Welcome and the Maltese Falcon

Welcome to the first installment of the I’ve Got Something to Say! movies and blogging elective. In this class we watch movies that are based in and around San Francisco, and then write web logs about them. The blogs we write are to follow a basic three paragraph format: 1. give a synopsis of the movie, 2. give their opinion, citing specific points about the film, and 3. opine whether the movie needed to be filmed in San Francisco or could have been filmed in another location. With in each of these paragraphs, students will use the “Core Questions” that I develop for each film. These questions are handed out at the beginning of each film and are answered during the course of the movie. This is the format that will be followed for all subsequent entries, with the possible additional questions to be answered.

I am very excited about this class! The students have really taken to the tasks and have stated some fairly interesting points about our first film, The Maltese Falcon. It was really interesting watching the students follow and engage in the black and white film from 1941!

During the viewing, we discussed basic filming techniques and terminology used in the movie and blogging worlds. Each of the students were given a terminology sheet so that they can reference it and add to it as more films are presented. Each of the students have worked very hard and they should be commended on a job well done. Once you are done reading the blogs, please leave a positive comment so that we know that you have been here! Enjoy!

Logan Crespan

In class we watched the Film Noir movie, The Maltese Falcon, made in 1941 by John Huston. It was a thrilling and mysterious film. In the story, a woman named Brigid O’Shaughnessy said that she was looking for her sister. When Sam Spade’s partner (Miles Archer) went out looking for Brigid’s sister he was shot. A man named Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) wanted the jewel-encrusted Falcon, which was worth a lot of money. He originally thought that Sam Spade had it. Then he hired Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) a money-loving detective to search for the Falcon. Sam Spade was already on a case for Bridget O’Saughnessey who was one of Gutman’s former accomplices. Later in the movie they all get caught up in the same controversy, and truths are revealed.

I really like this movie because it had an interesting plot, and a great cast of characters. I really liked the attitude of Sam Spade because he was a strict-money loving detective. I think that it was a perfect role for him. Mr. Gutman was played as a stereotype of a fat and jolly man. He was a very fun character to watch he always had clever lines. Also, I liked how the events in the plot fell into place in the story. In all of the events, if you look close you can see little clues to unlock some of the mystery yourself. Overall this was a great movie and I strongly suggest to watch it.

There are some good parts in the movie, but it did not have to be set in San Francisco. San Francisco was a good place to set it though. It was a relatively new town at the time, and there were a lot of empty dark alleys for things to happen. Also it had a very busy port (in the movie a boat is set on fire at the port). It could be set in any relatively busy city with a port. Like New York City, it was bigger and busier at the time. Also it had a port and some dark alleys. So I really suggest watching this 1941 masterpiece by John Huston.

Reynaldo Culannay

The Maltese Falcon is a good movie for people who like adventure and mystery. It was a film in 1941 and directed by John Huston. The movie is about two private investigators Sam Spade and Miles Archer, and set in in San Francisco. The two investigators are informed about a lady named Miss Wonderly and she told them that her sister was missing. Then Miles followed a suspect, but the suspect killed him. So Sam Spade investigates the mystery of Miles’ death and found that their clients real name is Brigid O’ Shaughnessy and found more about her background. She was scared because she did something wrong a long time ago so she turned to Sam Spade for help. But Sam Spade learned more about Brigid, like she stole the Maltese Falcon, she killed Miles and worked with a businessman named Gutman with his workers Joel Cairo and Wilmer (The Kid). Overall, the end of the movie ended by Brigid going to jail.

I thought that the movie was good because it have a lot of mysterious things that happened in the story line. The story line was interesting with a lot of intense action, unknown killing, and the black and misty shadows. To me, the movie gave a lot of unknown information in the beginning but at the end the whole mystery was solved. What I didn’t like was all the shadows and darkness that was everywhere because it made it hard to see the people. The movie is really old fashion and uses a lot of stereotypes because it was placed in the past. Overall, since it’s the first Film Noir it’s a pretty good movie if you like intense mystery.

I thought that the movie should never have been set in San Francisco because it would be better where the real Maltese Falcon was located. It should be placed in the Istanbul, Turkey where Brigid O’ Shaughnessy, Joel Cairo, and a guy named, Floyd Thursby tried to steal the Maltese Falcon. It will show us hints to where the real Maltese Falcon is rather than where the fake one that Gutman’s workers stole.

San Francisco has a lot of people so it’s easy to hide because in the old days in San Francisco. There weren’t that many tall buildings so people could hide in dark corners. In conclusion, the Maltese Falcon is well-written movie with a lot of action, and mystery, but has bad settings and surroundings.

