The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Writer/Director: John Huston
Starring: Humphrey Bogart & Mary Astor
Genre: Film Noir
Your assignment: Write a 2-paragraph blog post about a movie you've seen outside of class that you would consider similar to Film Noir (detective/cop film or murder mystery) and/or that includes a femme fatale (dangerous/manipulative female) character. Explain what it's about (without spoiling!) and your opinion of it. Did it do a good job of presenting a dark and dreary setting or tone? Explain how/how not. Did the plot keep you guessing until the end? Explain how/how not. If there was a femme fatale, did the actress do a good job of presenting her as appealing and seductive and then later as evil and horrifying? Explain how/how not.
Paragraph 1 should describe the plot of the film, including the characters, up until the inciting incident (no spoilers!). For instance: The Maltese Falcon follows private investigator Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) on a number of mysterious adventures, starting with a suspicious new client named Ms. Wonderly who hires Spade and his partner, Miles Archer, to find out about the man her sister has gotten involved with. When Archer begins the investigation and turns up dead, the grumpy yet charismatic Spade attempts to seek out the truth. But when a series of other shadowy figures interrupt him at every turn and may or may not be involved in his partner's death, trying to get his help in obtaining a prized lost treasure called The Maltese Falcon, Spade has to be careful how far he treads.Paragraph 2 should include your opinion of the film and answers to the questions above. For instance: Classic film noir lighting helps set the tone of The Maltese Falcon, which is largely set indoors, so when shadows fill up a character's face or a room, it helps to add to the suspense of the mystery at hand. This, in addition to the constant twists and turns of the story, which can't be revealed here for sake of spoiling, make for a moody and witty dialogue-driven film where every conversation keeps you guessing until the end about who's being truthful and who's being deceitful. The character that is the most unassuming at first, however, also turns out to be the film's greatest villain at the end. The femme fatale is a common element of the male-centric crime film, but is also something that started with this, the original film noir that took expectations of the sweet and innocent and flipped them on their heads, making for an exciting and unpredictable tale.
