Directed by John Huston
Written by John Huston adapting
the novel by Dashiell Hammett
Starring Humphrey Bogart (Sam
Spade), Mary Astor (Brigid O'Shaughnessy), Peter Lorre (Joel Cairo), Sydney
Greenstreet (Kasper Gutman), and Elisha Cook Jr. (Wilmer Cook)
Cinematography by Arthur Edeson
Edited by Thomas Richards
In 1539, the Knight Templars of
Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon
encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels - - - - - but pirates seized the
galley carrying this priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains
a mystery to this day - - -
So begins The Maltese Falcon.
What sounds like the start to a corny kids serial ends up being one of the
seminal films of the studio era. Indeed, it's almost unbelievable how
influential and important Falcon proved
to be. John Huston got his first shot at directing, having previously been a
scriptwriter at Universal, and would go on to make such classics as Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Man Who Would Be King. In addition,
this early Noir would help push Humphrey Bogart's career from mainly supporting
roles as criminals to leading man anti-hero. Falcon also lead to numerous, stand-out character actor parts for
Peter Lorre, Elisha Cook Jr., and Sydney Greenstreet (making his film acting
debut here). All three turn in memorable performances. Greenstreet is
especially memorable as Gutman, displaying a detached kind of amusement to the
proceedings. He delights in Spade's calculated brusqueness, amuses himself with
smart-sounding phrases like "I'm a man who likes talking to a man who
likes to talk", and enjoys the sheer hunt for the avian sculpture as much
as he wants it for the money.
The Maltese Falcon represents a
transitional stage in the way detective/crime fiction was transferred to the
silver screen. The work contains many of the hallmarks associated with Film
Noir (dangerous women, ambiguous protagonists, and heightened photography) and Huston
laid the groundwork here so future Noir films could become even more gloomy and brutal. The influence of
German Expressionism on the cinematography can be seen in certain scenes. Particularly
when upshots are used to make certain characters appear more ominous, like when
Spade meets with Gutman or when our terrible trio all glare down at Wilmer
after they've condemned him to be the fall guy. Other examples of this style
come when Spade is awoken by a phone call informing him of Archer's death and
the repeated image of Sam's figure being stuck between other hostile players. The
masterful lighting and framing helps set the tone and visually conveys the dark
feelings of the characters and the film's morally ambiguous nature.
Sam Spade and Brigid O'Shaughnessy are one step away from being completely irredeemable. Bogie is a bastard, but still has a fragment of a code, which eventually leads him to make the right choice at the end despite wavering in every previous scene. Astor is manipulative and deceitful, but isn't dominating enough to be a fully-fledged femme fatale (like Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity) She ends up getting the comeuppance of a common criminal, and not winning or going out in a blaze of glory as later Noir ladies would.
To return to a topic I've discussed before, it's frustrating that older
cinema (particularly stuff before the 60's) sometimes get written off as
unrealistic or unnatural. First off, the "not realistic" charge is
kind of silly to level at a movie in general considering the massive amounts of
careful construction and manipulation that goes into even the most modest of
films. Second, it's more important that a movie has a consistent style, and The Maltese Falcon definitely meets that
requirement. The dialogue, acting, and camerawork are all heightened to around
the same level. If the characters suddenly started in speaking mumblecore, that
would be a problem. As is, everything is perfectly fine, it's just a matter of
adjusting to a different filmic rhythm.
Not to mention that Falcon tackles
complex subjects like betrayal, crime, greed, and lust head-on in a way that
most modern movies are reluctant to do. Within the first fifteen minutes our
protagonist's partner is gunned down, the ingénue is caught in a web of lies of
her own making, and it's revealed that Spade is seeing his just-deceased
partner's wife. Additionally, there are
plenty of subtleties hidden underneath the pulpy surface that make multiple
viewings rewarding. Spade's hand shakes after he storms out of Gutman's abode.
He then laughs at this fact, making him seem genuinely unstable. There's also a
quick shot of him grabbing his secretary's wrist when the titular statue
stumbles into his office. She responds by saying "you're hurting me",
revealing that Spade is just as susceptible to the baser desires he chides the
other characters for exhibiting.
A few things I didn't get to in my review. It didn't strike me that much in "Casablanca" (the only other Bogie role I've seen), but I realized during The Maltese Falcon that Humphrey has a strange cut for a leading man. He's too thin, perpetually hunched over, his face is haggard, and has a weird tic where he grimaces and squints his eyes. Not that I'm complaining, his look is a perfect fit for the mood of the film.
ReplyDeleteThere's a nice shot about a third of the way through the runtime that neatly summarizes how thoughtful Huston was in his direction (he storyboarded the whole thing before starting production and generally tried to shoot the scenes in sequential order). Sam has trapped Brigid in his apartment to get her to tell him the real reason she came to his detective agency. Brigid lays down on the couch and the camera lowers to her level, emphasizing her vulnerability. There's then a cut to an upshot of Sam that makes him look a little threatening. Then, all in one take, Sam leans down to embrace Brigid, turns his head before kissing her and looks out the window. The camera then pushes out through the fluttering curtains to see a shadowy figure observing them from the sidewalk outside.
ReplyDeleteThe setup highlights what the characters are going through mentally and sets up the next scene as Sam runs into the man who was peeping on him and Brigid. It's not really that complicated or special in the grand scheme of the film, but it accomplishes multiple things at the same time, looks gorgeous, and avoids unnecessary cuts. It kind of seems like filmmaking 101 to me, but it's honestly rare for me to see a shot like this in American movies past say the late 70's.