Archive for M
50 Greatest Movies – The Maltese Falcon
“By gad sir, you are a character. There’s never any telling what you’ll say or do next, except that it’s bound to be something astonishing.”
Sam Spade is one cold son of a gun. And one smart son of a gun. And, as played by Humphrey Bogart, one explosively unpredictable son of a gun. “You’re absolutely the wildest most unpredictable man I know. “
Sam Spade is sitting in his office when in comes the secretary (Lee Patrick). Bogart is rolling a cigarette, his first words, “Yes Sweetheart?” This is a fantastic beginning, but it only gets better. Seems there is a woman who needs help, “You’ll want to see her, she’s a knockout.” The knockout’s name is Ruth Wonderly. She wants a man named Floyd Thursby followed. Spade’s partner agrees to follow the man and is killed. When Sam tries to call he finds Wonderly has checked out of her hotel.
Later that night, Thursby is killed. Wonderly calls Sam and tries to get him stuck in her web. She’s in a different hotel under the name LaBlanc. Finally she confesses it’s really Briged O’Shaughnessy. She thought she’d be pulling the strings but he turns it around on her.
This is very complex plot so I’ll give some cryptic sentences with name-dropping. Joel Cario (Peter Lorre) comes to Spade’s office asking about a “black figure of a bird” and intimates that Thursby had something to do with the bird. Wilmer Cook (Elisha Cook, Jr.) begins to follow Spade and Cario. Kaspar Gutman (aka The Fat Man) (Sydney Greenstreet) is willing to do anything to get his hands on the bird. Anything. Gutman explains the bird is the The Maltese Falcon
, encrusted with jewels but covered in black enamel. Brigid will also do anything to get her hands on the Falcon.
, encrusted with jewels but covered in black enamel. Brigid will also do anything to get her hands on the Falcon.
Ward Bond and Barton MacLane play the cops. They do the same with the roles reversed in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) which by the way is Ward Bond’s best acting. And that’s saying something as Ward Bond was in almost every movie made between 1930 and 1950.
Many consider The Maltese Falconthe first film noir. What really sets this movie apart from and above so many other films is the dialog and the story. And Bogart. And Greenstreet and Lorre.
the first film noir. What really sets this movie apart from and above so many other films is the dialog and the story. And Bogart. And Greenstreet and Lorre.
The dialog in The Maltese Falcon is sharp and even stunning at times. The only current screenwriters I can think of that come close are David Mamet and Coen Brothers . “When you’re slapped you’ll take it and like it.” “I don’t mind a reasonable amount of trouble.” “We didn’t exactly believe your story, Miss O’Shaughnessy. We believed your 200 dollars. I mean, you paid us more than if you had been telling us the truth, and enough more to make it all right.” “’You’re a close-mouthed man?’ ‘No, I like to talk.’…’I’m a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk’”
The story builds and interweaves beautifully. Be aware however, that The Maltese Falcon is a bit talky. It is not an action flick, and there is quite a bit of exposition, mostly lifted directly from Dashiell Hammett’s book by director and screenwriter John Huston.
I love Bogart.
The Maltese Falcon, directed by John Huston, written by Dashiell Hammett (book) and John Huston (screenplay). Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Elisha Cook, Jr. 1941, 100 minutes.
Some photos are from The Annex because I have a VHS tape. I don’t bother to upgrade just because the format has changed.
Don’t forget to donate to film preservation! This year it’s for film noir.
50 Greatest Movies – My Favorite Brunette (1947)
“You see, I wanted to be a detective too. It only took brains, courage, and a gun… and I had the gun. ”
Spoofs are nothing new. Only they used to be clever. This Bob Hope vehicle is a spoof of film noir, or private eye films, compete with pulp slang, voiceover, a femme fatale, rain, an innocent man on the run from both the good and bad guys, a flashback, and a real mystery. Bob Hope as Ronnie Jackson gets beat up, has knives thrown at him, is shot at, and is framed for murder. All because of a dame.
Now My Favorite Brunette might come as a surprise for a top movies list, as very few people even list it as the top Bob Hope movie, much less as a top film of all time. However, this is a very complete film with a solid story and is very funny. But what makes My Favorite Brunette stand above so many other films is that the story would work even if it was played straight. Of course if it was played straight, it probably wouldn’t make my list.
The movie opens with Jackson on death row explaining to some reporters that he had a sweet racket. “Legit?” they ask. “Even better, it was profitable.” He was a baby photographer whose office was next door to a private detective. He wanted to be a private eye. The detective heads out of town for a few days and asks Jackson to keep an eye on the place. While he’s hanging around in the office, a beautiful dame (Dorothy Lamour) bursts in and begs him to help her without giving him a chance to tell her that he’s not a private eye. Then he is swooning and decides not to tell her. This gets him in WAY over his head.
