Director John Huston had the unique opportunity to work with his father, veteran actor Walter Huston in 1948 with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It was, perhaps, the best work either of them ever did. Add to that, Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt, rounding out the cast to form a masterpiece that works on so many levels. Themes of greed, conscience and redemption are constant. Plus, it has one of the most frequently quoted lines of the era, "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!"
Two men (Bogart and Holt) are living an unemployed, downtrodden existence in Mexico, seemingly void of opportunity. This changes when they meet Walter Huston's character, an old prospector willing to take another gamble. With modest money to invest, the three men set out into the mountains to prospect for gold...
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 1948: Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston |
Fairly quickly, they stumble upon a profitable spot with each of them extracting thousands of dollars worth of gold dust from their gold pans...
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 1948: Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston |
Though Huston warns them that gold can change a man for the worse, no one listens. Soon paranoia sets in and mistrust grows...
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 1948: Humphrey Bogart |
If their own interior problems weren't enough, they have to deal with murderous, thieving bandits as well...
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 1948 |
With gold tearing them apart, can any one of them make a success out of the venture?
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 1948: Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston |