Rating: 
Summary: One of the tightest stories ever put to the screen
Review: Bogart, Huston, and a superlative adaptation carried this film. To me, it was like watching a great soloist play a great concerto with a so-so orchestra. With the exception of Greenstreet and Lorre, the acting was pretty poor, especially Mary Astor's nauseating interpretation of Ms. O'Shaughnessy. Maybe they just look bad in comparison to Bogart, or their performances are just a tad unworthy to do justice to the amazingly intricate screenplay and the highly original cinematography - but this certainly didn't pose a problem in Casablanca. Also, the production values are surprisingly subpar for a studio film from the 40's. Still, despite its flaws, this film is certainly a must see.
Rating: 
Summary: The stuff that dreams are made of!
Review: This and Chinatown come to a tie when it comes to picking the best Film Noir or mystery film ever. Both have the same qualities and importance in film but The Maltese Falcon has some more good qualities. It defined the role of the hard boiled detective which Bogie truly brought to life. The Sam Spade detective still is the main character in which most mystery films try too imatate. Astor is masterful for her role as the femme fatale putting on her fake and innocent act while she was the one who set up Spade all along. Sidney Greenstreet was nominated for an academy award for his portrayal as "The Fat Man" who is obsessed with the falcon and all the riches that came with it. Peter Lorre also gives a memorable performance as Joel Cairo who's voice sounds very much like Ren Hoak and he gives the line "You fat bloated idiot!". Every other thing in this film has and will remain in film history.
Rating: 
Summary: too much to wade through to get to the film
Review: This is a great movie! Leave it to Turner to fill 1/4 of the tape with stuff to fast forward through to get to the film. They treat a series of trailers like that's why I bought the tape.My advice: buy DVD that you can program to get you straight to the film. My advice to Turner (and the Star Wars folks, who also do the same thing): put the extra stuff at the end of the tape for those who want it. Most people want to see the film, not the hype or history.
Rating:
Summary: One of the few movies that's as good as the book
Review: John Huston's directorial debut nails every single possible angle for a great movie: a great hero in Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade, here making a major transition from the gangster roles that made him famous; a great set of villains, from Sydney Greenstreet's ponderous Gutman to Peter Lorre's effeminate Joel Cairo to Elisha Cook's almost cartoonish gunman Wilmer; a great femme fatale in Mary Astor's Brigid O'Shaunessy; a great hunt, in the quest for the fabled Maltese Falcon. Shot scene for scene out of the novel (with some notable cuts of extraneous material, such as a long story Sam tells Brigid while they're waiting, and Gutman's daughter!), "The Maltese Falcon" is utterly clean, economical film-making with no fat whatsoever (except for Gutman, of course). The movie creates a tense atmosphere from its opening shots, with ironic humor simply acting as counterpoint throughout. The final scenes of revelation, where Sam explains to Brigid his personal code of honor, are as emotionally devastating today as they were fifty years ago. The last shots of the movie, as Brigid descends in the elevator quickly to her fate, while Sam takes the stairs, suggests each character is heading to their own private hell, even if at different speeds. A brilliant movie!
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: This film is a true classic--great plot, great acting, great directing, great photography. It both apotheosizes and transcends the genre--thriller--as all masterworks inevitably do. If you like the films of John Huston or Bogie, this is your movie.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive Private Detective film Noir
Review: What can I say? This is marvelous...John Houston and Humphrey Bogart are both given their first shots, (Bogart as lead, Houston as director) and all comes up gold. The first time I saw this, I was delightfully confused, now after several viewings, I realize that the "ride" is all that matters. Notice that something happens to Bogart after the first poorly acted scene in his office, I'd like to know what John Houston said to cause him to shine like the sun for the rest of the film. He acted like a man possesed. This is true film noir, it's a pity that too few films even come close to this masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Potential for greatness
Review: This movie is very, very good. This is the first time I ever saw Bogart act, and although he is very good, he is no James Stewart. The camera work isn't that great, but maybe I've been spoiled by Hitchcock films. Sounds like I am being picky, and perhaps I am, but this is a Steward and Hitchcock fan writing this. Overall, I still highly recommend this movie and consider it a classic. I loved the ending.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have!
Review: Sometimes with a movie everything turns out right. That was the case with this 1941 classic. John Huston's driectorial debut is a masterpiece of film noir, featuring a great performance by Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade. Actually, the entire cast is fantastic from top to bottom, with standout performances from Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. The story is a classic tale of greed, murder, and manipulation with some surprising plot twists (surprising if you haven't seen it already). THE MALTESE FALCON is one of those movies that you can watch over and over and find something new each time. The picture and sound quality are actually quite good for a film from 1941 as any flaws are minor and inconsequential. The DVD also features the original theatrical trailer, plus a special feature on trailers from Humphrey Bogart movies. This truly is a must-have! Add this DVD to your collection; you will be glad that you did!
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL DVD, CLASSIC FILM NOIR
Review: A classic fabled film from 1941, this story set in San Francisco in the office of Archer and Spade is movie making at it's best. The actors give uniformly great performances and almost eerily seem to be born for their parts: Bogie as Sam Spade; Jerome Cowan as Archer; Greenstreet as Gutman; Elisha Cook as Wilmer; Lee Patrick as Effie and, of course, Peter Lorre as Cairo. Mary Astor briefly revived her fading career (a 1936 red-hot scandal was mostly to blame) and as Brigid O' Shaughnessy she's in her element as the pathological liar; hers is a classic performance. Strangely, this is actually the THIRD filmization of the Dashiell Hammett novel, the others being a 1931 version with Bebe Daniels and Ricardo Cortez (in all fairness, it was adequate) and the poor SATAN MET A LADY,a bizarre 1936 version with Bette Davis (!) and the mealy Warren William.
Rating: 
Summary: Great film, underwhelming DVD
Review: Another DVD for which the makers seemed more concerned with rushing out a DVD than taking the opportunity to clean up the audio and video and make it the definitive release this classic deserves. Picture quality is noticeably inconsistent; audio flutters and is recorded too low--there is white noise during the quieter moments at normal playing volume. A VHS-quality release, but at least it won't degrade with repeated viewings. The extras are worthwhile, except for the ill-conceived cast bios, which fool one into thinking there's supposed to be more, when in fact there's only one bio--Bogart's.
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