The Maltese Falcon (Old Time Radio) by Humphrey Bogart Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Maltese Falcon (Old Time Radio)
Book Review: Maltese Falcon Retrospective
Summary: 5 Stars
The remastered print of the original John Huston classic made the viewing a treat for the seasoned viewer of this Dashiel Hammett classic. The additional material, such as the Warren Williams and Betty Davis versions of the story, were of particular interest for those who consider the Bogart version a cinematic gem. They provided Huston with a blueprint of what to avoid in the third rendering of the novel. The 3 disc special edition is a must for anyone who cherishes this genre and the historical evolution of literature on the screen.Book Review: Don't Forget the Old Ones!
Summary: 5 Stars
Definitely one of the greatest detective movies of all time! Many times through the years I have to watch this movie again and it is always fun to lend it to young adults that never had the chance to grow up with Boggy any rest of the characters of that time. A Great Movie to have in any collection!Book Review: The Maltese Falcon (Three-Disc Special Edition)
Summary: 5 Stars
The Maltese Falcon (Three-Disc Special Edition)~ Humphrey Bogart is one of the best detective movies of all time. The character Sam Spade is a legend and every detective ever since has been modeled after this. Bogart is absolutely stupendous in his role and he should have won some kind of award for it. I might even say that the academy award would have been justified for this movie. The music is minimal but it is very effective. The script is very well written and I would have to say it is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I give it 5 well deserved stars.Book Review: Compare and contrast
Summary: 4 Stars
The 'spotlight' reviews of The Maltese Falcon (1941) are on the money. It remains a remarkably modern, cynical film that holds up very well today. I remember my father talking about seeing it when it first came out, and talking of how, unlike so many other films, it moved like lightning. Mysteries in particular were typically slow moving films with too much comedy thrown in for light relief. The Huston version of The Maltese Falcon changed everything.
This new deluxe edition is wonderful, in part because it is great to finally have the two earlier versions easily available to watch, at least for a Falconite.
The Cortez version, yes, is inferior. It is an excellent contrast with the Huston version, in that it follows the story, uses similar dialogue, but in comparison is so...minor. It does have some nice extra scenes, including the ending, and is worth watching, but more as a document from an era. It has its own charms, but remains inferior to the 1941 version.
The 1935 version, though, is a remarkable disaster. It is terrible, either as a comedy or a mystery. There is pointless shifting of the story line (the Sydney Greenstreet character is a woman, to cite one ridiculous change). The Sam Spade character is a lightweight who does not give a damn about anything, but not because he is cynical--he just comes across as stupid.
But by far the biggest mistake is the waste of a radiant Bette Davis. One can only imagine what Davis would have been like working in the Huston version--although Mary Astor was totally terrific. The comedy version is an excellent example of Hollywood completely screwing up.
In this three disk special edition, the extras are both good and bad. I expected to see deleted scenes and bloopers from the Falcon movies--however, I don't remember any in the blooper reel provided. What was the point in seeing James Cagney and Pat O'Brien bloopers? The toons were okay, but so what? I haven't gotten yet to the radio versions, which should be interesting listening. But where is the documentary about the Huston version? About the other versions--the extras are all throwaways, which is annoying.
The transfers are excellent--I haven't noticed the synchronization problem one reviewer on these pages noticed, so I'll take another look..
Book Review: Great Restoration of Maltese Falcon...HOWEVER......
Summary: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed watching the restored John Huston version of the Maltese Falcon from this set of DVD's, However, the bonus materials are another matter. The volume levels on the bonus materials fluctuate quite a lot. Just when you think you have the right volume for your room on one segment,the next one is far too loud, not only scaring the dog,but resulting in a freshly popped bag of microwave popcorn to be spilled on to your lap and living room floor after you,ve been startled.
Also,on one of the cartoons,The original sountrack has been mixed to be heard in the left front speaker of a sound system and added music from a taped Cartoon recording session is heard on the right front speaker. It doesn't match up well and I found it jarring. All in all though a good set to have