Maltese Falcon, The, ranks among the greatest detective films in motion-picture history. The movie, released in 1941, helped elevate Humphrey Bogart from a supporting player to a Hollywood star. Bogart played San Francisco private detective Sam Spade, a tough hero who follows his own code of honor. The hard-boiled detective encounters a colorful gallery of sinister men and women as he pursues a valuable statuette known as the Maltese Falcon. The movie marked the debut of John Huston as a motion-picture director.
The film’s atmosphere of cynicism and violence and its brooding big-city setting make The Maltese Falcon a classic of the film noir style. Film noir is a term first used by French critics to describe certain American crime movies of the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Critics have praised The Maltese Falcon for its vivid portrayals of supporting characters. The English actor Sydney Greenstreet made his debut in the film as the urbane villain Casper Gutman. Other actors in the film include Mary Astor, Ward Bond, Elisha Cook, Jr., Gladys George, Peter Lorre, and Barton MacLane.
The film was based on The Maltese Falcon, a famous detective novel by American author Dashiell Hammett, published in 1930. The novel was first filmed in 1931 as The Maltese Falcon, a movie also shown under the title Dangerous Female. The film was remade in 1936 as Satan Met a Lady.
