The Maltese Falcon Analysis

Words: 639
Pages: 3
Open Document
After watching all three versions of The Maltese Falcon, I noticed many significant differences but there was one that interested me the most. The scene in which Miss O’Shaughnessy gets down on her knees in front of Sam Spade and asks him to help her was the most diverse. “Help me. I’ve no right to ask you to help me blindly, but I do ask you. Be generous, Mr. Spade. You can help me. Help me”. (Hammett 35). This scene in all three movies is not just portrayed different but Mr. Spade also has different reactions to this situation. In the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon Sam Spade has a very interesting reaction to this particular situation. After listening to Miss O’Shaughnessy’s speech about how she wanted Sam to help her, Sam grinned and teased her playfully. “And the throb you get in your voice when you say “Be generous Mr. Spade”.” (Del Ruth, The Maltese Falcon). Sam’s reaction was not that of a man who had just been lied to. After threatening to tell the police about Miss O’Shaughnessy and her involvement she offers …show more content…
After Miss O’Shaughnessy begs Sam Spade to help her Sam looks irritated which leads him to speak in an upset tone. This expression correlates with that of the book. “Spade, who had held his breath through much of this speech, now empties his lungs with a long sighing exhalation between pursed lips”. (Hammett 35). Sam Spade’s attitude and expression fits properly with that of the book. The way in which Sam Spade asks for money is also very different compared to the last two movies. In the previous movies he asks jokingly and calmly for the money but in this movie he is very serious and not goofing around. The viewers of this film would have probably been intrigued by his serious actions and his expressions. The serious tone of this film may have caused the audience to perceive it with a serious
Show More

Related Documents: The Maltese Falcon Analysis

The Maltese Falcon Film Analysis

One of the required films for this module was "The Maltese Falcon", directed by John Huston in 1941. The Maltese Falcon is arguably known as the beginning of the genre "film noir". The novel begins when Miss Wonderly wants to hire the services of a private detective to find her missing sister, who happened to run off with a scoundrel named "Thursby". She offered a large sum of money to find him. Soon after the investigation began, one of the private detectives was shot and killed, followed by the…

Words 395 - Pages 2

Film Analysis: The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon The Maltese Falcon was a 1941 noir detective film. The film follows typical noir tropes, such as low key lighting, a dark male anti-hero, a femme fatale, and other shady characters. The main story starts off as usual noir films start. A beautiful woman, Wonderly, enters the office of private detective Sam Spade, Bogart, and ask for his help. Sam’s partner, Archer, hits on Ms. Wonderly as she asks the detectives to find a man named Thursby. The detectives agree to help Wonderly…

Words 871 - Pages 4

Montage: Reference and Film Essay

Writing a Cinema and Media Studies Essay Professor Jonathan Cohn Film Analysis Paper • 5-­‐6 Pages • Due Thursday April 3 ! • Choose two similar scenes from two different films and compare how they present one specific theme. • Analyze these two scenes at the level of cinematic technique in order…

Words 2721 - Pages 11

Chester Himes Cotton Comes To Harlem

class, one predominant theme in Chester Himes’ Cotton Comes to Harlem is that of religion. This theme, as expected, also permeates the second half of the novel. A particular excerpt that portrays this theme that I would like to bring into further analysis occurs in page 110 at the beginning of chapter 16. Himes writes, “Everything happens in Harlem six days a week, but Sunday morning, people worship God.” In addition, Himes states, “The bars are close. The stores are closed. The streets are deserted…

Words 524 - Pages 3

Analysis Of Supreme Court Cases

CRIMINOLOGY 13 CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FALL SEMESTER, 2014 COURSE SYLLABUS CLASS SECTIONS Section Number Days/Times Room 29760 MWF; 8:00 – 8:50 OAB 271 29761 T – Th; 8:00 – 9:20 OAB 271 COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will focus on the analysis and evaluation of notable Supreme Court cases, together with an examination of the logic and interpretive reasoning used by its justices in making constitutional judgments. Emphasis will be placed on the historic protection of individual rights…

Words 7388 - Pages 30