"The Maltese Falcon" - Head-to-Head Review -Thaddeus

The great thing about pulp fiction is how sweepingly broad it is. It goes from proto-superheroes like Doc Savage and The Shadow to the shadows and madness of H.P. Lovecraft to the hard-boiled tales of the Continental Op and Sam Spade.

And, though Dashiell Hammett only penned four Spade stories in all, he still stands as one of the great archetypes of the American Private Detective, inspiring legions of other sharp-eyed, fictional investigators.

So, for the benefit of you readers, I've gone through Spade's initial appearance in the novel "The Maltese Falcon" as well as John Huston's 1941 film adaptation, staring Humphrey Bogart.

I have to say, I heartily recommend both. A film that is so true to the original text, especially considering the caliber of the source, is a rare and delicious treat. Lines flow directly from the author's pen through the mouths of top-notch actors.

Seriously, the amount of unforgettable characters in this film is nothing short of unfair: Bogart's self-assured Sam Spade, Mary Astor's dubious-yet-charming Brigid O'Shaughnessy, Sydney Greenstreet's oddly jovial-yet-scheming Kasper Gutman and, of course, Peter Lorre's irrepressibly wormy Joel Cairo. They're making the other movies look bad.

The major difference between the book and the film is, for the most part, in which scenes the story could live without. Film adaptation is always about streamlining and, for once, you won't find me complaining about what isn't there. The end product is so thoroughly satisfying that, frankly... who cares?

On the other hand, the one addition to the film that sticks out in my mind is far from unwelcome. Spade's final line, one of the greats in cinema history, is so perfect that I was shocked the first time I realized it wasn't born of the original text.

The censorship of the day sliced off any overt sexuality as well as references to homosexuality found in the original text, but I'm told the 1931 film version has more of the racy stuff, if that's more to your taste. I hope to give it a glance in the near-future, but I'm afraid I'll be prejudiced against the lack of Bogart.

Bottom line: herein we have a single story that stands atop its genre in two separate media. If you haven't watched and/or read "The Maltese Falcon," do so.

If you've only done one, do the other.

Some things are called "Classic" for a reason.

-Thad out.