The Maltese Falcon

Summary

“The stuff that dreams are made of.”

Warner Bros. have recently released the classic detective film The Maltese Falcon on 4K UHD. The film was directed by John Huston who also adapted the novel by Dashiell Hammett for its screenplay. It is a remarkably faithful adaptation. Huston’s screenplay impressively captures the numerous intricacies of the plot within the film’s brief hour and forty minute runtime. There is a lot of ground to cover, and Huston handles the picture beautifully. This film came out one year before Casablanca, and is regarded as one of Bogart’s best films, and one of the best noir films of the era. It is fitting that The Maltese Falcon would receive a 4K UHD release as Warner celebrates one hundred years as a film studio. I have been extremely impressed with Warner’s lineup of 4K releases this year as they have been dedicated to presenting some of their very best films in the best format possible.

I have a special connection with Dashiell Hammett, because my wife and I named our youngest son after the author. Hammett is one of the best regarded pulp novelists from the Thirties and Forties, and is a fascinating literary figure. Hammett was a veteran of World War I and an actual Pinkerton detective before he began his career writing crime stories for publications like Black Mask. He wrote five novels that have all become classics. His first novel was Red Harvest which was later adapted into Yojimbo by Akira Kurosawa and later reinterpreted as For A Few Dollars More by Sergio Leone. He also wrote The Thin Man which spawned an excellent series of films, and The Glass Key which was adapted into a film starring Alan Ladd. His novel The Dain Curse was adapted into a television miniseries years later. All of his novels served as inspiration for the Coen Brothers’ wonderful film Miller’s Crossing. The Maltese Falcon is arguably his best known work because it introduced private eye Sam Spade and became one of Humphrey Bogart’s defining roles. Hammett voluntarily served during World War II and upon his return he retired from writing. He left behind essentially a perfect record of literary success. Sadly, his later years were tainted by a brief stay in prison (due to a contempt of court charge) and he struggles with alcoholism. He died at the age of 66 in 1961 of lung cancer. His novels and short stories have stayed popular in the years since his death. Last night, I rewatched The Maltese Falcon.

Given that this is a noir film, spoilers are essentially unavoidable in any meaningful discussion of the plot. 

The opening text of the film states: “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.”

In San Francisco, Sam Spade of Spade and Archer Detective Agency is visited by Miss Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor) in his office. She is a New Yorker and she claims to be looking for her sister Corinne. He believes she has run off with a man named Floyd Thursby. When she has sent mail for her sister, it was picked up by Thursby. He has claimed that her sister does not want to see her. Wonderly hires Sam Spade and his partner Miles Archer to track down Corinne and get her away from Thursby. That night, while on the case, Archer is gunned down by an unseen assailant. Sam gets the news in bed from his friend on the force Tom, and heads to the crime scene. Tom tells him that Miles had been killed with a non standard weapon. He leaves the crime scene on the premise that he will tell his partner’s wife. He calls on Ruth’s hotel instead, but she has checked out. At his apartment, Spade is bothered by Tom and his partner. They explain that he is a prime suspect because Miles and Thursby have both been found dead and he had enough time to perform the murders. Sam begins working the case to clear his name. It turns out that Ruth’s story was a ruse, and her name is really Brigid O’ Shaughnessy. Thursby was her partner and more than likely killed Archer. She wants him to investigate the murders. He hits her up for $500 to take the case. In his office, Sam meets a strange man named Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) who offers him $5000 for the recovery of a black figure resembling a falcon. When Cairo pulls a gun on him, Spade knocks him out and searches him. When he wakes Cairo, he accepts the job offer. He brings Cairo and Brigid together in his office, and they discuss that Thursby had possibly been killed by “the fat man.” Spade finds himself wrapped up in the numerous entanglements of the various people who want to track down the falcon.

I have seen The Maltese Falcon numerous times over the years. Warner released a solid Blu-ray release in 2010 that I picked up back then, but I was happy to snag the 4K version. The new 4K version is superior visually with what I believe will be the definitive transfer for the film. If this is your first time purchasing the film, I highly recommend the additional expense of the 4K UHD (which also houses a digital copy of the film.) Then again, those who already own the prior Blu-ray release and are not concerned with adding the film to their digital library may be perfectly fine with the way the prior Blu-ray looks, because it was a very healthy presentation of the film. The visual uptick for The Maltese Falcon is not going to rival the recent restoration of Casablanca simply because John Huston was not as concerned with visual flair in his film as Michael Curtiz.

