The Maltese Falcon (1941)

• Title:  The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• Director:  John Huston
• Date:  1941
• Studio: Warner Brothers Pictures
• Genre:  Drama, Mystery, Film Noir
• Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook Jr.
• Format:  Black and White, Standard
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"That's good coming from you.  What have you ever given me besides money?  Ever given me any of your confidence, any of  the truth?  Haven't you tried to buy my loyalty with money and nothing else?" -- Sam Spade


"Our private conversations have not been such that Im anxious to continue them.  Forgive my speaking blunting but it is the truth."  -- Joel Cairo


"I'll tell you right out, I'm a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk."  -- Kasper "The Fat Man" Gutman


The Maltese Falcon, based on Dashiell Hammett's novel almost defines the genre of  Film Noir, though for Noir films, I prefer Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity.  The Maltese Falcon is a tad long, and rather confusing, even after several viewings (and I have seen this film several times over the years).  However, it still does have  many Noir hallmarks:  the snappy, fast dialogue, the designing woman (or femme fatale), and introduces the Noir staple of  the tough-as-nails, but honest, private detective.

Bogart, and the rest of  the cast, which includes Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, as well as Elisha Cook, Jr. and Mary Astor are all good, and excellently cast in their roles.  And this film is from the heyday of  Warner Brothers, when the studio turned out dozens if  not hundreds of  Noir films (including their gangster films) a year.  This is also a breakout film for Bogart, moving him from day player at Warner's (oddly enough often playing "heavies" simliar to Cook's role in this film) to leading roles.

The plot, involving the chase for the the Falcon (often called "The Black Bird", and once, by Spade, "The dingus"), is more of  a McGuffin -- the real plot, and the driving force of  the film is the murder of Spade's partner, Archer, at the beginning of  the film.  This murder is nearly forgotten until the end, when the audience discovers that Sam hasn't forgotten, at all, what happened to Archer.  And, despite the fact that Sam may have had an affair with Archer's wife (or she at least has a crush on him, she pretty much throws herself at Spade, while still in Widow's Weeds), he still considers it his duty to do something about the murder of his partner, no matter what.  Sam is an honorable man and will keep his honor, whatever the cost.  Thus it is the conclusion of  the film that is excellent and memorable.

The look of  the film is great, and it's set in atmospheric San Francisco, which helps, though I doubt it was filmed there.

Overall, The Maltese Falcon is one of  those classic films one just really needs to see, and appreciate and occasionally re-watch.  For such a dark film, enjoyable isn't really the correct word, but it is a very good film, and an important contribution to Film Noir.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4 of  5 Stars
Next Film:  The Maltese Falcon (1931)

Batman: Year One

• Title:  Batman:  Year One
• Directors: Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery
• Date:  2011
• Studio:  Warner Brothers Animation
• Genre:  Action, Drama, Animation, Film Noir
• Cast:  Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff
• Format:  Color, Widescreen Animation
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

Another bonus film!  And there will be five more to come (what can I say, Barnes & Noble was having a sale!)

The animation in this film is very impressive -- it's difficult to get a gritty, dark look to animation, yet Batman:  Year One manages to do so.  This film impressively keeps the look of  Frank Miller's Batman:  Year One from the Batman comic book published by DC Comics.  This is also Jim Gordon's story, and cast in the role of Lt. James Gordon is Bryan Cranston, who does a good job.  The film is also real film noir stuff.  Film Noir doesn't have heroes, it has protagonists.  The difference being a hero is frequently perfect (or can be thought of as perfect or trying to obtain perfection.  Superman is a hero -- invulnerable to anything bar Kryptonite, immortal, and always, always doing the perfect thing without errors or mistakes).  A protagonist is much more realistic -- Batman, in whatever guise you find him, has always been a protagonist.

Batman:  Year One, though, makes Jim Gordon the protagonist.  He's a honest cop, which is dangerous in a town with a dishonest and corrupt police force.  He's just moved to Gotham City, after turning in a dirty cop to Internal Affairs in another city, and not being thanked for his efforts. But Gordon is no perfect angel.  He has an affair while his wife is pregnant.  He watches and waits as he's introduced to the corruption in the Gotham PD, but he isn't anxious to make the same mistakes he did before.  And he's tough.

Batman:  Year One, is also the story of Gotham City.  A nightmare town, full of danger, violence, graft, corruption, and sex.  Catwoman starts off as a hooker.  She's also trying to protect a young girl who's starting in the trade as well, when Bruce meets her for the first time.  Gotham is rough, scary and dark -- and it needs the Dark Knight as a protector.  This is a city that understands when Batman says, "I am the dark, I am the night, I am Batman."

Unfortunately, Batman doesn't get to utter that line, or any other seminal Batman lines of  Bruce claiming his identity as his own.  Part of  the problem is the actor they got for Batman/Bruce (Ben McKenzie) just doesn't do a very good job.  I can't believe this guy as Batman, he just doesn't work.  Why, oh why, couldn't they have asked Kevin Conroy back?  Or at least Bruce Greenwood?  This Batman is too weak, and doesn't work as Bruce either.  (A good Batman must also be able to carry the part of Bruce Wayne, something Christain Bale and Kevin Conroy could do.  In this version, Bruce is either WAY over-the-top, or so morose he sounds semi-suicidal.  Neither is right for Bruce Wayne, not even a young Bruce Wayne.)

Alfred is also practically non-existent in this film.  One of  the advantages of  early Batman stories, is they tend to use Alfred more.  And the Alfred and Bruce relationship has always been one of  my favorites in the Batman mythos.  (The other is Batman and Nightwing.  And there's a similarity between those two relationships.  Alfred is very much a father to Bruce -- he raised him, and is the only person in the entire DC universe to have any idea what Bruce was like before that fatal night.  Bruce in turn raised Dick Greyson, and he's very much a father to the younger man.)  This was a missed opportunity, by not showing Alfred hardly at all.

But if  Alfred is practically non-existent in Batman:  Year One, it's ironic, given the title of  the film, that Batman really doesn't get much screen time.  This is Gordon's story, it's Gotham's story, but it sure isn't Batman's story -- and therefore it misses the boat.  I was disappointed, for I did have high hopes.  So, yes, the film is good, and the animation is incredible, but it's not great (as it should be), and that's to be laid at the feet of a major casting mis-step.

Recommendation:  See it at least, it's worth it for the noir story.

Rating: 3.5

Next Film:  The Maltese Falcon (1941)  No really!