Arash Ehya

The Maltese Falcon (1941) follows private eye Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) in one of the most important cases of his life. The story takes so many twists and turns it’s hard to follow. Of course, that’s typical for this style of film. In the end, it all gets unraveled and the viewer is left utterly astounded. The film starts off with a stereotypical, emphasis on the “typical”, female character for the time period. She’s timid, nervous, and very submissive. She enters the private offices of Sam Spade politely asking for his help in finding the shady boyfriend of her “sister”, Floyd Thursby. As Spade and his partner begin to pursue Thursby, Spade’s partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) and Thursby himself are both shot and killed within the same hour on complete opposite sides of town. Due to Spade’s sexual activity with his deceased partner’s wife, he is not emotionally stricken.

As Spade investigates both murders to cover his own scrutinized back, he begins to inspect the woman who solicited him at the start of the film, Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Through his endeavor of suspecting this seductive woman, he learns about a historical and valuable artifact, a golden and jewel crested statuette of a falcon given to King Charles by the Knights of Malta; this is the “Maltese Falcon”. Then, another strange character is introduced named Kasper Gutman. He’s fat, jolly, and hungry for the artifact he has been searching for throughout 17 painstaking years of his life, the Maltese Falcon. Gutman’s ragtag team of followers try to take the Maltese Falcon from who they believe is the owner, Sam Spade. Meanwhile, Sam Spade receives a package from a mysterious sailor who dies as he hands it to Spade. As Spade hastily rips open the wrapping, it is revealed to be the Maltese Falcon. Hungry for money and information, Spade decides to strike a deal with the strange and shady crew of Gutman. He decides to sell this artifact of mystical quality to the man who longed for it so fiercely.  After a serious conspiracy unfolds between Bridget O’Shaughnessey and the cohorts of Kasper Gutman, the film satisfies the viewer thoroughly with a swift and explanatory ending similar to other films of this genre. The insanity continues as it turns out Ms. O’Shaughnessy was in cahoots with Gutman’s crew all along. As the tables turn and Spade comes out on top, he leaves with the artifact that turned out to be fake, leaving all of Gutman’s crew in despair and law enforcement in glee.

This film is proof that cinema is an art. The depiction of emotion mixed with common stereotypical elements make this film a must see. It really stands out from all of the other films of this era. This glorification of classic film is something that keeps the average viewer from exploring all times of film. A viewer may go and watch a film like Gone With the Wind and think that all “old” films are the same melodramatic hubbub. The Maltese Falcon is superb; not only because it is generally well made from a technical standpoint but because it still stands to the test of time. It has aged well. People who enjoy films as undeniably horrible as Meet the Spartans will still enjoy this film because it grabs the viewer. The acting, lighting, underlying power play, and fresh characterization of character types all make this film A-grade.

Did this film have to be set in the San Francisco Bay Area? Yes. I believe that wholeheartedly. Everyone agrees that films of the Film Noir genus should be set in a mysterious city. San Francisco provides the perfect setting for a story like this. It’s not too big and not too small. It’s crowded enough for a mystery like this to happen, but barren enough for it to be uncovered. Many points in the film lead to the necessity of it being based in San Francisco. Over all, San Francisco is the size and scale of a setting required for The Maltese Falcon.

Carina Jaime

In class, my peers and I watched the Maltese Falcon, made in 1941 by John Houston. It was based in San Francisco and the two main
characters are Sam Spade and Miles Archer. In the beginning of the film, Miles Archer was shot at night by a dangerous evil killer.
Nobody knew what happened to him. Before he was killed a lady named Brigid O’Shaughnessy came to see Sam Spade’s office. She told him that she was searching for her sister and she knew that she would find her in San Francisco. The tricky part is that it was all a lie. Sam pretended to follow along but he knew it was not true. Throughout the film, Miss Wonderly is known as a liar. She lied about many things like her name. Her real name is Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Sam knew that she lied so he paid her a visit at her apartment. When Sam arrived, all she said was more lies. It turned out that she was looking for a black bird, which is the Maltese Falcon. There was another guy named Kasper Gutman, also known as the fat man. He was also looking for the black bird. One day someone came to Sam’s office and was dying. He had dropped a big package on the floor and he instantly knew what it was, it was the Maltese Falcon. Brigid tricked Sam into her apartment. Gutman, Wilmer and Joel Cairo were there. He told them that he had the bird and he would give it to them in return for money. The bird was fake and Brigid ended up being the one who killed Miles Archer.

I think that this movie had a weird beginning to it because of the killing and lies. By the middle of the movie, it started making more
sense to me. I understood why everybody wanted to know Sam. I thought that the plot of the movie was very good because it gets you thinking bout every little thing. Also, there were parts where I didn’t like it because it just didn’t make sense at all and I wondered if there was going to start connecting anytime soon. Even though it was weird how they set it up, I liked it anyways.

