The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941)
I've seen this film too many times to understand how I truly feel about it at this point. I've also read Hammett's source novel and seen the two earlier film adaptations, experiences which only further muddy my relationship with Huston's movie. I thought this latest screening of
The Maltese Falcon — my first in a very long time — might be a chance for a fresh evaluation, but, no, the past still casts a fog over it. I emerged rather underwhelmed but I can only guess as to why.
I'm going to focus here on what I think of as the film's great flaws, but I should acknowledge first that it's a very impressive production, especially considering Huston was a first-time director. It's very cleanly filmed and edited, perfectly cast, generally well edited, and influential for rather obvious reasons.
* * * spoilers * * *Flaw #1: The murder of Miles Archer. I can't remember for sure, but I believe this short scene might be the only break from Bogart's point-of-view. Either way, it's a mistake. It feels very cheaply filmed, as if done by a B-unit after the fact in response to studio notes, and it sets the wrong tone for the movie.
Flaw #2: Brigid O'Shaughnessy. Blame here might be shared equally between Huston, Hammett, and Mary Astor, but this character doesn't quite work for me, especially when the attraction between her and Sam Spade is played as genuine. It doesn't ring true. As bad as
Satan Met a Lady is, Bette Davis brings more substance to this role and does more to make it work. Astor sort of just flits her way through it, with her character at the mercy of the story rather than the other way around.
Flaw #3: Deus ex malta. Captain Jacoby stumbling in on the brink of death with the falcon in his arms is such a disappointing and unearned plot development. I go along with it begrudgingly because it turns the story in an appealing direction, but at the same time I'm like, "Is that really the best you could do?" This would have been a much better time to break away from Bogart's perspective and show the action. As presented, this moment underscores just how rather empty the story is on close analysis.
Flaw #4: Denouement. The story bogs down in the third act when it should be at its peak of excitement. The long conversation between the characters in Bogart's apartment isn't without interest — the cast and direction ensure that — but it still makes me restless. Wilmer's being rendered unconscious by a single blow to the head — for exactly the amount of time that the script finds convenient — is an example of a surprising, anti-dramatic impulse in the story. He's the wildcard in the bunch, the character with the most chaotic potential, and he's just left to groan occasionally on the couch.
So, those are the main things that bother me in
The Maltese Falcon. They don't stand in the way of its being a fun, entertaining movie, but they do preclude me from considering it a masterpiece.
Grade: B+
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