The Maltese falcon
Introduction
The Maltese Falcon (1941) is one of the most popular and best classic detective mysteries ever made, and many film historians consider it the first in the dark film noir genre in Hollywood. It leaves the audience with a distinctly down-beat conclusion and bitter taste. The low-budget film reflects the remarkable directorial debut of John Huston (previously a screenwriter) who efficiently and skillfully composed and filmed this American classic for Warner Bros. studios, with great dialogue, deceitful characters, and menacing scenes. The precocious director Huston was very faithful to Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel The Maltese Falcon, that had originally appeared as a five-part serialized story in a pulp fiction, detective story magazine publication named Black Mask. However, for an early preview audience, the film took a different, short-lived title, The Gent From Frisco. There were two major differences between the book and film: (1) Gutman was killed by Wilmer, and (2) the last quotable line of dialogue, with a Shakespearean reference, was thought up by Bogart on the set.
Theory Discussion
Film noir is not easily defined. The actual words come from French and mean "black cinema." It was in France during the post-war years that the term was used to describe a certain set of Hollywood films that were saturated with a darkness and cynicism that was not seen before. These movies included The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), Laura (1944), and Murder, My Sweet (1944). According to Schrader, the first element was World War II and post-war disillusionment. Many of the films during the 1930s and early 1940s were propaganda-type films that were designed to cheer people's bleak outlook during the hard times of the Depression and World War II. It was beginning in the early 1940s, that film noir, such as The Maltese Falcon and Laura, began to appear. The films of the 1940s reflected the disillusionment felt in the country, especially with the soldiers returning home and women losing their jobs at the end of the war. These films, such as The Blue Dahlia, where a sailor comes home to find his wife kissing another man and their son dead due to her drunkenness, showed the cynicism felt by some Americans. So here are some characteristics that may help in identifying a noir such as scenes appear dark, as if lit for night, with many dark shadows; oblique and vertical lines, especially in regards to lighting; shadows; films done in black and white.
Synopsis
Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That's for Sam Spade and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn't like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wonderly, walks into their office; and by that night everything's changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby. It seems Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There's Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There's Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men -- and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon.
Analysis
Lighting
The main lighting in films noir is based on the traditional three-point lighting set-up, which includes a key light (the hard and dominant light highlighting the subject), the fill light (which complements the fill by reducing high-contrast shadows), and the back light (which defines the background from the main subject). In the still below, we can see the key light illuminating the face of Mrs. O’Shaughnessy, the back light defining the physical setting, and a lack of fill light to diminish the shadows on the faces. There is also an eye-light, which is to thank for the glisten in Mrs. O’Shaughnessy’s emotion-filled eyes.
Cucocolis, or cookies, are cutouts placed between the light source and the object. This lighting element is used in Maltese Falcon, notably in the offices of Spade and Archer. The still below shows a high-contrast cookie shadow of the detective firm’s name, giving the illusion of text on a window projecting onto the floor with an outside light source.
Femme Fatale
Aside of lighting elements, the archetypical femme fatale is another film noir element that is portrayed in the frames of Maltese Falcon. When Mrs. O’Shaughnessy is revealed to be the culprit, it comes as a surprise. Her beauty and sensitivity have the audience convinced that she is innocent, kind and broken. Everything that seemed impossible before became reality through this breach of trust.
Character Corrupted
The other characteristic of film noir: Character Corrupted. Everyone must have their own dark side. Film noir represent this humanity as well. Almost all the characters in this film are character corrupted as it shows the real society is full of darkness. For example, Miles, Policemen and Sam Spade. Miles is character corrupted as he is lecherous. He keeps looking at Ms. Wonderly when Ms. Wonderly first time comes to their office even Miles already married .Everyone are not good or kind as some of the films show.
Conclusion
In conclusion, film noir is popular during World War II. It different with existing film by showing the darkness of the society. It presents as a remind to their audiences that real people in the real world are not angel. Besides that, it also emphasizes on the darkness of women by the term of femme fatale. Showing how a woman exercises sexuality with the purpose to satisfy her desire. This theory is good to remind the real society instead of keeps showing the good sides to the society.
