The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Collection: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

What is film noir? This genre of filmmaker was one that rose up from a darker, pessimistic, and cynical perspective of humanity. Art reflects life and human perspective and back in the 40s and 50s, filmmakers were crafting crime-based stories that had a darker tinge. Even with the onset of color in the film industry, noirs focused on the crisp black-and-white of early cinema while playing around with lighting. Shadows have become so significant in the realm of noir as they match the seedier underbelly of humanity that they explore. The urban jungle is the landscape for so many noir films. The hard-boiled protagonist who is far from a hero is the classic noir lead. Then you have a dangerous woman at their side…the femme fatale. This genre lives today through the onset of neo-noir and has influenced great filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers, and David Fincher. 

What film is the time-tested blueprint for this genre? The Maltese Falcon. Filmmakers like Fritz Lang and Billy Wilder might be synonymous with the foundation of this genre but director John Huston created what just might be the perfect noir. The Maltese Falcon is such an intriguing film as quite a bit of the “action” of the plot happens off screen. For those not tuned into what Huston is doing might be turned off by that and find this film boring. But for a film that is almost nothing but talking, there is an energy and tension that Huston builds throughout the film. The way the camera navigates the space gives so many of these discussion dimensions. Low angle shots give these characters scale and size. Their discussions soon feel bigger and tower over the audience giving the experience a sense of looming energy. Well placed Dutch Angles give the film a more distorted and haunting feel as the tension ratchets up. There is plenty of death in this story and plenty of weight that makes these discussions quite intense (Huston captures that energy quite well). The crisp black-and-white cinematography gives the film plenty of personality while giving the film a looming sense of danger. The urban setting is just a series of offices, hotel rooms, and apartments but they give the film a claustrophobic feel for sure. There are some inspired shots throughout the film as well, including a brilliant shot that goes past two characters through the window to reveal a looming figure underneath a lamp post across the street. This is noir filmmaking at its best showing Huston’s knack for the genre (which he would continue with The Asphalt Jungle).

 What storytelling element really found its footing in The Maltese Falcon and has become a fixture in filmmaking? The MacGuffin. This storytelling element has become synonymous with Alfred Hitchcock but the titular statue from The Maltese Falcon just might be the most famous example of this trope. The idea of an item of unknown value or importance that drives the whole story can be found in countless films at this point. But the bird statue is by far one of the most famous of them all. You don’t see it until well into the film but need to have it is the main motivation for so many of the characters in the film. Multiple people die and plenty more getting into danger over this item that dreams are made of. For an item with such little screentime, so much dialogue and actions are dedicated to its presence and the desire to capture it. The Falcon is also one of the coolest looking props ever in movies and has gone on to influence so many other MacGuffins in film and other media of art. 

The story elements and filmmaking are not the only noir elements laid out in The Maltese Falcon, are they? There are few protagonists in film as hard-boiled and cynical as Sam Spade. This private investigator is the textbook definition of what a noir anti-hero looks like and acts like. Humphrey Bogart had become synonymous with cynical protagonists like Spade due to his pitch perfect performance here. The Big Sleep would follow as he brought another noir icon, Philip Marlowe, to life. Mary Astor’s Brigid O’Shaughnessy is the prototypical femme fatale as well with her striking good looks, mysterious presentation, and her alluring sense of danger. Her presence is immediately felt and her seductive dynamic with Bogart has laid the groundwork for so many dangerous connections to come. O’Shaughnessy turns out to be a killer in the end which is not what you would expect in films pre-dating noirs. You have a few other archetypes here with the big crime boss, sleazy henchmen, and danger enforcer. The trio of Syndey Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Elisha Cook Jr. all crafted characters who would set the tone for so many other noirs after this. Greenstreet is so iconic that his portrayal even became the influence for Marvel Wilson Fisk a.k.a. “The Kingpin”. This collection of characterizations and performances feels so familiar because so many performers have used The Maltese Falcon as influence and inspiration for so many other noirs and neo-noirs to come. 

But what is the most important reason this film has stood the test of time? The Maltese Falcon is just a great story. You have a string of deaths all linked to a web of crime and lies. You have a private investigator whose partner is murdered and that becomes the mystery of the film. You have weight and motivation. Things are revealed to be more complex because Spade was having an affair with his partner’s wife. But Spade also has sexual tension with his new client, O’Shaughnessy, who also becomes much more involved in the deaths than meets the eyes. There is a cat-and-mouse game between Spade, his client, the police, and the criminal organization seeking the titular statue. There might not be a ton of action on screen, but the screenplay is well structured and contains plenty of conflict and twists along the way. This story has so many iconic elements that plenty of other crime-thrillers and specifically noirs have borrowed from it. Perfectly paced, impeccably shot, impressively performed, and precisely executed. The Maltese Falcon is an all-time great noir and film in general.