The Maltese Falcon

1941's “The Maltese Falcon,” #69 on the IMDb Top 250 list, is an iconic piece of film that not only defined, but truly set the standard for all future film noir. In fact, many film historians credit “The Maltese Falcon” as being the first ever example of the genre.

The plot, according to IMDb, is such: “A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.”

To be honest, I thought there would be a lot more fuss over the actual falcon, especially after hearing that “It’s the stuff that dreams are made of” line roughly a bazillion times in various movie countdowns. But, to be fair, we did learn that the falcon is “considered a classic example of a MacGuffin, a plot device that motivates the characters of the story but otherwise has little relevance.”

I loved seeing such an affable, jokey Humphrey Bogart, especially coming after “Casablanca” where Bogart’s Rick is serious, angry, and cynical. Conversely, Bogart’s Sam Spade in “Falcon” is quite irreverant and good-humored.

I recognized Mary Astor from her role as Mrs. Smith in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and her turn as a femme fatale in “Maltese Falcon” was quite a change from the way I was used to seeing her! And of course our old friend Peter Lorre, who we’ve previously seen in “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “Casablanca,” made his required appearance in the film as yet another snivveling double-crosser.

The movie was a bit confusing, with numerous twists, lies, and double-crosses—by the end I was still trying to piece together where the true alliances had lain, why certain characters had made the choices they had, and who had committed the murders after all.

The group’s reception of the film was mostly lukewarm, but generally favorable. Stephen and Kyle don’t particularly care for dramas, so I think the movie ended up being a bit of a chore for them. When Jesse saw the menu screen pop up revealing the title of the movie, he exclaimed, “I’m so glad we’re watching this!” In the end, my feeling is very much the same. I’m so glad I finally saw this movie, which is #31 AFI’s Top 100 list. It’s a film that I can recognize as being well-crafted and certainly worthy of laud, but one which I will probably not have a desire to see again anytime in the near future.

7 out of 10 stars.

Casablanca

Before I revealed to the group exactly what we were watching this week, I told them I didn't expect everyone to like my pick. I knew it probably wouldn't be terribly popular. But, I told them, you can't be a true movie fan without seeing... "Casablanca."

This cinematic legend from 1942 tells the story of Rick and Ilsa, a sort of star-crossed pair of former lovers, who find each other in Casablanca after several years apart. The whole movie has a very film noir-ish quality to it, with lots of shadows, fog, cigarette smoke, flashbacks, and mysterious characters. This is the film that gave us such classic movie lines as "Here's lookin' at you, kid," "We'll always have Paris," and many, many more.

I warned everyone before the movie started that this is definitely a melodrama; you've got a guy standing in the rain at a train station morosely reading a letter, a leading lady who dramatically cries and turns away from the camera, young girls who implore our hero Rick for help, and everything in between.

But don't get me wrong, "Casablanca" has some amazing comedic moments as well. Claude Rains as Captain Renault in particular is an excellent character who gets to deliver some very fun and clever lines ("How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. Some day they may be scarce. ").

After the movie ended, Jesse remarked that he expected to be bored at some point during the film, but that he really never was. I agree, it's a movie that you absolutely fall into and don't notice that time has passed until it's all over. It's somewhat a mystery, somewhat a comedy, and definitely a romance of sorts. It really has everything you might want!

"Casablanca" is one of the most celebrated movies of all time, if not the most celebrated. In addition to the Academy Award for Best Picture, it has been named one of the best movies of all time by countless magazines, film institutes, film critics, etc. And with good reason- "Casablanca" has stood the test of time and still maintains its humor, its poignancy, and even its relevance.

I own the movie, so of course I love it. Jesse and Stephen spoke highly of the film after it ended, both saying it was very "solid." Kyle kept up his reputation has the hard-to-please member of the group by not caring for the movie all that much. I suppose you can't win them all!

We ended the afternoon by watching "Carrotblanca," a very clever Looney Toons spoof of "Casablanca" from 1995. It's a great little cartoon made all the more funny as a direct follow-up to "Casablanca" itself.

Overall I would call this edition of movie club a success. "Casablanca" is a timeless classic that just gets better and better with repeat viewings. I give it 9 stars out of 10.