Bibliography
Hoerneman, C. (2016, September 20). Library Point.org. Retrieved from What is Film Noir: http://www.librarypoint.org/what_is_film_noir
SERHAN, N. (2015, February 1). Sites trufts. Retrieved from Lighting in The Maltese Falcon: https://sites.tufts.edu/nicserhanfilmnoir/2015/02/01/hello-world/
Spurlin, J. (1990-2018). IMBd. Retrieved from The Maltese Falcon (1941): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/plotsummary#synopsis
The Maltese Falcon (1941) is one of the most popular and best classic detective mysteries ever made, and many film historians consider it the first in the dark film noir genre in Hollywood. It leaves the audience with a distinctly down-beat conclusion and bitter taste. The low-budget film reflects the remarkable directorial debut of John Huston (previously a screenwriter) who efficiently and skillfully composed and filmed this American classic for Warner Bros. studios, with great dialogue, deceitful characters, and menacing scenes. The precocious director Huston was very faithful to Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel The Maltese Falcon, that had originally appeared as a five-part serialized story in a pulp fiction, detective story magazine publication named Black Mask. However, for an early preview audience, the film took a different, short-lived title, The Gent From Frisco. There were two major differences between the book and film: (1) Gutman was killed by Wilmer, and (2) the last quotable line of dialogue, with a Shakespearean reference, was thought up by Bogart on the set.
Theory Discussion
Film noir is not easily defined. The actual words come from French and mean "black cinema." It was in France during the post-war years that the term was used to describe a certain set of Hollywood films that were saturated with a darkness and cynicism that was not seen before. These movies included The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), Laura (1944), and Murder, My Sweet (1944). According to Schrader, the first element was World War II and post-war disillusionment. Many of the films during the 1930s and early 1940s were propaganda-type films that were designed to cheer people's bleak outlook during the hard times of the Depression and World War II. It was beginning in the early 1940s, that film noir, such as The Maltese Falcon and Laura, began to appear. The films of the 1940s reflected the disillusionment felt in the country, especially with the soldiers returning home and women losing their jobs at the end of the war. These films, such as The Blue Dahlia, where a sailor comes home to find his wife kissing another man and their son dead due to her drunkenness, showed the cynicism felt by some Americans. So here are some characteristics that may help in identifying a noir such as scenes appear dark, as if lit for night, with many dark shadows; oblique and vertical lines, especially in regards to lighting; shadows; films done in black and white.
Synopsis
Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That's for Sam Spade and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn't like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wonderly, walks into their office; and by that night everything's changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby. It seems Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There's Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There's Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men -- and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon.
Analysis
Lighting
The main lighting in films noir is based on the traditional three-point lighting set-up, which includes a key light (the hard and dominant light highlighting the subject), the fill light (which complements the fill by reducing high-contrast shadows), and the back light (which defines the background from the main subject). In the still below, we can see the key light illuminating the face of Mrs. O’Shaughnessy, the back light defining the physical setting, and a lack of fill light to diminish the shadows on the faces. There is also an eye-light, which is to thank for the glisten in Mrs. O’Shaughnessy’s emotion-filled eyes.
Cucocolis, or cookies, are cutouts placed between the light source and the object. This lighting element is used in Maltese Falcon, notably in the offices of Spade and Archer. The still below shows a high-contrast cookie shadow of the detective firm’s name, giving the illusion of text on a window projecting onto the floor with an outside light source.
Femme Fatale
Aside of lighting elements, the archetypical femme fatale is another film noir element that is portrayed in the frames of Maltese Falcon. When Mrs. O’Shaughnessy is revealed to be the culprit, it comes as a surprise. Her beauty and sensitivity have the audience convinced that she is innocent, kind and broken. Everything that seemed impossible before became reality through this breach of trust.
Character Corrupted
The other characteristic of film noir: Character Corrupted. Everyone must have their own dark side. Film noir represent this humanity as well. Almost all the characters in this film are character corrupted as it shows the real society is full of darkness. For example, Miles, Policemen and Sam Spade. Miles is character corrupted as he is lecherous. He keeps looking at Ms. Wonderly when Ms. Wonderly first time comes to their office even Miles already married .Everyone are not good or kind as some of the films show.
Conclusion
In conclusion, film noir is popular during World War II. It different with existing film by showing the darkness of the society. It presents as a remind to their audiences that real people in the real world are not angel. Besides that, it also emphasizes on the darkness of women by the term of femme fatale. Showing how a woman exercises sexuality with the purpose to satisfy her desire. This theory is good to remind the real society instead of keeps showing the good sides to the society.
Bibliography
Hoerneman, C. (2016, September 20). Library Point.org. Retrieved from What is Film Noir: http://www.librarypoint.org/what_is_film_noir
SERHAN, N. (2015, February 1). Sites trufts. Retrieved from Lighting in The Maltese Falcon: https://sites.tufts.edu/nicserhanfilmnoir/2015/02/01/hello-world/
Spurlin, J. (1990-2018). IMBd. Retrieved from The Maltese Falcon (1941): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/plotsummary#synopsis
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