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The Maltese Falcon (1931)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 10/17

Maltese31
10/17: I finally got to see the original version of The Maltese Falcon after experiencing the John Huston classic over five times.

There's no doubt that the latter is way better and a bona fide masterpiece in its own right. Simply put, it's impossible to beat Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade. That's why, according to IMDb, "when originally sold to television in the 1950s, the title was changed to Dangerous Female in order to avoid confusion with its illustrious remake The Maltese Falcon."

While watching the original version, I couldn't help but be disappointed by Ricardo Cortez's take of the famed detective. When he acts in this sort of manner by being too nice, The Maltese Falcon ceases to be the noir picture that it's supposed to be. On the other hand, the rest of everything isn't bad. I can see some ideas having been lifted for the following remake. However, the replacements were better with a more polished delivery of the dialogue.

All in all, it's nice to see the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon, but I'm going to stick with Humphrey Bogart for eternity.