Maltese Falcon
Dir. John Huston. In their Panorama of Film Noir, Borde and Chaumeton consider this is the beginning of film noir, so I had to watch it again. The confused plot, the suppressed eroticism (look at Mary Astor’s expression when she asked Bogie if he’s going to do something else “exciting” if she lies to him), and the general ambiguity of all the players (even Bogie only shows himself as a “good guy” in the end when, displaying a code of honor that is so Chandleresque, gives in the girl and gives up the money, leaving himself with little to show for all his troubles) create a rather disorienting piece. After one of the above mentioned others comments, I couldn’t help noticing that almost the whole movie is set indoors in a few locations (office, apartment, hotel) and consists of little more than talking and the occasional punch, yet so much is accomplished within these constraints.
Tags: filmnoir
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