Jeronimo’s Weblog

Chasing rainbows…

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With a lift of his chin, and a bit of a grin, without any doubting or quiddit, he started to sing and he tackled the thing, that couldn't be done, and he did it

The Maltese Falcon is the first film I have seen starring Humphrey Bogart. He appears a few times in the top 100 list, so obviously the man is of good pedigree. His distinctive voice and look are ideal for his role in The Maltese Falcon as Sam Spade, a private investigator.

The plot revolves around a valuable statuette that several parties have an interest in. Along the way, there are murders to solve, and a mystery to unravel. This is a classic film and a true measure of the “film noir”.

One interest I realised in this film is with the character Mr Cairo. I am a great fan of Vangelis and in particular the album entitled The Friends of Mr Cairo, so I’m actually listening to it as I write this review. Now I understand the reference and soundbites from the film :)

Back to the film - I did enjoy my first Bogey experience. It lacked a certain something for me though. It was nearly there, but not quite. I felt that there didn’t seem to be enough plot, or enough characters. It was a strange feeling.

Besides this, I still think The Maltese Falcon is a great film. :)

Rating: 7/10
Summary: A great benchmark of the film noir genre
Memorable moment: [1:56:02] - “When a man’s partner is killed, he’s supposed to do something about it…”
Top 100 position: 53
IMDb: The Maltese Falcon
Buy it from: Amazon
Films remaining: 79

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