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... found when referring to the characters of the film. The portrayal of them in Maltese Falcon suffers mainly from the transition to the Huston film. The setting of the movie was also aimed to make a certain impression on the viewer and besides sometimes was even giving some clues to the viewer about possible future events due to the influence of the setting not only on the situation, but also on the characters too. Spade was portrayed to have much more power in the Huston film than in the book. He seems to have more control over Brigid and in the whole situation that was going on.
First we can see this when we enter the apartment of Spade. In the book we have the feeling that Spades apartment was small, In his bedroom that was his living-room now the wall bed was up, (Pg. 61), which tells us that Spade was living in a bachelor room. Spades room seemed to have an image of simplicity for example no pictures no designs etc. As one of the main images, I got the impression that his room was rented. As we see here, Spade was represented in a small rented room because it some ways it shows instability but this is balanced with the coldness and the plainness of the room, which shows strength. This in ways gives us a distrusting side of Spade because it seems he has a duo personality.
While in the movie, Spade room seemed warmer with drapes and lanterns. He had many expensive couches. It seemed bigger than what I expected and they represented his place as a permanent resistance because he had pictures of horses on the wall. Overall, Spade seemed to be living a wealthy lifestyle with expensive furniture, living in a big apartment, which is a demonstration of power because wealth in a way of showing power. In addition, the fact that the apartment was permanent portrays that he was very stable and nobody could move him and again power comes into our mind.
Horses on the background view were used to emphasize to resemble Spade in the movie, because horses are very quick, intelligent, sophisticated and very powerful animals. Overall Spade is portrayed to have all the power in the movie while in the book there was a balance between the instability and authority, which in my opinion made the book more interesting than the movie. However, writing and cinematograph are two different kind of art and each has its strong and weak points. Sam Spade is not exactly the typical (or maybe even stereotypical) main character or rather a detective character (I think for any main character. ) By his looks / appearance , He looked rather pleasantly like a blond Satan (p. 3). Suggesting he is not angelic looking like lets say Humphrey Board (an indication that the movie is not true to the novel).
Again, we see Spade showing power when he is talking to Brigid in her own apartment. In the book, Spade says to Brigid that she is dangerous, but he looked down on the floor. This shows that he knows that Brigid is playing her game with him and it shows instability from his part. In the movie, while he was saying the same phrase, he did the quite opposite, he laughed a bit and he looked straight at her showing his authority and power. This shows that he was not afraid. Here again, we see evidence that aids this statement.
I cannot recall if Gutman said it in the movie about the Falcon being coated by lacquer to obfuscate that it is really made of gold and jewels. I think it was implied that nothing is what they really seem to be. This is what I believe Dashiell Hammett was trying to communicate through his novel, The Maltese Falcon. The characters are unlike the image and stereotype cast upon their roles. To summarize the ideas shown before the film ruined the ironic un-charming hero concept the novel have and so do I as one of my first example of the (things are not what they seem to be theory for Hammett's message). Spade is callous, avaricious.
This is mainly due to one thing Brigid Oshaughnessy gave Spade a speech about him using her pretty much the same thing Ford asked Mike in the airport. Brigid's comment Youve been playing with me? Only pretending you cared-to trap me like this? You didnt-care at all? You didnt-dont-I-love-me? Fords You used me... (p. 211 - 212) speech is strikingly similar to Brigid's including the reaction from Spade.
Brigid Oshaughnessy is a complex character in which that she appears to be a typical damsel-in-distress but suppose to be a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. Yet, Brigid is demure and gentle throughout the novel. In the movie, however, she seemed blunt unlike her very shy novel counterpart. She was less shy in the movie and she said why she needed Spade and Archers help, right away whereas in the book she said, Could you-? I thought-I-that is- softly. I think due to the feminist movement then they decided to make Brigid less shy.
Brigid's character is unlike the usual damsel-in-distress female role though she her mannerisms is. Brigid's non damsel-in-distress characteristics are subtle. Brigid's treacherous acts were mentioned but she was never shown acting it outright. These acts were also vague that it barely makes you think of Brigid any less. When I read the book, I did not see how Brigid is treacherous. Brigid lied but that does not seem treacherous at all maybe because I think it was written in a way as if she is telling a tiny white lie.
