The Maltese Falcon and Sherlock, A Study In Pink are indeed very different detective films. The Maltese Falcon came out in 1941 in the classic black and white. The use of rotary phones, elaborate fur scarves, classic fedoras and oversized trench coats dated the film to the fullest degree. Sherlock a BBC series that commenced airing in 2010, made use of special effects, it truly was a modernized film. In contrast to the rotary phones, the characters in Sherlock utilized cellphones and had the internet to aid in solving mysteries. In addition, to the obvious visible differences between the films, the characters, Sam Spade and Sherlock Holmes had many distinctive qualities.
One of the first of many differences that came up, was Sam Spade was a self indulgent philanderer. Spade was able to catch the attention of every woman he met, he was the tough guy with desirable appearance. Spade could be compared to Philip Marlowe from Raymond Chandler’s short story, Trouble is my Business. Sherlock Holmes on the other hand, could have been described as being asexual, he had little to no regard for relationships. There
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was a scene in a morgue, with a staff member whom tried excessively hard to catch Sherlock’s attention, she of course failed miserably. Sherlock was more causal and fought verbally, compared to Spade’s ability to hold his own, he was more a physical fighter. The pair additionally differed in their choice of partners, as well as their personal habits. Sam Spade had Miles Archer as his associates, it was clear however, there was no respect for Archer. Sam Spade had an affair with Archer’s wife, he tried to show his respect for Archer with turning in his killer, even so, his intentions were not made clear. Sherlock Holmes, nevertheless, had a stronger relationship with his sidekick John Watson. The two were flat mates, they got along and had respect for one another. When it came to Spade’s habits, he was a heavy drinker, and enjoyed his cigarettes, he was a typical hardboiled detective. His drink of choice of scotch which he kept on his night table, he is observed drinking several times. At the office Spade always had a cigarette lit, Holmes didn't share this passion. Sherlock utilized nicotine patches to help him think, and wasn't much of a drinker. Sherlock was a classic detective, and possessed no hair oiled detective characteristics. Another quality the two differed on was, Sherlock thoroughly enjoyed showing people he was more intelligent then them, Sam Spade not so much. Sam Spade was smart, he had street smarts and used his intuition. Sherlock had an astounding observational abilities along with logical reasoning, he was overly confident in his abilities and made sure everyone knew that. While the differences outweigh the similarities, there are still some commonalities worth mentioning that the characters, Sam Spade and Sherlock Holmes shared. Their use of logic and how they analyzed evidence to solve mysteries was impressive. The styles were in fact different but the principles that the two used was interchangeable. Sam Spade and Sherlock Holmes both made rash decisions which leaves the viewer to believe the pair had an ill regard for caution. This was shown in Sherlock quite obviously, he chased a cab which potentially had the killer inside, he also engaged in a game with the then known killer. Sam Spade tailed a man who appeared to be following him, the man had a pair of firearms. Spade carried out his business regularly without the use of a firearm, he stored one at the office but it was never shown in the film. While he worked alongside criminals, he relied on liquid courage more than physical weaponry. Sherlock also shared this quality, he was knowledgeable about firearms, yet never made use of one. Spade and Sherlock also possessed a contentious set of morals, Spade was described in the book as being a blond satan, Sherlock was declared a sociopath. Sherlock got excited by crime and mysteries, in the film he jumped with glee at the sound of another apparent suicide. There was also the scene with the known killer, Sherlock was alarmingly close to swallowing the potentially poisonous pill. Watson prevented this from occurring with his terribly good aim, however, the viewer is left to believe that Sherlock would have swallowed the pill in the desperation to be right. Spade, the blond satan, was cynical, he was the tough guy that slept with his associate’s wife.
At the end of the film the viewer has to come to the conclusion on their own, as to whether or not, morals was the defining influence over Spade’s decision. Sam Spade, had Bridgid O’Shaunessy turned over to the police, stating that he had to do something about her killing his partner. Spade also made mention that it would leave a negative impression on his business had he let a known killer have freedom. O’ Shaunessy also lead the viewers to question Sam’s morals. Brigid inquired if Spade’s decision might have been influenced in another direction had money been involved. Spade never answered this question directly, but agreed that perhaps it could have been. Thus brings the point into question, was it morals , or preservation of self image that lead to his
decision? Overall both the films were captivating and tell a great detective story. They are from different time periods made obvious by many facts including, the choice of music. The detectives had very different personalities and characteristics. One was a typical hard boiled detective while the other was more modern and less overbearing with the masculinity. That being said they were both very capable of solving mysteries, and truly great detectives.
(The adventure of the speckled band) The two also differ in other ways, for example although Holmes is intellectually gifted he lacks the contact of friends, this shows him as a loner. On the other hand, Watson, being the average man, has friends and later in... ... middle of paper ... ... olmes gives us the information that Watson didn’t see and tells us the rest of the case. In my opinion, the best of the Sherlock Holmes stories is The Last
I must say that The Maltese Falcon is one of the best books I have ever read. I also must say that the movie was nothing special, although I enjoyed it. The Maltese Falcon in no way strays from the stereotype that movies which are made from novels are not of the same quality as the novel. The movies usually do the books a disservice as characters are changed and often scenes are left out. I think that it is terrible how Hollywood changes the plot and characters from what the author originally intended. The result is missing plot, and absence of necessary theme. When these are left out of the movie, it is no longer a form of literature, but an action movie, a disgrace to its maker.
