The Maltese Falcon |  | Director: John Huston
Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
Buy New: $22.99
as of 2/10/2010 04:38 EST details
New (3) Used (1) from $22.99
Seller: dvdfirst
Rating:  189 reviews
Sales Rank: 147487
Format: NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 Minutes
UPC: 085391958727
EAN: 0085391958727
ASIN: B000065MLN
Theatrical Release Date: October 18, 1941
Release Date: February 15, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
Still the tightest, sharpest, and most cynical of Hollywood's official deathless classics, bracingly tough even by post-Tarantino standards. Humphrey Bogart is Dashiell Hammett's definitive private eye, Sam Spade, struggling to keep his hard-boiled cool as the double-crosses pile up around his ankles. The plot, which dances all around the stolen Middle Eastern statuette of the title, is too baroque to try to follow, and it doesn't make a bit of difference. The dialogue, much of it lifted straight from Hammett, is delivered with whip-crack speed and sneering ferocity, as Bogie faces off against Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, fends off the duplicitous advances of Mary Astor, and roughs up a cringing "gunsel" played by Elisha Cook Jr. It's an action movie of sorts, at least by implication: the characters always seem keyed up, right on the verge of erupting into violence. This is a turning-point picture in several respects: John Huston (The African Queen) made his directorial debut here in 1941, and Bogart, who had mostly played bad guys, was a last-minute substitution for George Raft, who must have been kicking himself for years afterward. This is the role that made Bogart a star and established his trend-setting (and still influential) antihero persona. --David Chute
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 189
 good seller January 11, 2010
E. Pope (Chicago)
Good seller, would buy from them again. Only complaint--when I got the DVD, the little thing in the middle that holds the DVD in place broke. But I highly doubt that the seller had anything to do with that, probably had more to do with the mailing process. Anyway, have no worries about buying from this person!!
 Classic Movie of a Classic Novel December 28, 2009
Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States)
It's mid-afternoon when a woman (Mary Astor) walks into the detective agency of Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) with a tale of a wayward sister she wants them to track down. This sister has taken up with a no good named Thursby. Archer agrees to do the stake out and hopefully follow Thursby to the sister.
In the middle of the night, Spade is wakened by a phone call. Archer has been shot. A little later, Thursby is also shot. The police seem intent on pinning one of those crimes, if not both, on Spade. Meanwhile, the client has disappeared and a man (Peter Lorre) holds Spade a gun point demanding the Maltese Falcon. What in the world is going on?
After I listened to this book on tape, I fully intended to watch the classic movie version. It only took my three and a half years. As such, my recollection of the book might be a little dim, but this movie version didn't deviate too wildly from what I remember. In fact, it improved by tightening up several scenes near the climax that dragged in the book. The story is still compelling and the characters seriously flawed. Yes, the plot is now a cliche in many ways, but this story did it first.
My only real complaint with the movie is the dated acting. The characters speak too fast most of the time, not giving us time to process or emotions time to be fully explored. Of course, that would be a blessing for Mary Astor who over acts all her emotional scenes, and she's got plenty of them. The style of acting here would work well for the stage or a silent movie, but it's caught up in the transition to talking movies, still.
Even so, this movie is well worth watching. It is definitely a classic for a reason.
Yeah, he's a tough guy. December 13, 2009
Joseph M. Kerska (Maui, HI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Like a fine wine or a single malt, this movie ages well. Watch and enjoy something that they can't do anymore.
a timeless classic November 2, 2009
Ross Kelsay
Just watched the DVD a second time, what a fine story, a great cast and just the best direction. What ever happened to Hollywood that we don't get this kind of film anymore from there?
Classic October 27, 2009
B. Bates (Santa Fe, NM USA)
Classic, one of Bogart's best. They don't make them like this anymore. Highly recommended. I didn't want the other movies, but had to buy the package set to get The Maltese Falcon. Wish Amazon would have offered the movie as a stand-alone.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 189
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