The Lazy Sunday Service

I came across the John Huston version of The Maltese Falcon in the DVD rentail shop yesterday and watched it last night. It was kind of strange to view the movie version just a day after finishing the book. It was remarkable how closely the film followed the book, with nearly all of the dialogue staying faithful to the Hammett's writing. It was also interesting to see a film where quite long scenes, involving a lot dialogue were filmed in one take, something that seems increasingly rare these days. Whilst I already had Bogart in my head for Sam Spade, Mary Astor did not match up to my mental image of the femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy. If they'd swapped round Mary Astor with Lee Patrick, who played Spade's secretary, it would have been nearer the mark. Elisha Cook Jr didn't fit Wilmer Cook either, for some reason. Bogart is excellent as Spade and so was Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo. A good film to complement a great book.

My posts this week
Review of Grift Sense by James Swain
Most nominated
The worst year for retail in living memory
Review of Havana Fever by Leonardo Padura
I can't get the film out of my head ...
Review of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Sucking down a cold beer ...