The Maltese Falcon is exceptionally well written and well made. Huston understood Hammett’s spare brutal prose perfectly and it all shows up on the screen. Like many of the best dime store mystery novels, the plot of The Maltese Falcon is a little convoluted and can be hard to follow. In some instances key characters for understanding the plot may possibly only show up for a moment or two of the novel (or film adaptation.) Somehow, Huston made perfect sense of everything in the novel with his screenplay and it all shows up onscreen. The final explanation of everything that has occurred earlier in the film is deeply satisfying during the finale of the picture. Before the finale, the film’s plot moves quickly with characters rattling off dialogue at breakneck speed. Filmmakers working today could learn a lot from the craft shown in pacing and dialogue in Huston’s film. Huston was a tough man and his workmanlike approach to filmmaking shines through in The Maltese Falcon. The film shows some stylistic flourishes, but is not overly cinematic in its approach to lighting or lensing.

The cast of the film is top notch. Humphrey Bogart is the quintessential actor for portrayal of hard nosed private eyes – embodying both Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe perfectly – and this is one of his most iconic roles. Bogart deserves all the adoration that film lovers and critics have bestowed upon him in the decades since his death. Sydney Greenstreet chews up the scenery well in his role as Kasper Gutman. Peter Lorre is equally fantastic as the weak but dangerous Joel Cairo. Mary Astor is decent in her role of Brigid O’Shaughnessy, but I always thought she was a little bit flat as a choice for a femme fatale.

Overall – The Maltese Falcon is an absolute classic film noir that deserves to be in the film library of any fan of the genre. The 4K UHD presentation by Warner will be the definitive way to experience the film moving forward.

Video

The new 4K restoration by Warner Bros. looks great. Presented in native 4K in 1.37:1, the film looks the best that it ever has. I have the prior Blu-ray (which is identical to the Blu-ray included in this set,) and until this release I considered it an excellent way to view the film. The 4K UHD presentation of the film bests the prior presentation by softening the sharp contrast of the prior VC-1 presentation and allowing a much more natural presentation. Fine detail is exceptional and a firm improvement over the prior Blu-ray release. Grain is very well resolved and a big improvement over the prior release. The increased clarity and shadow detail makes the film look the best that it has ever looked. I can’t imagine the film looking much better than it does in this presentation. The film itself is not extremely stylish, so it does not pop on screen like Casablanca, but fans of the film will definitely want to have this version in their library.

Audio

As one would expect, the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track sounds exactly as it should. There is no hiss. Dialogue is clear. It is a mono track so it isn’t anything special, but it sounds really nice. This is essentially reference quality.

Supplements:

4K DISC

• Audio Commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax – Eric Lax knows his subject well and dispenses 

BLU-RAY DISC

The Blu-ray Disc is identical to the 2010 Blu-ray release. The supplements are therefore identical.

• Audio Commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax
• The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird – a nice piece on the production and legacy of the film.
• Breakdowns of 1941 – on set bloopers from various Warner productions in 1941
• Makeup Tests – for Mary Astor
• Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart – a Robert Osborne hosted look at the marketing of Bogart.
• Warner Night at the Movies – Sergeant York trailer, a Newsreel, the musical short A Gay Parisian, and two cartoons – Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt and Meet John Doughboy
• Radio Show Adaptations

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5 

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3.5/5

Overall – 4.75/5

The Maltese Falcon is an excellent film noir based on a seminal Dashiell Hammett novel. It is a tightly written adaptation from director John Huston that captures the spare tough prose of the novel perfectly. Capturing the intricacies of Hammett’s novel is not an easy task, but John Huston managed to put the whole story on the screen without losing the narrative thread. The pacing of the film is exceptional. Bogart is wonderful in one of his most memorable roles. There could never be a better Sam Spade. The cast is rounded out by exceptional character actors including Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet. The Maltese Falcon ranks as one of the best detective noir films ever made, and Warner Bros. have given the film an exceptional 4K UHD release. The video and audio specs are the best that they could possibly be for the film, and Warner has included the Blu-ray disc that features numerous archival special features. This release comes highly recommended.