851222 Greetings from Lithuania."The Maltese Falcon" (1941) was a bit disappointment for me to be honest. Given the classic status this movie has, i expected more. I did like writing and acting, but that pretty much were best things about it. The story itself did not really involved me. Maybe it would have i would have seen this movie upon its release.Overall, "The Maltese Falcon" is a good movie to see it once, but its not as great as i thought it would be. Some great writing saved it, but that is all.

huntermcintyre I really enjoyed this film. This film is an early noir film and I thought it really lived up to expectations. The film keeps you interested all the way through and is kind of fun being and early detective film as well. The acting is really superb and every character seem to have an actor perfect for their role. The lighting and camera work are good in this film but nothing special. I would highly recommend this film to detective movie fans or honestly movie fans in general. Overall a very good film.

christopher-underwood Most significant for, retrospectively, being considered the first example of 'film noir', it is also Humphrey Bogart's first starring role. Watched today it is fine with some good dialogue but it is slow to start. For current audiences the big entrance of 'knockout' Mary Astor is a real letdown. There is no sign of the lustful lovely and barely a hint of the 'femme fatale' although she does seem to get into the role and is hampered at first with the duplicitous nature of her standing. All is okay and interesting enough to hold the attention and then Peter Lorre enters and the screen lights up. Later it will start to glow when Greenstreet makes his wonderful entry. Bogart who has seemed a bit stiff and awkward with the similarly inhibited Astor is great with the guys, police and all. If his banter with the lady had been as good we would have had a fully fledged 'noir' from the start.

oOoBarracuda I make no secret of the fact that 1941 holds a three-way tie for my favorite cinematic year. I laugh when people complain that Citizen Kane was "robbed" of the Best Picture Oscar in a year that produced such classics as SUllivan's Travels, How Green Was My Valley (a film that was more than deserving of winning top prize), and The Maltese Falcon. John Huston, son of the great Walter Huston had never before made a film when he began his feature, The Maltese Falcon. Starring Humphrey Bogart, who I also make no secret of absolutely adoring, the story follows the pursuit of a priceless statue by a band of criminals and a private eye. Bogart and Huston would collaborate multiple times throughout their careers, always seeming to attempt to capitalize on the magic they made in The Maltese Falcon. It's incredible when a first-time director can make a film as good as The Maltese Falcon, which must go down as one of the best debuts of all time.Working as a private eye in a San Fransico detective agency, Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) are approached by a woman who calls herself Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor). Spade and Archer who have always shared a tempestuous relationship argue over how to handle the case, when Archer insists on providing the protection Miss Wonderly has requested. Things change pretty quickly as Archer is killed the night he is protecting Miss Wonderly, along with another man, and Spade quickly finds himself in the middle of an international mystery. It is soon revealed that Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous people, all of whom Spade soon gets the chance to meet. Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) is a man after a mysterious take who uses scents to incapacitate his victims. She also has Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) on her heels, a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants ann under the guise of feigned civility. The only one seemingly able to provide her some protection is Sam Spade who has now been implicated in the murder of Archer or Floyd Thursby, the man that was also killed the same night at Archer. Finding the Maltese Falcon the criminals are hunting for may be the only way for Spade to help himself, or anyone else. Huston, a novice director made a brilliant decision to film a good deal of action over the shoulder of Bogart's shoulder. Allowing the audience to see a majority of the action from the point of view of the protagonist was an exceptionally innovative way to keep the audience engaged. Huston Not that innovative camera work is needed to keep one engaged during a Humphrey Bogart film. He truly was one of the best actors in the history of cinema to grace the screens. Peter Lorre, a consistently strong supporting actor, was also an absolute joy to watch. The symmetry achieved by Huston, especially in shots framing Humphrey Bogart, reveal an early expertise present in the filmmaker. an exceptional cast helmed by an excellent leading man Humphrey Bogart, a more than apt director, and a plot based on the work of the wonderful Dashiell Hammett produced an American classic that still persists nearly 80 years after its release.