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Re: RARA-AVIS: Noir/hardboiled
Michael David Sharp wrote:
> How does Huston's *Maltese Falcon* movie compare to Hammett's novel? I do
> not mean "which is better?" or "does it lose something in the
> translation?" I mean, are their tones/moods/styles similar or dissimilar,
> and how so? It would be cool if we could start talking specifics about
> different Noir-Boiled texts (not that the generalities aren't
> fascinating). Michael
>
Well, it's clear that MDS is an academic. The word "texts" has taken
over many discussions!
But to the point: I like both versions, and I think that
Huston/Bogart do /does very well in translating the feeling of the
novel to the screen--certainly better than the 2 earlier versions.
The 1931 film with Ricardo Cortez isn't too bad, but the 1936 with
Bette Davis and warren Williams, called SATAN MET A LADY, is
dreadful.
Not only did Huston stay fairly close to Hammett's original but his
b&w cinematography keeps the mood. The colorized version, however, is almost
as bad as the Davis/Cortez.
But no film version can include Flitcraft.
Doug
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