The following movie is also a black and white film and it called The Maltese Falcon (1941) directed by John Huston. As what I search from internet, there was a novel in 1929 before this movie releases its product. The quality of this film is better than Bicycle Thieves where we can see from the clarity of every scene.
Synopsis
This film started with an inspector, Samuel Spade received a called from police said that his friend, Archer get murdered after meeting with Wonderly on the morning. So, he went to crime scene to see what actually happened. Then, a man ,Thursby was killed and believed as the same time when Archer been murdered. After, that, two friends of Spade who suspected the killer might be Spade himself. Next, a man Cairo who worked with Gutman (The Fat Man that called by Wonderly) offered high price to buy the Falcon but Spade did not know what was the thing they mentioned. In the middle of quarreling, they found out the killer was bodyguard of Gutman. Why he wanted to kill Archer and Thursby? Why the Falcon looked very important to them? Who knows?
Theory Discussion
Film Noir
For this term, its can say to be crime film and it was started from 1941-1959. In 1940s, film noir was an expression of male concern at women's growing economic and sexual independence that threatens masculinity. However, it reinforces family values to overcome the femme fatale is intricate to the reassertion to (male) representation in 1950s.
The characters considered as equal in the movie. For example, all characters in Maltese Falcon had the evil side if we used different view to look into it. Spade helped Wonderly to figure out her missing sister but in other view would be he used to help because of money and female characteristic of Wonderly.
Everyone in the film lived in paranoia and fear society. They chose to kill people in order to take something valuable and the world is filled with dangerous which might harm him or her if he or she put down the alert. For example, Cairo threatened Wonderly not to say out who was 'The Fat Man' by using his gun to point toward her. This also showed how darkness at that society.
From the books Cinema Studies: The Key Concept written by Susan in page 150 and line 21-30, she mentioned that film noir has 3 characteristics which they are principle of contrastive lighting, highly stylised visual style and the specific location or setting. Firstly, the light used in The Maltese Falcon was low-key with high contrast value. This is because it wanted to show the mystery of the movie since it was a crime film which always putting a question to the audience.
Secondly, visual style like oblique angle and distortion were used in the film to enhance the German expressionistic. For example, the ceiling was very low in height and it gave a feeling like why don't the filmmaker finds high ceiling instead of low; it was very annoyed when looking that scene. Next, the setting is set to be city bound which the location was located in San Francisco and this will let the audience recalled what actually the same thing in German expressionism. For instance, the lighting used in the film, the visual distortion and also the rain-washed street. Character
He was an antihero character in the movie. For a normal person, the missing Falcon should be return to the police station but he thought differently which was why don't he used this falcon to sell high price. Moreover, he was inspector that played the buried morals in the film which means he kept any secret for his customers so that he knows the way to help them. Spade also a greedy and lecherous person who usually can see in bad character.
From her body, it produced femme fatale which means female characteristic. She tried to use her female side to confuse Spade so that Spade can continue for helping her to do something. She lied to Spade at the beginning and leaded him to go for Mr Gutman because she knew that she cannot confront Mr Gutman by herself.
Her husband was the working partner with Spade. She thought that Spade killed her husband because of he wanted to be with her but the truth was not right.
Cairo worked under Mr Gutman who was 'The Fat Man'. He was a cleanliness person as he always wearing a glove and he cannot stand of any dirty of his things like suit, hat and etc. He was also a person who get panic easily when the secret said out from Wonderly.
These two people were straight in the movie which reposible for what they actually did. As a detective, they worked as professional and did not get influence even the person they suspected was their friend.
She worked as a secretary in the same office with Spade. She represented good women because she planned anything for and followed everything from Spade to ensure everything was under control. Not only that but also she tried to help Spade to hide Iva (Archer's wife) with her because Spade thought that Iva was under dangerous since there was a man followed him whole day.
He was 'The Fat Man' in the film who was very rich and targeted on one thing which was The Falcon. He hired a young man to keep the eye to Spade because he knew that Spade was going to know his secret after meeting with Wonderly. He was the person who not keeps his promise. For example, when he knew the Falcon located in Spade's house; he don't keep his promise to give the money to Spade but to hit him down and rushed to his house to get the Falcon without paying the money.
Conclusion
It is not easy to know film noir because everything needs to think carefully. I liked this kind of movie because it brain storm my mind that how actually a crime scene should be make so you will understand the content of the movie. It is very challenge for me because it is the first time for me to watch this kind of film. Thanks for reading my blog.
References
S.Hayward (2013), Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts, Fourth Edition, Routledge, London and New York
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