Saturday, April 29, 2017

Script review - "The Maltese Falcon" by John Huston (1941)

It's a wordy film - the script is even more so, with heaps of big print and very specific descriptions. Huston once said he just filmed the book and you'd believe it from this.

A lot of characters talking about things, and events taking place off screen. Even major things like Gutman dying.

The characters are vivid - pathological liar Brigid, Sam Spade the arsehole, effeminate Cairo, joyous Gutman, poor Effie, luckless Wilbur.

It's good - but I've always had problems with this film and they are there in the script. Too hard to follow. I feel it's overrated. Some great stuff though.

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