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Article: `The Maltese Falcon'
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- May 13, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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Among the movies we not only love but treasure, ``The Maltese
Falcon'' stands as a great divide. Consider what was true after its
release in 1941 and was not true before:
(1) The movie defined Humphrey Bogart's performances for the rest
of his life; his hard-boiled Sam Spade rescued him from a decade of
middling roles in B gangster movies and positioned him for
``Casablanca,'' ``Treasure of the Sierra Madre,'' ``The African
Queen'' and his other classics. (2) It was the first film directed by
John Huston, who for more than 40 years would be a prolific maker of
movies that were muscular, stylish and daring. (3) It contained the
first screen appearance of Sydney Greenstreet, who went on, in ...