He agrees to meet Carlotta Montay at a remote mansion. Peter Lorre is the butler who lifts Jackson’s “gat,” shoulder holster and all, without Jackson even realizing it. Carlotta tells Jackson that her uncle (whom she had earlier said was her husband) is missing.
The owner of the house gets Jackson away from her and tells Jackson that she is crazy and introduces him to Baron Montay who is in a wheelchair. Due to the uncle/husband thing, Jackson is inclined to believe she’s wacko. But on his way out he realizes his gun is gone and for some reason decides to climb a tree to get back in the house and get it from Miss Montay, who he assumes lifted it. He sees the Baron up and walking and so know he knows she’s not cracked. Along the way we also meet Lon Chaney Jr. and have quite a few laughs.
Hope’s very funny and uses double entendres without being gross or offensive. Something about Bob Hope’s delivery slays me. His witty responses to questions, his under his breath mutterings, make him one of my favorite comedians. Highly recommended for fans of humor and film noir.
My Favorite Brunette, directed by Elliot Nugent, written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose. Starring Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr. 1947. 87 minutes.
Charles Bronson as The Mechanic – 1972 – Movie Review
Fifteen minutes into the movie and you haven’t heard anyone say anything.
Charles Bronson with a really bad haircut is Arthur Bishop, a hit man, also known as a mechanic. He fixes problems. Bishop works for an unnamed organization. He is extremely methodical in getting to know all about his mark making his hits look like accidents or natural causes. He is alone. In fact, one scene with his “girlfriend” only emphasizes how alone he is. And he lives in a really cool house. In his spare time Bishop practices fighting skills and studies a painting that looks like something from Hieronymus Bosch.
At the funeral of a friend he has just killed, he meets up with Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), a guy with apparently no conscience whatsoever. Steve also happens to be the son of the man he killed. Bishop decides it would be good to train this kid so he could have back up, maybe a partner, and someone to pass the job onto. Vincent plays a narcissist very believably.
There is a discussion after watching a karate meet. In a karate meet there isn’t any contact because then someone would die, “and that’s against the law.” Bishop says that everyone is a killer; the mafia, the military, governments. You can get away with it depending on who’s playbook you are using. When Steve asks if the Japanese karate master is a killer, Bishop replies no, the rules are what’s important to him.
Unfortunately, Bishop didn’t realize he needed permission from his organization to bring someone in. This puts his own life in danger. He had thought he was more freelance than he was. Their playbook is the one he is playing by when he had thought he was using his own.
Bishop flips a switch and the wall opens to this corkboard where he hangs his info on his mark
While generally a slow movie, it is not boring. Well paced with some actions scenes – a motorcycle chase is especially fun – The Mechanic is not really an action movie, it’s not quite deep enough for a character study, so let’s call it a tension movie. Besides, super-cool Charles Bronson is a hit man, what’s not to like?
The Mechanic, directed by Michael Winner. Written by Lewis John Carlino. Starring Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent. 1972. 100 minutes.
Murder, My Sweet Movie Review (1944)
If you like private-eye-speak then you will love Murder, My Sweet. The look and feel is very different than The Big Sleep with the same private-eye, Philip Marlow, but no Humphrey Bogart or Howard Hawks. However, this 1944 film noir is very good. Dick Powell, known for his work in musicals plays a very believable Marlow. Based on the book Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. However, that title could be confused with a musical, and the studio didn’t want Dick Powell’s fans to get confused. Can you blame them? The fabulous Claire Trevor plays a gold-digger.
The movie opens with a blinded Marlow telling the police his story (he gets man-handled several times), then we drift into flashback which gives ample opportunity for noir-ese slang-filled voice-over. Many people don’t like voice-over, but in Murder, My Sweet it really adds to the film. Marlow is hired by a giant of a man with a small brain called Moose to find a gal he knew 8 years ago. As Marlow is out looking for the girl, he is hired for another case, just for one night, to protect a guy making a payment to get some stolen jewels back for a “lady friend.” That draws him into a murder case where he is a suspect and then he finds Moose working for the probable jewel thief. You knew that both cases would get mixed up didn’t you? So, after a few more deaths Marlow clears himself and tells the police the whole story. Murder, My Sweet is a pretty good mystery that is fairly complex with a number of characters involved.
Highly recommended for film noir fans.
Murder, My Sweet. Directed by Edward Dmytryk, written by John Paxton from the novel by Raymond Chandler, starring Dick Powell and Claire Trevor.
