‘The Maltese Falcon’ (1941). A Film by John Houston

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 American film noir written and directed by John Huston. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade, who is hired to find an expensive statuette of a falcon for his client, Miss Wonderly. Along the way, he encounters many dangerous criminals from all walks of life, including Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre), Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet), and Brigid O’Shaughnessy (Mary Astor).

The Maltese Falcon is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, and is often credited with inspiring the first generation of film noir movies. It was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Supporting Actor for Sydney Greenstreet). Humphrey Bogart’s performance as Sam Spade has been praised by critics and audiences alike; it cemented his place in Hollywood as a leading man.

The plot of The Maltese Falcon follows Sam Spade as he investigates the disappearance of Miles Archer, his partner at their detective agency. He takes on a job from Miss Wonderly to find an elusive statuette she calls The Maltese Falcon before discovering she’s actually Brigid O’Shaughnessy—a con artist wanted by the police. As he attempts to unravel her story, he meets characters like Joel Cairo and Kasper Gutman who are looking for the same thing—the mysterious statue that allegedly carries a $200,000 payoff if they can just get their hands on it.

But not everything is as it seems in The Maltese Falcon; every character has their own agenda and motives that remain hidden until near the end of the story. As Sam continues his investigation into this ever-deepening mystery, viewers get caught up in twists and turns revealed at each new encounter—and ultimately discover along with him who really holds the key to unraveling this intriguing crime caper.

Directed by John Huston in 1941, The Maltese Falcon was based on Dashiell Hammett’s novel of the same name originally published in 1929. This adaptation brought together some big names; along with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre already mentioned above were actors like Sydney Greenstreet who played Kasper Gutman and Mary Astor playing another pivotal role as Brigid O’Shaughnessy among others. It wasn’t until after its release that The Maltese Falcon achieved cult classic status; today it stands out as an exemplary work of film noir cinema that captured all facets of drama with great detail packed into its small running time of 1 hour 41 minutes making it one motion picture you won’t forget anytime soon!

Movie Reviews

“A fast mystery-thriller with quality and charm (…) Much of the quality of the picture lies in its excellent revelation of character (…) Don’t miss ‘The Maltese Falcon’ if your taste is for mystery fare” 

Bosley Crowther: The New York Times 

“This is one of the best examples of actionful and suspenseful melodramatic story telling in cinematic form. Unfolding a most intriguing and entertaining murder mystery, picture displays outstanding excellence in writing, direction, acting and editing” 

Variety

“Boldly manipulating light and shadow (…) Bogart’s iconic performance (…) was equally revolutionary (…) Bogart made selfish and unredeemable likable, and the antihero was born.” 

Jeff Labrecque: Entertainment Weekly 

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Cast & Crew