I don’t recall if Gutman said it in the movie about the Falcon being coated by lacquer to obfuscate that it’s really made of gold and jewels. I think it was implied that nothing is what they really seem to be. This is what I believe Dashiell Hammett was trying to communicate through his novel, ‘The Maltese Falcon.’ In this paper I will write about why I believe what is Hammett trying to convey through his cast of characters. These characters are unlike the image and stereotype cast upon their roles.
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.
In the movie Holmes, in the beginning, was much more prideful and rude to Watson and people in general, but later on, Holmes was a lot nicer and somewhat humble at least compared to the book. This difference made the viewer feel less liking of the character of Holmes and it almost seemed that the director tried to save Holmes’s character by making him nicer at the ending. The difference had a big impact on the feeling of the movie because it felt that he was so stuck up he was rather unapproachable. ...
Sir Basil of Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes are both assisted in making key observations with the help from each of their
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.
One difference between the two shows is Sherlock’s deduction skills, Sherlock shows Sherlock’s deductions skills to the fullest extent, whereas Elementary does not. In Sherlock, the BBC adaptation, each episode closely resembles one of the original stories with a better explanation behind each one. Throughout the show while Sherlock is thinking or observing, words will pop up on the on the screen, to show what is going through his mind as he deducts his observation. This good for viewers because they are able to follow with what is going on, making it impossible to be lost. For example In A Study in Pink, while Sherlock is investigating the death of a woman in pink he observes every possible clue left behind and while this happens viewers read and see every clue on the screen that Sherlock sees that we can’t like the ring she was wearing was dirty from the outside but clean on the inside indicating that she has taken her ring off numerous...
This paper will explore the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and his companion and friend Dr. John Watson. What is the relationship between Holmes and Watson? Are they compatible or are their differences to great for them to overcome. Looking at how they work together will also be a key factor in how well the relationship works between the two of them. Do their own interests and abilities get in the way? Does the time period in which they live factor into the environment of their communication styles?
"House and Holmes: A Comparison of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. House." Hubpages. N.p., 29 May 2013. Web. 8 Feb 2014. .
Over time the reader can tell that Watson and Holmes are alike but very different which makes them great partners. From the start Watson is seen as smart but Holmes is seen as a genius. After finding the mysterious walking stick Watson tells Holmes what he observes and Holmes replies with “Really Watson,you excel yourself,”said Holmes(Doyle 2).Sherlock Holmes is seen as the type of man that thinks he is higher than anyone else. Although Holmes blatantly tells Watson that he is a “conductor of light,Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it (Doyle 3).Holmes is seen as to be a man of action. Your instinct is always to do something energetic.
Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous fictional characters in literary history is a detective capable of solving the most complex mysteries. The author behind the character, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a very successful British writer. The majority of his literary success is due to his crime-fiction tales such as the Sherlock Holmes series. However, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes himself must not take all the credit because there is another character that plays a major role in the stories success. He goes by the name of Dr. Watson, Holmes’ sidekick. The importance of Dr. Watson is evident in many of Doyle’s stories such as A Scandal in Bohemia and A Study in Scarlett.
Likewise, changes have been made on the level of the character in pursuance of the strong bond between Holmes and Watson. For instance, due to plot change some character have been removed, but John H. Watson and Sherlock Holmes the heart of the whole story indeed are kept. For instance, Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as Watson describes him in the “he was as sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty” (Doyle 38). Also, Holmes calls himself a “consulting detective” just like the title he gave himself in the novel. Indeed, Holmes as one of the main characters of the story needs to show similar characteristics of the original Holmes, or else the show would have lost its meaning. Although Holmes’ deductive skills are shown pretty clearly in the show, his expertise in cigars are not mentioned as in the book the detective says he “‘can distinguish at a glance the ash of any known brand either of cigar or tobacco’” (Doyle 37). Yet the writers of the show, might reveal Holmes’ expertise later on in the show since they have the 60 different
Reading The Outsiders for the third time was an interesting experience because I was able to more fully examine and name what I felt while reading the novel. While I certainly had a sense of RECOGNITION when I first read The Outsiders, I was not yet attuned enough to my own emotions to pinpoint all of the feelings Ponyboy and I shared at that time. Now that I have had the complete experience of adolescence and the time to more critically analyze my emotions it is easier for me to recognize my young self in Ponyboy.
Sherlock Holmes is probably the most well-known and loved fictional detective in literature. Sherlock Holmes is a London based “consulting detective’ whose abilities border on the fantastic. Sherlock Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning. His abilities can adopt to any disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. He lives at 221b Baker Street in London. He notices things that others simply don't and then he draws accurate conclusions about what he sees. He experiences strong mood swings. He also plays the violin. But most of all, he is a master of deductive reasoning.