The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Review

girl by locker says: As I sat down to write this review, I checked out IMDB to see what others thought. I read Roger Ebert's review and he writes that the The Treasure of the Sierra Madre "is a story in the Joseph Conrad tradition, using adventure not as an end in itself but as a test of its characters." To me, that sums up this movie perfectly. It is a story about three gold prospector's who head to the Mexican mountains in search of treasure, but the movie is actually more a story about greed and what gold dust can do to a man's soul.

Sierra Madre starts with our three heroes encountering one another down on their luck in Mexico and in search of of jobs. Upon Howard's (Walter Huston) suggestion, they decide to try their hand at gold mining. They begin their journey amicably enough though the moment they strike gold, their trust in one another begins to dissolve to the point where they eventually begin hiding their gold in separate locations so the others won't know where their goods are. Humphrey Bogart's descent from a "decent" man to the pit of greed was amazing.

I think the question of greed is one that we contemplate regularly. What would happen to us if we were to win the lottery or find a million dollars in a briefcase? We all like to think that we wouldn't let the money affect who and how we are, but we don't really know. That's what I liked about this movie. I liked the analysis of how wealth can affect and change a man (or person). I give Sierra Madre a 4 out of 5 on Netflix. (I took a star away because I got tired of the shoot outs with the bandits).

Juror #3 says: We are really on a roll now. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was nothing short of fantastic. So much so that I highly recommend viewers watch the commentary track available on the special features option. You will learn about some wonderful happenings like how Bogart had completely lost his hair prior to shooting the film due to taking hormone shots so he could increase his chances of having a child with Lauren Bacall. So they made him wigs to wear while shooting.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was adapted by John Huston from a novel, he also directed the picture. The movie details the adventures of three men in their search to get rich by finding gold in the mountains. So as you would expect, greed plays a major theme. The film is brilliantly cast and includes John Huston's father Walter Huston, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor by portraying the wise old man looking for his last big score. I can only say that Walter Huston was a joy to watch. Tim Holt plays Bob Curtain, one of the gang of three, and he acted really well with his eyes - first showing dejection, then purity. As a side note - Ronald Reagan was the first choice for this role but was unavailable. I think Holt did more than an admirable job "filling in".  Which brings us to Bogart playing a role very different from everything else I had seen him play, and he was brilliant. Bogart plays a character with a violent arc and, in the end, when he delves into madness, the audience is treated to Bogart's dedication to the role. There isn't anything not to like about The Treasure of the Sierra Madre so, for the second film in a row, I rate it 5/5 stars on Netflix.

Film 30: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Netflix Summary: Wrapped in a classic tale of adventure, this Academy Award winner helmed by John Huston follows a trio of gold prospectors who set out to strike it rich and agree to split the take … until paranoia and greed consumes one of them. Delivering superb performances as the three miners are Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston, who copped a Best Supporting Actor Oscar while son John scored statuettes for his direction and screenplay.

From Wikipedia: Director Stanley Kubrick listed The Treasure of Sierra Madre as his 4th favorite film of all time in his list of his top ten favorite films, and director Paul Thomas Anderson watched it at night before bed while writing his film There Will Be Blood.

Film Viewing Due Date: 3/3

The Big Sleep (1946) Review

girl by locker says: It was our first Bogart/Bacall film, and I have to say that they were the best part of the movie. Their onscreen chemistry is notorious and not without reason. Sparks fly and they have some great scenes together, in particular one with the two of them in a night club speaking in double entendres about horseracing. It’s fun. It’s sharp. It’s why we watch the movie.
Bacall: Speaking of horses, I like to play them myself. But I like to see them work out a little first. See if they’re front-runners or come from behind…I’d say you don’t like to be rated. You like to get out in front, open up a lead, take a little breather in the back stretch and then come home free.
Bogart: You’ve got a touch of class, but I don’t know how far you can go.
Bacall: A lot depends on who’s in the saddle.
Beyond the Bogart/Bacall romance, I found the plot terribly confusing. Everything revolves around a dying, wealthy old man, his two daughters who are out of control and their gambling debts. The family is getting blackmailed and Bogart is brought in to find out who is doing it and have it stopped. But in addition to the blackmail, there is the disappearance of Sean Regan, a gentleman who worked for the family, the murder of the family’s chauffeur and sexual improprieties that the youngest daughter is apparently photographed doing. It’s not that it seemed too improbable, but it just didn’t resonate with me. It was too convoluted, and I felt I needed an org chart to keep track of what was going on and how everyone was connected. Overall, I give this movie 3/5 on Netflix.
 
Juror #3 says: I watched this film with my parents during a recent visit. About five minutes into the film, upon the realization it was a "who done it" my mother said that we should all write down who we thought "did it", along with the time, and see who guessed right first.  So now you all can see where my geek roots stem from.  Unfortunately The Big Sleep is not the best movie with which to play this little game.  Talk about confusing.  Not only could I not guess who "did it" but I couldn't even figure out what had "been done."  The film is well shot and the chemistry between Bogart and Bacall is everything it's known to have been.  But it didn't quite overcome the script flaws - for instance, the love between the two characters happened, seemingly, in seconds and I didn't buy it.  That wasn't due to the acting, it was never created in the script (or through the production possibly).  Either way, it bothered me.  Overall I enjoyed the acting and the cinematography.  I'll rate it 3/5 stars on Netflix.

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) Review

Juror #3 says:  This was the 1930's movie I was most excited to watch when we assembled our list.  I absolutely love the premise - two boyhood friends take separate paths in life with one becoming a priest and the other a criminal.  The criminal is revered by the same children in the neighborhood that the priest is trying to mentor.  In the end, with the criminal sentenced to the electric chair, the priest asks his longtime friend to give up the only thing he has left, his reputation as a tough guy, and die a coward...for the children.  As much as I loved the premise (and the ending didn't disappoint), I felt the overall production value was lacking.  The directing was poor and the story ended up more fragmented than it should have been.  I would absolutely love if this movie was remade, as the motif is timeless.  I rate it 3/5.


girl by locker says: I'm not sure what it is, but I have had a lot of high expectations this era, perhaps because it is the golden age of Hollywood. We recently watched "Angels with Dirty Faces" and though I definitely liked the movie, I thought I was going to fall in love. It had all the makings to have my socks blown off - gangsters, Cagney, Bogart. And while every aspect was solid, I just wanted more. In the end, there is a battle between good and evil - between the city corruption run by gangsters and the town priest who wants to start a boys club to help keep the kids away from the life of crime - and I felt it was all tied up in a neat, little bow. Life isn't that tidy.

There were 2 high points of the movie. 1. Bogart. I had never seen him in a villainous role before. He completely rocked. 2. The final scene in which Rocky Sullivan, played by Cagney, walks to the electric chair. His childhood friend, who is a priest, asks him to die in a way in which the town children will not look up to him. He says he won't do it but ultimately, he cries and begs for his life. As the viewer, we are left to wonder if he was actually scared or if he pulled off the final wishes of the priest. I choose to believe he did it for the priest. In other parts of the movie when his friend's life was threatened, he protected him. I think he did the same here.

Overall, entertaining movie. Solid. Well done. I give it 3 out of 5 stars on Netflix.