Enter Our Giveaway
CLICK ON THE COVER TO
ENTER!
Site programming by Cory Webb
|
Maltese Falcon, The
|
|
Reviews DVD Reviews
|
|
Written by Staff Writer
|
|
Monday, 24 January 2005 |
|
Favored by 0 users
(Register to add this entry to your favorites)
Grade Content Grade:
A
Sound Grade:
B
Picture Grade:
C-
Specs Directed by John Huston Warner Brothers/MSRP-$24.95 Fullscreen-Subtitles in English, French Dolby Digital Mono Sound Approximately 120 minutes-Black and White-1936
Review
This is the third Bogie classic released by Warner Brothers and I'm glad these classics are now available on DVD. The Maltese Falcon was the first Bogie movie to emphasize Bogie as the good guy after he had played a lot of bad guys in his early film career. The film has written and directed by John Huston, and also featured Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Mary Astor. It is truly a classic in every sense of the word.
The story, written by Dashielle Hammett, has gumshoe Sam Spade and his partner hired by Mary Astor to follow a strange man which she says is trying to blackmail her family. When Sam's partner ends up murdered, Sam becomes interested in Astor and her story and begins to pick it apart. Meanwhile, Sam is visited by Lorre and Greenstreet, who are after a mysterious black bird, which they will pay handsomely to recover. Thus begins the adventure known as the Maltese Falcon. Picture and Sound
Picture-The 1936 film has seen better days. While Warner did a fine job of cleaning up Key Largo and The Big Sleep, the print used for this DVD transfer suffers from dirt, film tears, and deterioration that the ravages of time have produced. Contrast and faded scenes as well as grainy film stock are seen throughout this disc presentation. A full restoration job would be required to truly enjoy this film's beauty and art. The drama is there but it looks not much better than a video tape or television presentation. Sound-The sound is a little better with Dolby Digital mono. No hums or skips were present-unless they were from cuts or edits in the film. Every thing is totally synched up throughout. The sound level is good and dialog is clearly understood. I love Peter Lorre's accent.
Extras
As with the other Bogie disc's, the disc has some extras. For this disc, Turner Broadcasting presents a documentary on the trailers of Bogart-from bad guy starting roles at Warner, to his later roles as detective and good guy. The disc also includes a history of mystery in text and stills, and cast and crew bios. Trailers of the original theatrical presentation, with Sydney Greenstreet in the dark, is presented, along with "Satan Met A Lady", a trailer for a Bette Davis film , also written by Dashiell Hammett. The trailers are are even worse shape than the film but they are original.
Summary
A must for all Bogie fans-this film helped define the essential character portrayed by Bogart in most of his films. It made him a star and changed his image from tough crook to tough detective. It is a shame the film has deteriorated so much. Unless some one restores it, the beauty of John Huston's work will probably be gone in a few years. DVD presents it the best it can be presented on home video, but it still suffers terribly. Originally, the Bogart trio was to be part of a boxed set, but Warner decided to release them individually instead. Maybe Warner will reconsider this later and buying the three for a reduced price would be a bargain. Until then, buy the other Bogart movie's first.
User reviews
There are no user reviews for this item.
To write a review please register or login.
|
Featured Review
 I guess I should start by admitting "Peter Pan" is one of my least favorite films from Disney's first 'golden age'. I know I'm in the minority on that one, and it probably has nothing to do with the film itself, because I never liked the original book or any other film/stage adaptation either. That said, this 1953 classic remains the single best version of J.M. Barrie's story ever made, and is actually one of Disney's early classics which remains the most faithful to the book. Fans of the film will absolutely love this 2-disc Platinum Edition, which is bit lacking in substantial extras, but features a wonderful digitally restored picture.
Movie Quotes
We're on a mission from God. Dan Aykroyd Blues Brothers
|
|
January 6, 2009 releases
Absolute Best of Ghost Hunters Alphabet Killer American Girl: Girl of the Year 2009 Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 3 Babylon A.D. Bangkok Dangerous Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia Blind Mountain Cyrano de Bergerac Disaster Movie Doctor Who: Four to Doomsday Doctor Who: War Machines (Episode 27) Dogtown: New Beginnings Duckman: Seasons Three and Four Eden Lake The FBI Files Season - As Seen on Discovery Channel Frisky Dingo - Season 2 Inheritance The King and I Vol. 3 Laredo: Season 2, Part 2 The Lizard Mannix: The Second Season Michael Powell Double Feature (Age of Consent, Stairway to Heaven) Midnight Movie The Pack Pineapple Express The Plot to Kill Hitler Postal Righteous Kill Rona Barrett's Hollywood: Nothing But the Truth Tripping the Rift: The Complete Third Season The Tudors - Season 2 The Waltons - The Complete Eighth Season
|
