The Maltese Falcon

After watching and reading part of “The Maltese Falcon” I think it can be stated that they are primarily the same with slight differences. I feel that the relationship between Miss Wonderly and Samuel Spade was less romantic in the book than it seemed to be in the film. In the novel, I did not notice any interest on Spade’s part of Miss Wonderly. I believe that Spade had more of the connection with Effie. Also, I think that the film had less intensity then I what I would have thought. This may have been due to the fact that when you are reading something, you have to visually make the story come to life on your own, rather than having someone else do it for you so that all you have to do is watch it.

Another point of “The Maltese Falcon” that I found to be fairly interesting was the character of Samuel Spade himself. The hard-boiled detective seems to have a pretty standard description like Marlowe did in “Red Wind”. From Marlowe’s character, I had taken the detective to be caring, sensitive, witty, dependable, honest, and rather independent. However, when it came to Sam Spade, although he was still the dependable, honest, sarcastic, and witty fellow, he seemed less attached to those involved in the story, like a sort of emotionless man.

By emotionless, I mean that he did not seem shocked or upset when he had discovered that his partner had been murdered. Also, I did not understand why he could not bring himself to tell his partner’s wife of her husband’s death. This seems rather emotionless to me as well. If he were even slightly mourning the death or his partner, whom he should have cared for I would think, I believe he would want to inform her of his death and pay his respects.

I found the memo written by Warner Brothers to the author stating what changes needed to be made to the script in order to have the movie shot without problems with censors, to be interesting. It was interesting, but almost expected, that the film could not be as blunt and vulgar as he had originally portrayed in the story written on paper. I am not sure if the audience at that time was ready to face those things such as: the sexuality, the drinking, the violence, and the gruesomeness.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think that the fact that you have to visually make the story come alive when you are reading makes the movie seem less intense when you actually watch the same scene?

2.Why is it that the aspects of the story that Warner Brothers demanded be taken out seem to be the most entertaining?