Throughout history there have been many different forms of literature and many different texts that fit within those categories. For example, William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is considered to be very prominent within the play category. Homer's “Iliad” is another example of a prominent story as it is considered one of the greatest poems of all time. Film noir is also a category to describe the production of a movie that has a large following. The Maltese Falcon is a book that has been made into a movie within this style that has grown to have a large fan base among movie goers and readers alike.
Created in 1941, The Maltese Falcon is an important film within the film noir genre. This movie was based on the text that was written by Dashiell Hammett in the 1930s. The main plot of the story follows a detective who is trying to stop three individuals from stealing a priceless statue of the falcon. The movie premiered in New York City on October 3, 1941 and that was the start of the film's drastic rise to prominence.
What made this movie so important is that many individuals consider it to be the first major film to have been created within the film noir category. In fact, the lauded movie critic, Robert Ebert has gone on record to call this film one of the greatest of all time; an accolade that has also been given to the movie via Entertainment Weekly. The magazine pointed towards the performances of such individuals as Humphrey Bogart as being the reasons why this film is considered a great success and cult classic. “Bogart's iconic performance as an emotionally detached PI thrust into the murderous pursuit of an ancient relic was equally revolutionary,” (Labrecque) This was not the first film adaption of this great movie but has long been considered to be the best.
This version of the novel has been characterized as a “pretty accurate translation” (Petteys) when comparing Hammett's novel and the critically acclaimed film. While it does not stick to the film in every single case; much of the dialogue is present in both versions. There are some differences however, as one chapter from the book is not represented in the film. The 14th chapter is not represented in the film and features some plot progression points that would be missed if the text was not read. The movie did not accurately depict any of the scenes that included sexual actions or overtures due to society's moral standards at the time which led to much of this chapter being cut out of the 1941 film. Much of this chapter is focused around the actual falcon statue which is in the possession of Sam Spade at that time. This chapter follows Spade around as he continues to work the case; with its most important scenes being when he finds the young woman who is on drugs and the scene when he returns to his house to find out that some shady characters are already waiting for him.
At the end of the film the main character, Detective Spade, “gives up” Brigid O'Shaughnessy in a moment that is often debated by movie lovers. The reason why this occurred is often a point of contention as it was never fully explained why he would do so. At that point she had become the main love interest of Spade and the thought was that these two individuals would live happily ever after together. However, Spade remains true to his code as a police officer and turns her in for her actions in a plot twist that many did not see coming the first time around. Spade was originally the main suspect behind two murders that drive the plot but in reality Brigid knew the truth. By the end of the film it is apparent that she has been playing Spade from the very beginning. When he understands the truth he realizes it is best to turn her in rather than face the punishment of crimes he did not commit in her stead.
The Maltese Falcon is a film that should be enjoyed by all connoisseurs of movies. The 1941 version of the film did a fantastic job sticking to much of the book while delivering fine acting from nearly everyone involved. Critics have lauded over this film for decades which has allowed it to take it's place amongst some of the greatest movies in American history.
Resources
Filmsite. “The Maltese Falcon.” NP. ND. Web. Date Accessed: 8.8.13.
http://www.filmsite.org/malt.html
Film Noir Foundation. “What is Film Noir?” NP. ND. Web. Date Accessed: 8.8.13.
http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/filmnoir.html
Laberque, Jeff. “The Maltese Falcon.” Entertainment Weekly. 10.3.06. Web. Date Accessed: 8.8.13.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1540539,00.html
Petteys, Angela. “Book vs. Movie: The Maltese Falcon.” Movies Unlimited. 1.27.12. Web. Date
Accessed: 8.8.13. http://www.moviefanfare.com/the-maltese-falcon-2/
