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The Maltese Falcon [VHS] [1941] starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane

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Rating: - Perennial Masterpiece

To use a paraphrase: "The more films I see, the more I love the Maltese Falcon". The Maltese Falcon is one of the greats of cinema. Brilliant script, story, acting, direction, music, everything. I have watched this movie many times, and every time it gets better. You will never see anything better. Endlessly scintillating.

Rating: - you can;t beat a good oldie

From start to finish a great classic Bogart and Bacall as good as Tracey and Hepburn. Edward G. as menacing as ever and Claire Trevor plays a brilliant alcho.
Great film all round try this the African Queen And The Maltese Falcon. Get hooked on Bogey,acting at it's best.

Rating: - Warning - faulty disc!

This is a brilliant film... but be warned, the second disc, which is supposed to contain the 'making of... ' type features, does not play. You may want to pospone buying this until Amazon get a new batch in! or just buy the one disc version.

Rating: - Classic Movie of a Classic Novel

It's mid-afternoon when a woman (Mary Astor) walks into the detective agency of Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) with a tale of a wayward sister she wants them to track down. This sister has taken up with a no good named Thursby. Archer agrees to do the stake out and hopefully follow Thursby to the sister.

In the middle of the night, Spade is wakened by a phone call. Archer has been shot. A little later, Thursby is also shot. The police seem intent on pinning one of those crimes, if not both, on Spade. Meanwhile, the client has disappeared and a man (Peter Lorre) holds Spade a gun point demanding the Maltese Falcon. What in the world is going on?

After I listened to this book on tape, I fully intended to watch the classic movie version. It only took my three and a half years. As such, my recollection of the book might be a little dim, but this movie version didn't deviate too wildly from what I remember. In fact, it improved by tightening up several scenes near the climax that dragged in the book. The story is still compelling and the characters seriously flawed. Yes, the plot is now a cliche in many ways, but this story did it first.

My only real complaint with the movie is the dated acting. The characters speak too fast most of the time, not giving us time to process or emotions time to be fully explored. Of course, that would be a blessing for Mary Astor who over acts all her emotional scenes, and she's got plenty of them. The style of acting here would work well for the stage or a silent movie, but it's caught up in the transition to talking movies, still.

Even so, this movie is well worth watching. It is definitely a classic for a reason.

Rating: - Truly Golden Oldie

This film in my opinion remains one of the best ever and at the price I paid was a real bargain

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