the maltese falcon on blu-ray

Continuing my Humphrey Bogart film watching ...

The Maltese Falcon has just been released by Warner Home Video on Blu-ray, and Bogie and classic move fans will not be disappointed.

Set in 1941 San Francisco, this classic film noir follows detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) who gets mixed up with a group of adventurers who are in search of a treasure - the eponymous Maltese Falcon, which the opening credits tell the audience was "... a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewels ..." On the trail of this priceless and mythical artifact are some wonderful characters: Sydney Greenstreet (in his first screen appearance) as "the Fat Man" Kasper Gutman, Mary Astor as the unforgettably lethal femme fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Peter Lorre as the smelling of gardenias Joel Cairo, and Elisha Cook, Jr. as Gutman's gunsel Wilmer. Character actors Ward Bond and Barton McLane show up as two cops who aren't sure how involved Spade may be in his partner Miles Archer's (Jerome Cowan) demise.

Bogie and "The Black Bird"

John Huston's directorial debut, The Maltese Falcon was made for black and white, and the dramatic lighting and creative camera angles, many of them low-angle, all look great on a high-definition, large scale television screen. The clarity and picture quality is great - you can almost read the title on the spine of a book on Sam Spade's bedside table when the detective takes the call about his partner Miles being found dead. Huston keeps the compositions simple and effective, but includes details like a newspaper clipping tacked to the wall of his apartment and other paraphernalia of Spade's help flesh out his no-nonsense character. But it's Humphrey Bogart's portrayal of Spade that really resonates. It was not only a career-changer, elevating him once and for all into lead parts, but he made Dashiell Hammett's tough-talking private eye his own, a screen classic and the blueprint for movie dicks forever more.

Sam Spade, "When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. And it happens we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's ... it's bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere."

The film is full screen format and has an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and resolution of 1080p and looks great on a large-scale high-definition television screen. It has a running time of 101 minutes. The Dolby sound (English: DTS-HD High Res Audio and Spanish, German, and Portuguese: Dolby Digital 1.0) is also crisp and clear. Subtitles are available in multiple languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Norwegian, and Swedish.

The Maltese Falcon Blu-ray is on one disc, but it has a host of extras, including:

"Warner Night at the Movies" from 1941: a newsreel, the musical short The Gay Parisian, and cartoons "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" and "Meet John Doughboy" 

"The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird" 

"The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart," featuring TCM's Robert Osborne 

"Breakdowns of 1941," a blooper reel 

Radio show adaptations of The Maltese Falcon: the piece, two with the film's stars, one with Edward G. Robinson 

Commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax 

Makeup tests 

Movie trailers for The Maltese Falcon, Sergeant York, and Satan Met a Lady

Sam Spade considers Brigid O'Shaugnessy. Does he love her? Can he believe her?

As much of a tough guy as Bogie is, Sam Spade also has a lot of humor. And fans of Ren and Stimpy will recognize the origin of one of their favorite cartoon characters in Peter Lorre's Joel Cairo, especially when he berates Sidney Greenstreet's Kasper Gutman for letting the Falcon slip through their grasp:

Joel Cairo, "You ... you bungled it. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. Kemedov found out how valuable it was, no wonder we had such an easy time stealing it. You ... you imbecile. You bloated idiot. You stupid fat-head you. [He breaks down crying]."

The Maltese Falcon is the first in a longtime collaboration between the star actor and director, who went on to make Across the Pacific in 1942, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Key Largo in 1948, The African Queen in 1951, and Beat the Devil in 1953. Huston wrote the screenplay, based on Hammet's novel, and the third time must have been the charm for a story that had already been turned into unsuccessful movies twice before (The Maltese Falcon in 1931 and Satan Met a Lady in 1936), as it was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Picture, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor (Greenstreet). When Huston and Bogart and Astor and the rest of the crew got together it was movie magic. As Sam Spade says at the end of the film, "The stuff dreams are made of."

new year's movie meme

The Girl with the White Parasol has posted a New Year's Movie Meme, which I thought would be fun to do. I write about books and television and lots of other things that come into my head, but my love of pop culture originated with watching old movies with my parents. These days I watch them with my daughter.

Feel free to pass on the meme or post your answers to the ten questions in the comments section.

Happy New Year!

1. What is your all-time favorite Grace Kelly costume?

The woman could wear clothes like few others, but my favorite is the first fabulous gown she wears in Rear Window, when she sweeps into Jimmy Stewart's apartment, and Hitchcock just lets her get closer and closer as she goes in for a kiss and fills the camera screen. The audience can't help but immediately fal in love with her. The dress is as wonderful as its wearer. It's the ultimate '50s glamour look, with cinched waist, full skirt, and accented with red, red lipstick and pearls.

2. What classic film would you nominate for a remake?

This is a tough one. I generally don't like remakes. It's not exactly a classic, but Dune might benefit from a remake. The David Lynch version is just gross and cheesy. With today's special effects it might be a pretty cool sci-fi film.

3. Name your favorite femme fatale.

Its hard to top Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaughnessey in The Maltese Falcon. She isn't the typical voluptuous figure that we might first think of with the term femme fatale, but she uses her mind and her feminine wiles and leaves a trail of sorry males in her wake.

4. Name the best movie with the word "heaven" in its title.

Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait, with Steve Martin's Pennies from Heaven a close second.

5. Describe the worst performance by a child actor that you’ve ever seen.

I know people love this movie, but I'm not that fond of Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (he's great in A.I.) I also can't stand the forced cuteness of Jonathan Lipnicki in Jerry Maguire. It's less the kids' fault than the roles they play.

6. Who gets your vote for most tragic movie monster?

I think Irena (Simone Simone), from Cat People is the most tragic. She so wants to live a normal life and fall in love, but she can't deny her feline impulses and heritage. Violence stalks her.

7. What is the one Western that you would recommend to anybody?

I don't consider myself a Western fan, but thinking about this question made me realize that there are a lot of great Westerns for non-Western fans to enjoy. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is probably the one I would recommend to anyone, as the charming combination of Paul Newman and Robert Redford is hard to beat. But other non-traditional Westerns that are great movies are Bad Day at Black Rock with Spencer Tracy, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, comic western 4 for Texas with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, and the recent animated Rango, featuring Johnny Depp.

8. Who is your ideal movie-viewing partner?

I've had many. My movie buff dad was my first. He let me watch everything — horror films, epics, gangster movies, epics. In my 20s my best bud Mary and I were great movie watching companions. These days I like watching my daughter discover Judy Garland, Gene Kelly and lots of other favorites.

9. Has a film ever made you want to change your life? If so, what was the film?

I don't think a specific film has made me want to change my life, but there are some that have had an almost visceral effect on me (A Clockwork Orange, Vertigo). Movies have always been a huge part of my life — watching, talking, and now writing about them.

10. Think of one performer that you truly love. Now think of one scene/movie/performance of theirs that is too uncomfortable for you to watch.

I love Gene Kelly, and although he had nothing to be ashamed of, Xanadu didn't need to be made.

11. On the flip side, think of one really good scene/performance/movie from a performer that you truly loathe.

It's hard to think of an actor or actress that I loathe — that's such a strong word. I'm not a huge fan of Christian Bale, but there's no denying he's good in the Batman films.

12. And finally, since it will be New Year's soon, do you have any movie or blogging-related resolutions for 2012?

I would like to write more in-depth, detailed pieces on some of my favorite films. I've actually just started to do that. My first one, On Nicholas Ray's In A Lonely Place, starring Humphrey Bogart, will run on January 2.