Review of The Maltese Falcon (1941) by Art S — 31 May 2013

What is it about The Maltese Falcon that makes it so compellingly rewatchable? Is it the original story from Dashiell Hammett's novel, scripted by first-time director John Huston (who stayed very faithful to the book)? Perhaps; it introduced the hard-boiled, pragmatic but honorable private eye to the silver screen (not withstanding a few earlier less notable versions of the book).

Is it Bogart's iconic performance? Probably; his Sam Spade is his most perfectly realized character yet, setting the tone for a huge swathe of performances to come. Is it the assortment of unusual character actors, filling out the minor parts (Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook, Jr.

among them, with Mary Astor in a larger role)? Yes; the film would not be the same with others. Undoubtedly though, the whole package, with its wicked cynical look at humankind and our pursuit of "the stuff that dreams are made of", couched in a not-quite noir (though often given credit as an early one) mise-en-scene, makes the film fresh each time I watch it.