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Post by vanhagar3000 on Jul 11, 2006 11:29:47 GMT -5
Two classics from the 1940s featuring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, and Sidney Greenstreet. Both movies are consistantly rank high on top movies lists. However, Casablanca always gets more reconition, and is ranked higher. I personally enjoyed the Maltese Falcon more. So did my dad. The story was more enjoyable for me, I liked the character more (more Lorre & Greenstreet!). Maybe I'm just a pessamistic asshole who hates romance, but I think the Maltese Falcon was a better movie.
I'd like to see if anyone thinks the same.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 11, 2006 11:36:39 GMT -5
I love them both. But if forced to choose at gunpoint, I'm going with Casablanca. If for no other reason than Ingrid Bergman trumps Mary Astor. Of course, in the "stunningly beautiful" category, Ingrid Bergman trumps pretty much every actress ever.  See? And VH, you should check out Neil Simon's The Cheap Detective. It is a send up of both movies simultaneously, and it is quite hilarious. |
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Post by ash2 on Jul 11, 2006 16:46:39 GMT -5
Casablanca is a perfect movie. There isn't a line or a shot in the movie that could be changed. To me it is the real life proof of the famous philosophical idea of an infinite number of monkeys hitting an infinite number of typewriters and producing the combined works of Shakespeare. With a seemingly infinite number of idiots in Hollywood writing an infinite number of movies one perfect one has managed to slip by in the last 80 years or so. Casablanca was a complete mess. It was being rewritten while it was being filmed and the actors got their lines sometimes seconds before they filmed the scenes. Bergman played her part so aloof because she didn't know who she was ending up with either.
The Maltese Falcon is a great Film Noir movie. Maybe one of the best. It's a fun and entertaining romp. I won't be surprised if most people hear say they prefer it and I really can't fault them.
But I think Casablanca is a work of art.
JG
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Post by Chuck on Jul 11, 2006 18:06:48 GMT -5
VH, there's something about Casablanca . . .
Whenever I come across it on TV, I stop and there's a connection. Just like when Rick and Ilsa first see each other at Rick's.
Don't get me wrong - I love Maltese Falcon, but there's something about Casablanca . . .
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donmac
Moderator Emeritus 
Beedee Beedee Beedee This Sucks!
Posts: 1,290
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Post by donmac on Jul 11, 2006 20:04:09 GMT -5
They are both great, unforgettable movies...
...but I'm a Film Noir guy, so The Maltese Falcon easily takes this for me!
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Post by Wild Rebel on Jul 12, 2006 8:12:52 GMT -5
And VH, you should check out Neil Simon's The Cheap Detective. It is a send up of both movies simultaneously, and it is quite hilarious. And if you can find a movie called The Black Bird...I thought it was very funny. |
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Post by LetGoOfItSlappy on Jul 12, 2006 13:05:48 GMT -5
I love Casablanca....
BUT I enjoyed The Maltese Falcon more because I have always liked a good "mystery" more than straight romance stories.
Although I do have to agree with Ash2 that Casablanca is damn near a perfect movie
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jul 12, 2006 14:02:28 GMT -5
A random thought occurred to me just now as I pondered this topic. It may turn out to be completely wrong-headed on further reflection. But here's what I just thought.
Casablanca, as ash2 pointed out so astutely, is an accidental miracle of perfection. The cast is legendary, the timing and the setting exactly right. Yet it's the script, alternating between passionately earnest and wryly cynical, that makes Casablanca's dialogue the most memorable part.
In Maltese Falcon, the casting of Mary Astor drags the movie just out of true enough that it doesn't work quite as flawlessly as Casablanca. (What if, say, Barbara Stanwyck had been cast instead?) Nevertheless, the rest of the cast is wonderful. The Fat Man, Joel Cairo, Bogart's detective have practically become archetypes. Falcon has the more memorable characters.
Anyhow, my love for Claude Rains biases me toward Casablanca.
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jul 12, 2006 16:25:51 GMT -5
I went with Casablanca. It's a good story, it's wonderfully written and the camera work is great. Nothing against the Maltese Falcon, but Casablanca just seems to trump it in too many ways.
Of course, if it was made today it would be decried as right-wing pro-war propoganda, and people wouldn't enjoy the story as much. Let's be thankful it was released in the forties when people were allowed to relax.
Oh, and I agree: The Cheap Detective is a must-see for fans of these movies. "Does 500 dollars interest you?" "Very much!" "Then bring it! It's an expensive restaurant."
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Post by Chuck on Jul 12, 2006 18:17:35 GMT -5
Donna, I like your observation about Mary Astor in Maltese Falcon. I never bought her either. Did you ever see Satan Met A Lady? Early version of Maltese Falcon with Bette Davis. www.imdb.com/title/tt0028219/Allison Skipworth plays the Sidney Greenstreet character. |
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Post by Wild Rebel on Jul 13, 2006 8:30:00 GMT -5
Anyhow, my love for Claude Rains biases me toward Casablanca. That's enough reason for me. "I'm shocked! Shocked that gambling is going on here!" |
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jul 14, 2006 23:29:09 GMT -5
Anyhow, my love for Claude Rains biases me toward Casablanca. That's enough reason for me. "I'm shocked! Shocked that gambling is going on here!" What's really interesting is how ubiquitous that line is nowadays. I wonder if all the people who use it even know what movie it's from. Heh, anyway, Captain Renault is the real hero of that movie, if you ask me. "Major Strasser has been shot! ...Round up the usual suspects." Claude Rains' voice, though--ya can't beat it. |
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Post by Chuck on Jul 15, 2006 7:00:14 GMT -5
Claude Rains made many films with Bette Davis, and she thought VERY highly of him!
If you want to see one of his (and Bette's) best, check out Mr. Skeffington.
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jul 16, 2006 18:24:39 GMT -5
Aw, yeah, I did see the last half of that one time. Bette's character drove me up the wall, although that's a tribute to her acting.
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Post by Isaac on Aug 8, 2006 5:13:00 GMT -5
In the minority here, but The Maltese Falcon is my favorite of the two films. I actually saw the first filmed version (originally released as "The Maltese Falcon"; later re-titled "Dangerous Female" after the 1941 remake became famous, and recently restored to its original title) of the book on TCM a while back, and thought that it was pretty good, too. Can't say which version (the 1931 original or the Bogart remake) is better. I can't wait to check out the new DVD release of the '41 version, which includes all three versions of the book.
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