The Maltese Falcon

press release:

THE MALTESE FALCON

USA | 1941 | 35mm | 100 min.

Director: John Huston; Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre

Bogart is Dashiell Hammett’s detective Sam Spade, and not about to play the sap for anyone. In a labyrinthine plot involving false identities, trans-continental smuggling, and murder, Spade meets an eccentric crew of antique hunters (Sydney Greenstreet, Lorre, and Astor) all looking for the title bird, which, like Huston’s detective noir classic, is “the stuff dreams are made of”. Print courtesy Library of Congress.

Peter Lorre: The Mad and the Bad

On Wednesdays beginning June 20, we will pay tribute to one of cinema history’s most fascinating and compelling performers, the great Peter Lorre (1904-1964). Hungarian born, the naturally intense Lorre exploded onto movie screens as a haunted and hunted child killer in Fritz Lang’s German masterpiece M in 1931. Emigrating to the U.S. in the mid-1930s, Lorre used his large, expressive eyes and uniquely accented speech to his advantage, appearing in dozens of Hollywood productions over 30 years as both leading man and supporting player. This selection of quintessential Lorre roles demonstrates his oft-caricatured, yet inimitable style of transforming traditionally two-dimensional movie villains into recognizable and frequently sympathetic humans with equal doses of dry, sardonic humor and passionate outbursts. The series also includes Lorre’s lone directorial effort, The Lost One.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.