ways. The story focuses on the inhumane parts of human nature. Each of the main characters experiences some kind of tragedy. For Vargas his tragedy was in dealing with Quinlin who has set out to frame him and his wife. For Quinlin his entire life represented a man consumed with darkness who lives his life with a “Touch of Evil.” Menzies was a hopeful man who looked up to Quinlin but was let down. For the viewer, film noir represents truth, even if it is not a truth that all people would like to hear.
The themes of the film are timeless, but the historical period in which the film takes place is also very significant. As the movie begins, the family?s youngest son has just recently returned from World War II. As the movie progresses, parallels are made between the Corleone family and the rest of the world. The war between the rival families is much like the conflicts between nations during World War II. After Don Corleone is shot in the streets, it?s a wake up cal...
... educated the average person. The Mafia, as depicted by the Corleone family, is very close knit; those that are not even actual family members are still considered part of the “family.” This movie can be watched repeatedly and each time is as enjoyable as the first. It is a cultural eye opener and lead to two sequels and several other media items, such as today’s television drama The Soprano’s. Though the world does not condone what this lifestyle is about it will always be interested, and somewhat glorify the traditions and lifestyle of something so secretive and just plain bad.
	The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre Dumas, tells the story of a man, Edmond Dantes, a sailor who goes through being betrayed by his enemies and thrown in to a dark prison cell to planning revenge on his enemies. His behavior and personality changes after spending 14 years in jail for a crime that he didn’t commit. Edmond Dantes was thrown in jail ,after being framed by his enemies, accused of committing treason and being a bonapartist. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Era while the usurper, Napoleon has escaped to his place of exile, the Isle of Elba, located in the Mediterranean Sea.
Film noir is not a genre of film but rather defined through its subtle qualities of tone and mood. Noir was also a specific period in Film history, mostly sprouting in the 40’s. Numerous amount of films helped contribute to the popularity of film noir, but there were some that innovated the way we portrayed it. Maltese Falcon was one of the pioneers of film noir that influenced many more noir type of films such as The Devil in a Blue Dress. With plots being different but yet a similar feel towards the movie. Similar character roles are very common in noir, like in the Maltese Falcon and The Devil in a Blue Dress. Both films use very alike characters that help give it a better noir feeling. In the Maltese Falcon, Sam spade is the main character but unlike regular plots. Sam is an anti-hero that works
I just had a wonderful chance to see the movie Maltese falcon, and would like to give my opinion on it. the movie is about the illusive Maltese falcon, a rare statue made for the king of Spain in 1500’s. the falcon had been made of gold and covered with ruby’s and gems of immeasurable wealth. The movie is a great movie even in today’s times, And the acting is superb.