What was good about this movie is how they wrote it and the characters that they picked for each person. Something that impressed me was how all the people were into their characters. I also liked that they made it be in San Francisco because it’s a well know city and because I could see the crime actually happening there. Also, the time period that they set is good because it helped the plot more. For example, everything was done with money and no credit cards. Something I didn’t like is that they made so many stereotypes. One example of a stereotype is that women are a weaker sex and that men are the only people that can do the important things. Overall, the film was pretty good and I would recommend it to other people because it’s a good classic movie.

Jacob McPherson

The Maltese Falcon is one of the few 100% movies I have ever seen (besides Trolls 2). All the characters did what I wanted them to do,
nothing spectacular from anyone, save Humphrey Bogart, who is awesome. The plot took place in 1940 San Francisco, which I thought should’ve taken place in New York because it was bigger, and everyone in San Francisco talks like they’re from New York.

The main characters, Sam Spade and Miles Archer are privatedetectives. A woman comes in as Miss Wonderley and asks them to tail a man named Floyd Thursby. Archer goes after him and gets shot. Sam gets the blame for a brief fling he had with Archer’s wife. Afterwards, Sam gets a call from a Brigid O’Shaughnessy and she asks him to go to her apartment. It turns out that it was Miss Wonderley but Brigid was her real name. Apparently she came to San Francisco with Floyd to escape her pursuers from Istanbul. As Sam goes back to his office to contemplate what has happened a man named Joel Cairo comes into his office, with a scented business card. Spade quickly lets him in and Joel pulls a gun on him. Spade apprehends him but makes the mistake of giving him the gun again; Joel continues to search Sam’s room for a black bird. When Joel leaves, Sam meets up with a man named Gutman, who informs Sam about the Maltese Falcon, a jewel encrusted statuette covered in black enamel. Gutman then threatens if he doesn’t get the bird he will make things uncomfortable. Sam leaves and meets up with Brigid to talk about the bird where he is told Joel and Gutman are working together, Sam goes back to Gutman’s place and is knocked out. Upon awakening Sam leaves to go to his office. When he gets there, a man more dead than alive, lumbers into his office with the Maltese Falcon. He promptly goes to the bus station to leave it in a locker. Afterwards he goes to Spade’s place to collect the money where he gets them arrested. I left out most of the detail because I don’t want to spoil it, and you know they got arrested anyway.

As for my opinion, I loved this movie! It was a fantastic mystery movie where nothing at all was predictable. I have always been a fan
of Film Noir, and this, being the first Film Noir, was an A+ without having to do anything! All the actors had very clever lines and they
were well established. This film is a definite must see.

Nathan Miller

In the “I’ve Sot Something to Say!” elective, over the past two weeks, we watched The Maltese Falcon. It is a Noir film starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, directed by John Huston. In the opening scene we were introduced to Sam Spade, played by Bogart, and his partner Miles Archer. A lady approaches them by the name of Miss Wonderly, who asks them to look for her sister who is with a man named Floyd Thursby. Miles takes the task and is killed, also found murdered is Floyd Thursby. We next learn that Miss Wonderly was lying and her real name is Brigid O’Shaughnessy. She tells Sam that she was here with Thursby and upon returning to his office he is held up by a man named Joel Cairo who is looking for a black bird.

Sam notices a kid following him, and confronts him, thus setting up a meeting between Sam Spade and Gutman. Gutman is after the same black bird and turns out to be employing Joel Cairo. Gutman drugs Spade, and when he wakes up he returns to his office where a man, seconds away from death, appears and drops a package containing the bird. Spade hides the bird and then comes face to face with Gutman and his crew, along with Brigid. Gutman pays Spade one thousand dollars of hush money and is then forced to flee. Then Spade calls the cops and releases the locations of each of them, and gets Brigid to admit she shot Miles Archer.

I think this is an excellent mystery movie full of plenty of twists and turns. If you are looking for an entertaining Film Noir, I would highly recommend The Maltese Falcon. I would move this to the top of my short list of mystery movies and happily watch it again. Even though this is a black and white film it doesn’t take away from the story, and helps set the mood of the time period. I give The Maltese Falcon two thumbs up.

I do not think The Maltese Falcon has to be set in San Francisco. The only completely needed thing for the plot to work was a port, and cities like New York and Portland could have easily fulfilled this requirement. In the time period of the movie, San Francisco was less populated than these cities though, and there is something to be said for that. Also S.F. was seen as a mysterious city, full of shadowy figures with lots of interesting characters coming and going. Other than one of the opening scenes in the movie however, there were no shots of the city itself that gave away it’s location. I do not think The Maltese Falcon had to be set in San Francisco.

