The Maltese Falcon. 1941. USA. Directed by John Huston
These notes accompany the screenings of John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon on May 18 (in Theater 2), 19 (Theater 3), and 20 (Theater 2).
John Huston (1906–1987) has always been something of an enigma to me. The director of The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The Asphalt Jungle, The Red Badge of Courage, The African Queen, and late-career gems like The Man Who Would Be King, Prizzi’s Honor, and The Dead is too formidable to be dismissed out of hand. Yet there are too many instances where Huston seems to fail to be engaged or, over his two-decade-long middle period, seems blatantly frivolous. Read more
