Film Review

The Maltese Falcon Review

The most successful remake of Dasheill Hammett 's novel The Maltese Falcon ' was filmed in 1941 . Directed by John Huston 's , it was third remake after Dangerous Female (1931 ) and Satan Met a Lady (1936 . This film is notable first of all because it was commencement of the movie genre film noir and in addition this film has made name of Humphrey Bogart well-known . Moreover The Maltese Falcon ' appeared on innumerable best-movie-of-all-time charts , including the prominent American Film Institutes top 100 American Films List . The film is a

br blend of mystery , romance , and thriller . It is mostly known for a number of memorable portrayals of corrupt , deceitful , hard-nosed villains , low-life quirky crooks and heroes that face double-crossing intrigues and deceptions (Dirks ) This film epitomizes the film noir style by encompassing many of its conventions such as underlying themes characters , lighting , and camera angles however , the focus will primarily be on character development in terms of film noir style lighting , and other aspects , such as camera editing and mise-en-scene . I want to examine and discuss the film The Maltese Falcon , regarding different techniques , involved in producing of this original film (Crowther

In Maltese Falcon contrast between light and dark is strong . The bad guys are shown more in shadow and faces obstructed by hats and other objects . This being the start of the film noir era , it established a new way of telling a story and showing the true characters intensions The style that sparked the beginning of film noir was the film traditions from the 1920 's German expressionism , but more so of the society and period they grew out of . America , in the midst of a second world war , began a new literary style called hard-boiled novels (Benaquist 45-46 ) The Maltese Falcon prefers balanced , low-contrast lighting to the high-contrast lighting and deep shadows of film noir The Maltese Falcon uses unconventional lighting to portray disturbing images . Instead of three lights , only one or two lights are used . Or sometimes the low-key lighting is achieved by turning down the fill light , creeping up the shadows . In addition , by using no backlight , the subject might tend to be lost into the background , adding to the sense of disorientation that is carried throughout the film . A typical film noir convention is the use of low-key , dark lighting , which allows for the formation of shadows creating the feeling of deception and corruption (Benaquist 47

A good example is when Miles Archer is standing in a circular beam of light in the beginning of the film . While Archer momentarily steps outside of the light , his surroundings are pitch black allowing for the feel of mystery because the viewers are unaware to whether or not Archer is accompanied by an unseen figure . This creates a tense and edgy atmosphere . Another good example of this is when , at the very beginning Miles Archer is killed and he is shot in the back . He rolls down a dusty hill into the river , you...