The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is quick-witted remake of a crime story by Dashiell Hammett, directed by the new talent, John Huston, about a San Francisco detective, played by Humphrey Bogart, who gets mixed up with a “beautiful but evasive dame”, played by Mary Astor, while trying to acquire a valuable, bejeweled figurine. The mystery movie genre had been neglected for some months by Hollywood and also “for reasons which are obvious” in England. Though the movie is a remake, the direction of Huston is very original, combining smooth British intrigue and American austerity into a new style; In this version of Hammett’s story, the puzzle is more obscure and difficult to unravel. The cast, which is headlined by Bogart and Astor perform superbly. People who like detective flicks should watch this clever movie. Humphrey Bogart fell down a flight of stair which the injuries resulting in partial facial paralyses and a lisp, which became the trade mark for this movie icon, who made eighty movies, won an Oscar and three New York Film Critics Circle awards. His “trademark lisp and sneer” made him a natural typecast of a complicated villain. Despite the media spin on his hard knocks background, Bogart enjoyed an upper-class upbringing. His unruly screen persona was not a complete myth and was kicked out of prep school. Bogart is a film legend, personifying the strong dangerous bad boy he set the barr for all bad boys who would follow

Crowther, Bosley. “The Maltese Falcon.” New York Times 4 Feb. 1941, Review: n.d. Print.

“Humphrey Bogart, 1899-1957.” www.obits.com. n.d. Jul. 12, 2006.