The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)

The Maltese Falcon
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Huston
Screenplay byJohn Huston
Based onThe Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
Starring
CinematographyArthur Edeson[N 1]
Edited byThomas Richards
Music byAdolph Deutsch
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
  • October 3, 1941 (1941-10-03) (New York City)
  • October 18, 1941 (1941-10-18) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$375,000[2][N 2]
Box office$1.8 million[2]

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 American film noir in which a San Francisco private detective deals with three unscrupulous adventurers, all seeking a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette.[3] Written and directed by John Huston[3] in his directorial debut, the film was based on the 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett and is a remake of the 1931 film of the same name.[4][5][6] It stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade, Mary Astor as his femme fatale client, and as villains Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet.

The film premiered in New York City on 3 October 1941, and was an immediate success, eventually becoming one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress to be included in the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8]

  1. ^ a b "The Maltese Falcon (1941)". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup 1, 1–31 p. 22 doi:10.1080/01439689508604551
  3. ^ a b "The Maltese Falcon". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Hammett, Dashiell (1992). The Maltese Falcon. New York City: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. ISBN 978-0679722649.
  5. ^ "The Maltese Falcon". Variety. September 30, 1941. p. 9. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Harrison's Reports film review; October 4, 1941, p. 159.
  7. ^ "Entertainment: Film Registry Picks First 25 Movies". Los Angeles Times. Washington, D.C. September 19, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Complete National Film Registry". Library of Congress.


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