Her so-called treachery is obfuscated by her demure mannerism as if to soften them. In the end of the film when she revealed that she killed Miles she said it in a way that it was an innocent accident and goes on with her You used me... speech to make it look like the victim. Brigid's lines were written in a way they it makes her look victimized and sorry that we are inclined to be sympathetic of what a tortured soul she is that we cannot help but not realize that she is a manipulative witch. I should rather say that Brigid is a very well written and well-developed (even sophisticated) character. Hammett wrote her in a way that the reader thinks she is what she is: a poor victimized girl when she is subtly manipulating our judgment of her, making us think she is innocent.
Casper Gutman is very much like Santa Claus in a way that he seems jolly and calm all the time. Gutman never lost his temper once but even if he did, his face always stayed jolly. In my opinion, Gutman is the protagonist of the film, because he is the mastermind of the completely black bird caper. He has lethal underlings: Wilmer and (perhaps) Cairo. Gutman does not seem like a bad person, mainly due to the way he is portrayed as a jolly guy. It seems like he is the opposite of Spade.
Spade is the good individual who looks bad and Gutman is a bad one, who looked nice. I think Hammett never really established who is good and bad and Houston did not attempt to so either. Gutman never threatened Spade with his life to get the Falcon. Gutman hired Spade and Spade just did not agree with them not a big deal regular situation from life.
However, Gutman is not exactly an antagonist. I do not even think there is an antagonist who try to make the protagonists life hell except maybe Duty. In conclusion, I think Houston wants us to realize that not everything is black and white, there are shades of gray or so the saying goes. Not all good things are good and not all bad things are bad. Meaning we cannot just based everything with stereotypes and appearances for they are deceiving. In this component the movie was much more successful then the book (mainly due to unpredictability of the situations and especially due to much better masked personalities and backgrounds of characters).
Through it all its how good or bad a person is inside that determines whether they are indeed good and bad. This however cannot be seen, you will have to know this person before you can find out. Spade seemed callous as I said but he has a devoted loyalty to Miles. He did not show he cared for Miles but he did in the end when he put his feelings for Brigid aside to bring his partners killer to justice. Of course, Spade also did this because he does not want to be Brigid's sap but like I said nothing is clear. I feel this story is referring to the way the characters are.
That they are what they are, and they are not able to change it. The man left to live his life in a different direction and ended up living a similar one. I think that Spade is referring that Brigid is a liar and a sneer and she will never change and that she is not trust worthy. It does not matter what she says and what she wants. One distinct thing about this movie is that it is a good example of how film can influence literature. This sounds backwards and is a bit misleading, what I really mean to say is film influencing the reader.
Even though I read this book before seeing the movie, before even knowing there was a movie, after seeing the movie, I could not re-read the book without seeing the movie in my head. Even while reading that Spade looked like a lanky, blond Satan, I was picturing a stocky Bogart, dark hair perfectly slicked back, and brows knit over half lidded eyes. It is also normal to find ourselves mouthing along with the words as we read as if performing the dialogue. The unusual thing about this movie is how closely it sticks with the book. John Huston had his work cut out for him when it came to writing the screenplay. Perhaps the reason he was able to stick so close to the book is Hammett's writing style.
Critiques suggest that the author of the book was standing in front of a mirror, delivering a line to make sure it was menacing enough. All of this, his visual style of writing, is what makes both the movie and the book stand out at greats. What Hammett does with his written word, Bogart does with his eyebrow, with his voice. Mary Astor creates a Brigid whose pout and demeanor server to make the thin line between right and wrong all the more fuzzy.
How could a dame that beautiful and sweet be capable of thievery and murder? Well, quite easily we find out. Hammett and Huston let us step into the gritty world of detective fiction, where crime not only pays, but also is usually the only way to get by. This book and movie, though eleven years apart, could not have come at a more opportune time.
The book, which seemed a bit more like a story with a moral than the movie, came in the middle of peacetime. It was a time when no one was sure if the world was safe anymore, though they would like to think it was. The movie, which deepened the sinister feel of the book with dark shadows and oddly came right before the war, at a time of uneasiness and the fear that radiated from those that had been through the last war. They captured the darkness of an era, a generation lost between fighting and hope. Perhaps this is the reason for the last line of the story, after Spade has found the bird, one last jab at the futility of dreams. Polhaus Its heavy, what is it?
Throughout the search for the bird, we hold it valuable above all else, even life, but then, we find out its lead, worthless. Spade The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
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Research essay sample on Damsel In Distress Good And Bad
