Maltese Falcon (1941)

Editor's Note Hard-drinking private eye Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) sleuths the backyard of San Francisco in search of an elusive black bird statuette while evading the setups of three disparate miscreants: the duplicitous Brigid, the perfumed Mr. Cairo, and the scheming Fat Man. John Huston's brilliant directorial debut is aided by first-rate performances, excellent camera work, as well as the director's acute attention to detail while shooting the film. Based on the crime novel by Dashiell Hammett. Academy Award Nominations: 3, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Sydney Greenstreet), and Best Screenplay. Previous versions of the story were filmed in 1931 (a.k.a. DANGEROUS FEMALE) and in 1936 (as SATAN MET A LADY, starring Bette Davis), and poorly redone in 1975 (THE BLACK BIRD).

	Gladys George
	Ward Bond
	Barton MacLane
	Emory Parnell
	Elisha Cook Jr.
	Jerome Cowan
	Charles Drake
	Murray Alper
	James Burke
	Robert Homans
	Humphrey Bogart
	Sydney Greenstreet
	William Hopper
	Peter Lorre
	Lee Patrick
	Hank Mann
	Creighton Hale
	John Hamilton
	Jack Mower
	Mary Astor
	Arthur Edeson - Director of Photography
	Thomas Richards - Editor
	Orry-Kelly - Costume Designer
	Walter Huston - Cameo
	Adolph Deutsch - Composer
	Robert M. Haas - Production Designer
	Dashiell Hammett - Story
	Henry Blanke - Producer
	John Huston - Screenwriter
	John Huston - Director

"When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it!" ---- Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) to Cairo (Peter Lorre)

"Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be." ---- Spade to Brigid O'Shaugnessy (Mary Astor)

Total Film
"...The real spark in this suavest of mysteries is provided by its eccentric collection of villains..." -- 5 out of 5 stars 03/01/2000 p.84

Los Angeles Times
"...Bogart was always in control....The movie is refreshingly cynical..." 09/03/1998 p.C18

Chicago Sun-Times
"...Huston's strategy is crafty....It's all style. It isn't violence or chases, but the way the actors look, move, speak and embody their characters..." 05/13/2001 p.5

Premiere
"...FALCON is the archetypal American detective yarn..." 12/01/2003 p.5

Entertainment Weekly
"Boldly manipulative light and shadow, utilizing drastic camera angles, and introducing Bogart's Sam Spade, the first-time director's detective classic defines film noir." -- Grade: A 10/06/2006 p.57

Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "[The film] remains enjoyable for its razor-sharp dialogue....A great example of vintage studio alchemy." 03/01/2007 p.121

Sight and Sound
"There is a spareness of style here that puts many of today's bloated thrillers to shame." 03/01/2007 p.83

Ultimate DVD
5 stars out of 5 -- "This is pure essence of film noir -- essentially starting the genre..." 03/01/2007 p.97