The Maltese Falcon

[lwoodbloo]

I am a movie buff. Not a huge crazy one, but I have the ones I like. I love detective stories (witness my obsession with Shaft. I mean really.). So, when left at a loose end this afternoon, I went into my local Blockbuster (yeah yeah. I know. There's no cute little indie place near my parents' place, which is near where the car is currently. No big deal, just a tune up) and grabbed the Maltese Falcon.

1) Amazing FUCKING dialogue. Snappy, funny, said with a wink and a smile.

2) The actors are classic. Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Ward Bond...even the minor players were perfect.

3) Black and white, surprising to me anyway, is truly the ideal venue for a movie, I'm thinking. Kind of like reading a book, you can fill in color and nuance yourself. What color would the letters on sam's door be? Who knows. But I think they were black.

4) Never seen a better, more complex character, than Mary Astor's Bridget O'Shaughnessy.

5) The suits. If I could pull it off, I'd totally dress like Bogey.

I like that it's just good. It's not artsy, or pretty. Just well done, gritty, and enjoyable. Better than anything I've seen lately.

Comments

[offbalance.livejournal.com]

Oh, I completely agree!! It's marvelous, no?

I also reccommend reading the book, if you're so inclined. The movie was 100% faithful, but Dashiel Hammett is almost always a great read. You may or may not also enjoy The Thin Man based on another Hammet novel and also lots of fun (albeit a bit lighter).

[lwoodbloo.livejournal.com]

I have the Thin Man, I've been reading for a long time, and love it.

[offbalance.livejournal.com]

:)

I just haven't seen any of the movies he did with Bacall - like "To Have and Have Not" or "The Big Sleep." Have you?

[mistressjennie.livejournal.com]

the lovely feroluce introduced me to the maltese falcon... i loved it too.

[tableau-vivant.livejournal.com]

You're the second person this week to talk about The Maltese Falcon. One more person and I'll have to watch it again.

[lwoodbloo.livejournal.com]

Watch

It

AGAIN!

I'll bring popcorn.

[elordais.livejournal.com]

Saw it this summer, much better than Casablanca, though that's not much of a comparison...you ever read the book the movie's based on?

[lwoodbloo.livejournal.com]

Not just yet. I have some other Hammett that I"m in the midst of.

[elordais.livejournal.com]

Ah, okies then. Good times.

[galatea-world.livejournal.com]

I love this movie and have it on tape somewhere. It is one of Bogey's best performances. It has that old world Hollywood craftsmenship. Simply a classic. :-)