Rating: 
Summary: Vintage Film Noir
Review: This is vintage Bogart, you really get to see him play a character with more gall than you ever thought possible. I was riveted to the screen from start to finish. The mystery has more twists and turns than a country road. You also get to see Peter Lorre have a moment of Ren (Ren&Stimpy), when he yells "You bloated eediot!"
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie but not DVD quality picture
Review: I love Humphrey Bogart and this is Bogart at his best. The problem is there was no touch ups to the film when it was transferred to this format. Just because it's on DVD doesn't mean it's digital quality picture. There's a "blurps" in the film and dark and light spots. This is a classic that should be preserved for all time as it was originally seen but obviously this process hasn't been done yet.
Rating:
Summary: Big entertainment in a small package
Review: While at first glance it may seem that you don't get all that much in the quantity department with this DVD, that's really not the case. You get a crisp, gorgeous print of the film; an edition of Robert Osbourne's "Becoming Attractions" that is over 40 minutes long and gives you an overview of Bogart's career by showing about a dozen of his film trailers linked by some interesting commentary; a nice little print essay on the mystery genre; and separate and distinct trailers (that is, they're not part of the Osbourne piece) for both "The Maltese Falcon" and "Satan Met a Lady". The latter was one of the earlier adaptations of "The Maltese Falcon", with the slight difference being that the producers apparently decided to turn it into a goofy comedy! Looking at the two trailers, one gets an immediate education about how different producers can take the same book and come up with wildly different takes on it. Anyway, this DVD is well worth picking up, especially for the price. One final observation, about the film itself: "The Maltese Falcon" is a classic for twenty-three different reasons, but here's one of those smaller reasons that I especially like: one of the major characters, Floyd Thursby, wasn't even cast! The innovative screenplay makes him a major protagonist without even showing him; we get a complete sense of him from the way the other characters describe him and his actions. In other words, Thursby is right there with the rest of the classic characters- provoking responses, impacting on the action- even though we don't actually see him. Neat, huh?
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic!
Review: John Huston's first directing effort, "The Maltese Falcon", proves to be a success, at least in my mind. The casting is perfect for all the main characters, especially Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, who fit their roles perfectly. The film moves at a rapid pace, keeping the viewer interested all the way until the end of the film. The cinematography is also great, giving the movie a dark, anxious feeling. All in all, I would have to say this is an amazing film that is sure to become a classic, if it isn't already!
Rating:
Summary: One of a half dozen movies that deserve six stars ******
Review: If you're thinking about getting into great old movies, THIS is the one to start with. Bogart is absolutely classic in this, his second shot at playing the lead (his first was in 1938's "Black Legion"). Dialogue second to none even by today's standards, no, especially by today's standards! Mystery the way it's supposed to be, really the prototype. Of the many great moments, my favorite is towards the end in Spade's apartment, after Cairo and the Fat Man leave, and only Bogie, and the pathological liar are left in the room, "both of us under the gun" Great, crisp, clear DVD! Get it.
Rating:
Summary: Tough guy wins out.
Review: Just caught this flick after a mean night at the Limehouse on Ord Street in LA. Tough guy, this Bogart. Treats the dames the way they outa be when they're not square. Tehachapi will be a dim memorie for Brigid, but when your partner catches hot lead, and you might've been able to do something...well, someone has to take the fall. My advice? Relax, scotch with ice, peanuts, and enjoy the sharp picture and great dialogue. Then, get some shuteye and meet Eddie for the stakeout. Bring the strong coffee. Its going to be a long night.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Odysseus
Review: Best not even to compare this classic with Dashiel Hammett's, even though Huston stuck to the dialogue of the original. Bogart is not the blonde Spade of the novel, the "Flitcraft" episode is omitted, the action is far more contained, the controversial elements (Cairo's homosexuality) are veiled. Yet the film remains more of an indispensable "text" than the novel thanks to the casting, Bogart's nuanced, edgy performance, and the purely visual ironies made possible by Huston's carefully-planned camera set-ups.Bogart's Spade is as cautious, crafty and adventurous as Homer's Odysseus. He descends into the underworld of criminals, tastes the pleasures of bedding the temptress and knocking the pins off the pretenders, and trades lie for lie before emerging as one of the screen's great moralists. His final "sermon-confession" to Brigid reveals a man of principle, integrity, and fidelity to the rule of law and order. At this point we realize that the "cynicism" has been ours--not the film's. The DVD is crisp and clear with welcome grey-tone scale (despite its "film-noir" classification), and the convenience of examining selected chapters cannot be overlooked in a film of great visual as well as verbal subtlety. The accompanying documentary materials provide a look at the film's contemporary audience as well as the history of the genre this film is said to have initiated.
Rating: 
Summary: Good acting, corny lines
Review: In one scene the "Fat man" says, "I like to talk to a man who likes to talk". HUH? The filming is excellent but some of the lines are real groaners! Peter Lorre does not over do it but Bogart as a Romeo is a bit hard to fathom. His bucktoothed kisses leave a lot to be desired. Kind of like Al and Tipper on nomination night - ouch! If you want to see excellent detective films buy the "Thin Man" collection instead. The script is better and Merna Loy is captivating as Mrs. Nick Charles!
Rating:
Summary: Bogart at his best!
Review: The Maltese Falcon VHS ~ Humphrey Bogart is a very well acted and produced movie about an agent Sam Spade, (who is played by Bogart); and is given the not so enviable task of fiding a statue that a lady ( who turns out to be a pathological liar) calims to be worth a fortune. Bogart is awesome in his portrayal of the macho agent with a soft heart. However, the person who steals the scenes is not Bogart, byt Peter Lorre who plays the flamboyant character Cairo. The story is well developed and the twists and turns of the movie are not easy to predict. I expecially like the ending when Spade says "It's the stuff that dreams are made of".
Rating:
Summary: Classic Hammett, Classic Bogart
Review: This movie has it all. It remains the all-time classic detective movie, the most accessible film-noir movie, and Bogart's introduction into mainstream movies. It literally drips with prewar style, and a mastery of black-and-white cinematography. The casting was intriguing, particularly Sidney Greenstreet's film debut along with a curly-haired Peter Lorre. Mary Astor made a comeback from Hollywood exile in a big way. As with the other DVD restorations I've bought, the richness of the visual print is astounding here. VHS never could translate a true black-to-white spectrum as is seen here. Subtleties in gradation lost in VHS are back in this format. This movie is a great example of a film better done in b/w rather than color. This type of cinematography is lost today, lost because the craftsmen who made these movies are gone. However, at least with these beautiful restorations we can see what we've lost. I've been a fan of Hammett for many years and one of my prized possessions is an exact replica of the falcon; try to get one and it'll be a great conversation piece for you, too!
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