Let's Talk About the Black Bird
I am currently trying to work my way through all the films on the American Film Institute's top 100 list. So, I will start posting my reviews of the films as well.
A cynical detective. A dead partner. A femme fatale pulling a damsel in distress. A mysterious foreigner. An adulterous widow. A secretary whose one smart cookie. A goon with a gun. And the cops at the door. All this for the black bird that's worth killing for.
The Maltese Falcon appears on the American Film Institute's Top One Hundred Movies List as number 26, and is widely considered to the be the first film noir movie.It is also the movie in which Borgart got his break as a lead actor. Based on the novel of the same name, it tells the story of Sam Spade, who's partner ends up dead after undertaking a job from an obviously decitful woman. As Spade investigates further, the story takes a turn when it becomes clear that everything revolves around the recovery of a "black bird"- the Maltese Falcon.
To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like it much at first. The scenes were short and choppy. It was hard to tell who was who. However, all that changed in the scene between Brigid and Cairo when the first mention of the Fat Man comes in. The Fat Man exemplifies something this movie is great at, and that's unique, slightly sinister characters. There is so much back-stabbing and playing up of both sides- its amazing. This is also the point in the story where you begin to see the mystery really pick up. By the time it got to the climax I was very engaged in the mystery, and didn't see the ultimate, surprise twist at the end at all!Overall, though everything started out slow it, it got better. I would definitely recommend watching it at least once, even if just for the historic value the movie presents.
So, what is it? The stuff dreams are made of.
A cynical detective. A dead partner. A femme fatale pulling a damsel in distress. A mysterious foreigner. An adulterous widow. A secretary whose one smart cookie. A goon with a gun. And the cops at the door. All this for the black bird that's worth killing for.
The Maltese Falcon appears on the American Film Institute's Top One Hundred Movies List as number 26, and is widely considered to the be the first film noir movie.It is also the movie in which Borgart got his break as a lead actor. Based on the novel of the same name, it tells the story of Sam Spade, who's partner ends up dead after undertaking a job from an obviously decitful woman. As Spade investigates further, the story takes a turn when it becomes clear that everything revolves around the recovery of a "black bird"- the Maltese Falcon.
To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like it much at first. The scenes were short and choppy. It was hard to tell who was who. However, all that changed in the scene between Brigid and Cairo when the first mention of the Fat Man comes in. The Fat Man exemplifies something this movie is great at, and that's unique, slightly sinister characters. There is so much back-stabbing and playing up of both sides- its amazing. This is also the point in the story where you begin to see the mystery really pick up. By the time it got to the climax I was very engaged in the mystery, and didn't see the ultimate, surprise twist at the end at all!Overall, though everything started out slow it, it got better. I would definitely recommend watching it at least once, even if just for the historic value the movie presents.
So, what is it? The stuff dreams are made of.