The film dreams are made of

June 2nd, 2009 at 01:45pm Will Pfeifer

In the latest installment of his series, Black and White World, blogger James Lileks looks at a true classic — 1941’s THE MALTESE FALCON, directed by first-timer John Huston and starring Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook Jr., Mary Astor, Ward Bond, Walter Huston (John’s dad in a cameo) and, of course, the great Humphrey Bogart.

Lileks does an excellent job of pointing out some of the great moments in the movie, but his best line comes when he describes the appeal of Bogie: “… the man’s man other men’s men call a Man’s Man.”

One reason I think THE MALTESE FALCON is so rewatchable is that it, like ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, TOUCH OF EVIL and a few other films, is its so darned confusing that you can never remember all the plot twists from one viewing to the next, so it’s almost like watching a new movie every time. If you’ve never seen it, clear your schedule for tonight and rent it. You won’t be sorry.

Entry Filed under: Classic movies