![]() (Also, if you look closely, you'll see Walter Huston, John's father, in a bit part.)Don't miss "The Maltese Falcon" if your taste is for mystery fare. Sidney Greenstreet, from the Theatre Guild's roster, is magnificent as a cultivated English crook, and Peter Lorre, Elisha Cook Jr., Lee Patrick, Barton Mac-Lane all contribute stunning characters. Mary Astor is well nigh perfect as the beautiful woman whose cupidity is forever to be suspect. Bogart is a shrewd, tough detective with a mind that cuts like a blade, a temperament that sometimes betrays him, and a code of morals which is coolly cynical. But slowly the bits fall together, the complications draw out and a monstrous but logical intrigue of international proportions is revealed.Much of the quality of the picture lies in its excellent revelation of character. Huston has adapted it, the mystery is as thick as a wall and the facts are completely obscure as the picture gets under way. Hammett's best): of a private detective in San Francisco who becomes involved through a beautiful but evasive dame in a complicated plot to gain possession of a fabulous jeweled statuette. Huston has pulled is a combination of American ruggedness with the suavity of the English crime school-a blend of mind and muscle-plus a slight touch of pathos.Perhaps you know the story (it was one of Mr. But we'll wager it wasn't half as tough nor half as flavored with idioms as is this present version, in which Humphrey Bogart hits his peak. We didn't see the first "Falcon," which had Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels in its cast. He has worked out his own style, which is brisk and supremely hardboiled. ![]() Huston give us again something of the old thrill we got from Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant melodramas or from "The Thin Man" before he died of hunger.This is not to imply, however, that Mr. But now, with "The Maltese Falcon," the Warners and Mr. In fact, we had almost forgotten how devilishly delightful such films can be when done with taste and understanding and a feeling for the fine line of suspense. Huston gives promise of becoming one of the smartest directors in the field.For some reason, Hollywood has neglected the sophisticated crime film of late, and England, for reasons which are obvious, hasn't been sending her quota in recent months. For "The Maltese Falcon," which swooped down onto the screen of the Strand yesterday, only turns out to be the best mystery thriller of the year, and young Mr. And maybe-which is somehow more likely-they wanted to give every one a nice surprise. Huston is a fledgling whose previous efforts have been devoted to writing scripts. Maybe they thought it best to bring both along under wraps, seeing as how the picture is a remake of an old Dashiell Hammett yarn done ten years ago, and Mr. There are many 10-minute play scripts available online.The Warners have been strangely bashful about their new mystery film, "The Maltese Falcon," and about the young man, John Huston, whose first directorial job it is. It doesn't last long, but its power can stand your hair on end.” ![]() The natural time constraint imposed by the form has in no way limited the power of the genreon the contrary, it enhances it, forcing playwrights to get the story moving quickly and keep dramatic action tight, encouraging actors to showcase their talents by playing multiple roles, and allowing audiences to enjoy a broad spectrum of theatre in one sittinga theatre buffet, so to speak.Ī popular anthology of 10-minute plays describes the genre this way: “A ten-minute play is a streak of theatrical lightning. Many of the most prominent playwrights of the modern Theatre have tried their hand at the ten-minute play, including David Mamet, Christopher Durang, Craig Lucas, Tony Kushner, David Ives, August Wilson, and many others. They are a legitimate form of theatre that has proven highly popular with audiences around the world. What began there as a quirky exercise in “Polaroid playwriting” has since evolved into nothing short of a theatrical phenomenonan exciting and powerful new format that has altered the theatrical landscape with its possibilities. Although Pierre Loving published a book of "ten minute plays" in 1923 (this anthology included pieces by such notable playwrights as Arthur Schnitzler, Ferenc Molnar and August Strindberg), the “official debut” of the 10-minute play as a genre is usually traced back to the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 1977 Humana Festival of New American Plays.
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