However, for those tough sells I will continue with my “Why is this book Awesome” thesis. Look out folks…here comes GREATNESS… “When you’re slapped, you’ll take it and like it” GIFSoup Sam Spade (played by the legendary Humphrey Bogart) bitch-slapping the manhood out of Joel Cairo (played by Peter Lorre)….and telling him to shut up and take it!! Do I really need to continue the review after that? That is perfection. I flew through this story.Ī classic hard-boiled detective novel that stands the test of time with excellent writing, strong characters, and an often-copied, but certainly entertaining plot.more That Hammett can create such distinctive characters through dialog and action is the sign of a great storyteller. The feme fatale is devious, manipulative and unreliable, but still somehow alluring and enchanting. ![]() Spade is determined, cold, and highly observant. Without any insight into their thoughts or motivation through narration, we still get very distinct and rich characters. “She squirmed on her end of the settee and her eyes wavered between heavy lashes, as if trying and failing to free their glaze from his.”įor the most part, he just lets the story playout through the dialog and action of the characters. “Spade put the cigarette in his mouth, set fire to it, and laughed smoke out.” He keeps things simple, but occasionally slips in clever little phrases, such as: ![]() Hammett writes well – narration is largely just descriptions. If you don't think it's culturally relevant, just know that the prop statue from the 1941 film sold for $4 Million in 2013! I really enjoyed the read, as it’s as pure a ‘film-noir’ hard-boiled detective story as you get - brimmed hats, cigarettes, guns, and even opening with a femme fatale walking into the detective agency as the opening scene. I had seen the film long ago and I remember enjoying it, but to be honest, I couldn’t remember the plot. Humphrey Bogart played Sam Spade in the most famous adaptation of The Maltese Falcon in 1941. Dashiell Hammett was a major influence on the establishment of ‘hard-boiled’ detective fiction and through film adaptations of his stories – film-noir. It was eventually published as a novel in 1930. Dashiell Hammett wrote this story originally as a serial in the magazine Black Mask. I found an interesting hardbound version of this novel at a used bookstore and I couldn’t resist it. Humphrey Bogart played Sam Spade in the most Sam Spade doesn’t need to go looking for trouble, trouble finds him. Sam Spade doesn’t need to go looking for trouble, trouble finds him.
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