8/14/2019 Film Noir- Falcon Maltese Analytical Review

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NAME: Samuel OsagieCOURSE: Film Noir ReviewTUTOR: Chirs HughesASSIGNMENT TITLE: Falcon Maltese Analytical ReviewDATE: 27-4-2009

FALCON MALTESE REVIEW

The Maltese Falcon, a 1941 Warner Bros film which was written and directed by John

Huston based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammet, and Humphrey Bogart asSam Spade and Mary Astor as his femme fatale client, is very much a typical classic film noir.The Maltese Falcon benefits from a superb cast and an admirably tight script; it onlyimproves with every successive viewing.

Sam Spade is the typical film noir protagonist - a disillusioned, hard boiled male, that in thiscase as well as in most other film noirs, takes the form of a private investigator. The film alsoincorporates the typical film noir corrupt policemen that are in this case trying to findevidence to arrest Sam Spade for the murder of Miles Archer and Floyd Thursby. BrigandO’Shaughnessy is the beautiful but deadly “femme fatale” of the story, a typical character found in most film noirs. Crime, a large element of film noir, is found the film in the form of murder and the fraud involving the buying, selling and theft of the fake Maltese falconstatuette, as well as scenes of violence such as when Wilmer kicks Spade in the face. Thestoryline is twisting and non linear.

The establishing black and white low angle shot is of a road sign - "Bush Street". Thisimmediately sets the scene of it being outside and on a road, and the low angle of the shotmakes it look like a persons looking up to it. A moving subject (a man we later find out isMiles Archer) then walks into a space and the camera pans up to see his face in a mediumshot of him. Suddenly the music changes to a one with a different mood - fear and suspenseinstead of the calm mysterious music playing before - and Mile's face immediately changesand he looks shocked and scared. In the lower left corner of the shot we see a hand holdinga gun outstretch, and then the gun is fired, shooting Miles Archer. We do not see who was

holding the gun. The shot abruptly changes to a wide shot of Miles falling and rolling down asteep slope into the darkness, and then has been edited so that it gradually fades to a newmedium shot of a ringing telephone.

The single light source in the shot of the telephone comes from a window that has been leftopen, causing the curtains to blow in the wind. The darkness of the room gives them feelingsof pessimism, mystery and tension, as well as covering up any flaws in the set on account of the films low budget, which was common in classic film noirs. A man picks up the telephone(although at this stage he is sitting out of the shot) and the background music becomesquieter as he begins to talk. He receives the news that his colleague, Miles Archer, has beenshot and killed. The camera then zooms out so that the man we met previously in the film

named Sam Spade is now visible as well as the telephone, in a medium close up shot.Spade turns a light on so now the shot is brighter and clearer and we can see his face easily,and then he dials a number and waits for an answer.

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