On M List of Movie Reviews

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The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 6/03, 7/05, 11/07

7/05: This is the film that started it all.

The Maltese Falcon is the grandfather of the film noir genre. Humphrey Bogart will always be iconic as Sam Spade, the anti-hero private dick whom everybody imagines when they read the pulp detective stories. Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, and Peter Lorre are excellent and unforgettable as well.

All in all, The Maltese Falcon is "the stuff that dreams are made of."

11/07: The Maltese Falcon is the most quintessential film noir picture.

More importantly, it's John Huston's first picture that would set off his fabulous filmmaking career. How little he knew that he would be the father of the film noir genre that spanned most of the 40's and 50's. The cinematography is top-notch, the script is marvelously done, and the mood can't be any more noirish.

All in all, The Maltese Falcon is the gold standard that all film noir pictures are judged against.

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