Travis Simpkins: The Maltese Falcon (1941): Humphrey Bogart, Film Noir and Knights Templar Treasure

Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Maltese Falcon (1941): Humphrey Bogart, Film Noir and Knights Templar Treasure

Directed by John Huston in his debut, based on the book by Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (1941) is often cited as the first major Film Noir and routinely places near the top of the list of the greatest films of all time. The story concerns a private investigator who gets tied up in murder and deception centered around a valuable and highly desirable statue of a falcon, a 400-year-old jeweled artifact created by the Knights Templar in tribute to King Charles after the Order was granted residence on the Island of Malta. It is a treasure for which people are willing to kill in order to possess it. Greed and passion blend with art and treasure in a complex mixture centered around the obsessed collecting of illicit loot. One classic scene runs after another… a true masterpiece. Humphrey Bogart is excellent as Sam Spade. Mary Astor is sleek as the Femme Fatale. Sydney Greenstreet is grandiose in his debut, and Peter Lorre is great as well. Gladys George and Elisha Cook, Jr. co-star.