1941, 101 minutes
Directed by John Huston
CINEMA CLASSICS
In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman (Mary Astor). As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows as Sam's partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man (Peter Lorre) demanding he locate a valuable statuette. Sam, entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejeweled Maltese falcon.
An amazing crime story turned into a classic film - Huston's first film as director adapted writer (and former private detective) Dashiell Hammett's book into one of the first and best film noirs, although it was the third film made from the story. This time the film set the standard for all noirs to follow with thrilling mystery and humor, cementing Bogart as a superstar for all time.