Daniel Peterson

In our elective, we watched The Maltese Falcon, a noir film starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. The movie is based on the mystery by Dashiell Hammett. The film begins when Sam Spade (Bogart) and his partner, Miles Archer, are contracted by Miss Wonderly (Astor), to find her sister, who is staying with Floyd Thursby, who supposedly is very dangerous. While following Floyd, Miles is shot and killed. Floyd Thursby was also killed in close proximity. Then Miss Wonderly reveals that her real name is Bridget O’Shaughnessy. When Sam Spade returns to his office, he has a gun pointed at him by a man by the name of Joel Cairo, who searches his office. On a return visit to Brigid’s hotel room, he realizes that he is being followed by someone. Bridget refers to the follower as the “Kid”, and says that if he’s here, she and Floyd Thursby, who was her partner, were followed to San Francisco by someone she calls the “Fat Man”. Sam goes to meet the Fat Man. At the meeting, Sam pretends to get quite angry, and then proceeds to storm out. At the meeting he learns “the Kid’s” name is Wilmer. Later that day, Sam returns for another meeting, and the “Fat Man”, whose name is Gutman, reveals to Sam the history of the Maltese Falcon. Then Gutman poisons Sam, and leaves to search for the falcon. When Sam Spade regains consciousness, he returns to his office, where a nearly dead man delivers the falcon, then dies. After cleverly hiding the falcon, Sam Spade returns to his apartment, where Gutman, Joel Cairo, Bridget O’Shaughnessy, and Wilmer are waiting. Sam Spade then negotiates the sale of the bird for ten thousand dollar. Unfortunately, for Gutman, the bird is a fake. After Gutman, Wilmer, and Joel Cairo leave, Sam Spade learns that Bridget was the person who killed his partner, and she goes to jail.

The Maltese Falcon is an excellent movie, and I would recommend it to a mystery movie or Noir Film lover. However, for the casual watcher, the plot is a bit hard to follow. With that being said, I would recommend it to someone who is willing to pay attention to detail. Also, the movie uses many stereotypes about women, fat people and foreigners so I wouldn’t watch it if you are sensitive to that sort of thing. Despite these subtle uses of stereotypes, the acting is excellent, and it is an all-around excellent movie.

This movie is very good, but the San Francisco setting is completely and totally unnecessary. The creators make no effort to visit any of San Francisco’s major landmarks, and apparently, the only requirement for a city as the setting is one with a port, where ships from the Orient arrive at. The setting of San Francisco is not necessary, and a lot of the groups who would be a major part of San Francisco, like the Chinese, are conspicuously absent. The setting of San Francisco is pointless. However, the choice of San Francisco is no worse than any other city on the West Coast, so it really doesn’t matter.

Kyle Schank

In class we watched The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart.  This film was in the style of Film Noir.  John Huston, a famous director from that time, was the director.  The movie is about two private investigators.  One day a woman (Miss Wonderly) comes into their office and asks them to help her find her sister.  Soon after this happens Sam Spade’s (Humphrey Bogart) partner Miles Archer is killed.  We later find out that Miss Wonderly’s real name is Brigid O’Shaughnessy, and that she doesn’t have a sister.  Sam Spade meets with a businessman by the name of Kasper Gutman. He wants the Maltese Falcon, and he believes Sam Spade has it.  Gutman and his men threaten Sam Spade to try and scare him into giving them the Maltese Falcon.  Sam Spade ends up giving them the Maltese Falcon, but it turns out to be a fake!  Once Gutman and his men leave, Sam calls the cops and turns them in.  Brigid tells Sam that she was the one who killed Miles Archer.  Against his will, Spade turns her in because he knows it is the right thing to do.  He gives the cops the fake Maltese Falcon for evidence, and this is how the film ends.

I liked the movie.  It was good.  Even though it was in black and white, which living in the age of color I am not used to that, it was still very entertaining.  There was a lot of mystery.  You didn’t want to leave the film because you would probably miss a subtle clue.  For example, when Sam Spade leaves Gutman’s room, and when he’s on the elevator about to leave Joel, Cairo comes off another elevator and goes into Gutman’s room.  There were many more instances like this in the film.  I thought there was some really good acting. I haven’t ever watched a Film Noir movie.  So I really liked the fact that you never really knew who was the bad person or good person.  They were all just kind of hidden people, especially at the beginning of the movie, you didn’t know much about what the characters were up to.

Some good aspects of the movie were, the acting was really good and it looked really real in terms of the fighting for a 1940’s film.  Personally, I didn’t see much that was bad about the movie, at times the plot was a bit difficult for me to follow but I think that was how the film was supposed to be.  You had to really pay attention to everything that was happening in the film or else you could miss a key line or action.  I also like mysteries as a genre.  One of my favorite types of movies is a well-written, well-acted mystery.  I felt that this movie could be placed in any big town that borders the ocean in the United States.  I thought New York City would fit because it has a big foreign port.  It was built up already and was established.  San Francisco had a lot of dark corners and no skyscrapers at this time.  Overall this movie was very enjoyable and entertaining.  As you can see, I didn’t find anything wrong with it and I will look forward to watch more Film Noir.

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