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The Maltese Falcon

Year:

1941

Duration:

100 min

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

IMDB rate:

8.2

Director:

John Huston

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1941-10-18

Filming Locations: Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Earnings

Budget: $375,000

Gross: $1,772,000 (worldwide) Production Dates 9 June 1941 - 18 July 1941 (retakes 8 August 1941, 10 September 1941)

Cast

Actor

Character

Humphrey Bogart

Samuel Spade

Mary Astor

Brigid O'Shaughnessy

Gladys George

Iva Archer

Peter Lorre

Joel Cairo

Barton MacLane

Lt. of Detectives Dundy

Lee Patrick

Effie Perine

Sydney Greenstreet

Kasper Gutman

Ward Bond

Detective Tom Polhaus

Jerome Cowan

Miles Archer

Elisha Cook Jr.

Wilmer Cook

James Burke

Luke

Murray Alper

Frank Richman

John Hamilton

Bryan

Charles Drake

Reporter

Chester Gan

Bit Part (uncredited)

Creighton Hale

Stenographer

Robert Homans

Policeman

William Hopper

Reporter

Walter Huston

Captain Jacoby

Hank Mann

Reporter

Jack Mower

Announcer (uncredited)

Emory Parnell

Ship's Mate (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

The total cost of designing, casting and painting all of the Maltese Falcons prepared for the film was less than $700.

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At 357 pounds, 60-year-old British newcomer Sydney Greenstreet was so large that the studio had to specially manufacture his entire wardrobe for the role of Kasper Gutman. The chair in which Greenstreet sits while talking with Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) in the hotel room was also specially made for him; the chairs the prop department was going to use weren't wide enough to accommodate Greenstreet's girth nor strong enough to support his weight.

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Having seen how profligate novice writer-directors like Orson Welles and Preston Sturges had been, Warner Brothers was not keen on giving John Huston too much control. The studio acquiesced when Huston agreed to do an immediate polish on the script for Sergeant York (1941).

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Goofs

When searching for the body, Sam's handkerchief is ruffled only while he is in the room, not before or after.

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At the very end, as O'Shaughnessy and Dundy are leaving in the elevator, the visual effect of the elevator going down is accomplished by lowering a dark screen in front of the backlit actors. Very nice, except that you can clearly see that both silhouetted actors remain standing motionless at floor level as the screen drops.

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When Spade is talking to Det. Tom Polhaus about the Webley, the sound stage ceiling can be clearly seen above the tops of the buildings.

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Quotes

Sam Spade: I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble.

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Sam Spade: Haven't you tried to buy my loyalty with money and nothing else?

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Joel Cairo: No, no. Our private conversations have not been such that I am anxious to continue them. Forgive me for speaking so bluntly, but it is the truth.

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Faq

What is a "gunsel"?

When Hammett wrote the novel The Maltese Falcon, he described Wilmer as a "catamite" (a young man in a sexual relationship with an older man). The publisher objected, so Hammett changed it to "gunsel," an obscure bit of street slang with the same meaning. Because so few people were familiar with the term, it snuck past the Breen Office and into the finished film. Most people who watch the movie assume "gunsel" is just another word for "gun man," and many subsequent novels and films noir have misused the term as such.

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for The Maltese Falcon can be found here.

A Note Regarding Spoilers

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

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