Weekly Journal - The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Introduction

The film that we had watched on last Friday is The Maltese Falcon (1941). This film is directed by John Huston. The Maltese Falcon is a film noir when 1941. I will be discussing what is the film noir in this journal. Film noir is a term coined by French critics in 1946. The period of film noir emerged was 1941 – 1958. In film noir, it features a world of criminals, of darkness and violence with characters’ central motives are usually greed, lust, and ambition, drenched in fear. In film noir, most of these films are the film in black and white.

Theory Discussion – Semantic and Syntactic Approach

Semantic = Visual

• ·         Mise-en-scene

-          - Locations / settings

-          - Makeup and costume

-          - Lighting

-          - Actors’ behaviors & movement

Syntactic = Themes

-         -Types of characters

-         - Heroes vs Antiheroes

-         - Ideologies and Structure – theme and convention find in the film

There are 3 conditions for any genre which are

1.      1.  The film must possess general semantics and syntaxes

2.      2. The spectator expectation and hypothesis must be present

3.      3. Genre as a paradox for being conservative and innovative at the same time.

Theory Discussion – Film Noir

Through visually part, I can know that what are the techniques that have used in this film. 

Visually:

• ·         Dark with lots of shadows - Due to the black and white film, the shadow was emphasized in the movie.

 

• ·         High-contrast lighting

 

• ·         German-expressionistic – Oblique vertical and horizontal lines
• 
• 
  
• ·         Always have locations such as alleyways, cramped corridors, etc.
• ·         Setting is city-bound, comprising of rain-washed roads and dimly-lit interiors

 

The theme has discussed what kind of the film had shot and what type of character in the movie.

Thematically:

·         Cynical, pessimism and dark

·         Corrupted characters, fatalistic themes, hopeless tones, blurred morals, and intellect

·         Hard-boiled anti-hero vs femme fatale

·         Tales of criminal motives

·         Usually features a narration

 Synopsis

Sam Spade and Miles Archer as a detective and they meet Ruth Wonderly when 1941 in San Francisco. Wonderly told them her sis were missing who was followed, Floyd Thursby. One of the midnight, Miles Archer and Floyd Thursby was murdered. Spade suspected that was Wonderly did. He started to investigate and find out the truth. The Gutman and Joel Cairo were finding the bird. Spade did not give back the Falcon to Gutsman even he had paid $25,000 because there had 3 people were murdered who are Archer, Thursby, and Jacobi. Lastly, Spade had found out Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Wonderly) who has killed Archer and implicate Thursby.

Analysis

The theme of cynical, pessimism and dark has been applied in this film. The main character, Sam Spade has play the theme of cynical. Sam Spade as a detective and he act as an antihero character. Spade as a greedy person and a betrayer. Sam Spade takes the money as much as she gave from Brigid O'Shaughnessy. Besides, he betrayed his friend, Archer. Sam Spade has a relationship with a woman, Iva who was Archer’s wife.

Darkness is the one of characteristic of German Expressionism. The shadows were created in vertical and horizontal lines. Lighting is playing the important role in this film. Due to the whole movie was filmed in black and white, the light has created the shadow.

Femme Fatale vs Hardboiled Antihero in Film Noir

In this film, Brigid O'Shaughnessy was playing the role as femme fatale. There are certain traits of the femme fatale such as beautiful and seductive. In this kind of woman, her costume usually is a dress, elbow length gloves, high heels, fur coats and so on. Brigid O'Shaughnessy get contain for being naughty in the movie. She portrayed herself like a weak woman. She was a sexual expressive woman. She also acts as a manipulators and liar. She murdered Archer but she told another story to misleading Sam Spade. She tried to manipulate Sam Spade to find out what she wants. However, she would suffer what she had done. In the end, she was caught. 

Furthermore, the secretary of Sam Spade acts as a good woman because she loyal to Sam Spade while working. However, she also plays the role like a liar and skimmer. She had an ambiguous relationship with Sam Spade.

Sam Spade acts as an antihero. He is a cunning, smart, liar, and greedy person. He knew the Archer was murdered by Brigid O'Shaughnessy and implicate to Thursby. Besides, Sam Spade had a relationship with Archer’s wife. He lies on his partner, Miles Archer.

Conclusion

To me, I do not like this kind of film. This is because the theme of this film is negative such as cynical, dark and pessimism. Hence, all the characters are playing the role of antihero. Every character has their negative characteristic. It cannot give any positive idea for audience. Throughout the story is just talking about how the characters want to get the “bird” in negative ways.