FILM NOIR Series – “The Maltese Falcon”

Classic black and white crime dramas will be shown in a monthly series beginning Monday, September 29 at 6 p.m. with The Maltese Falcon, one of the most popular and best classic detective mysteries ever made. Many film historians consider it the first in the dark film noir genre in Hollywood.

John Huston sketches a dark, cynical world with painfully deep perception. Detective Sam Spade’s (Humphrey Bogart) search for his partner’s killer leads him to a group of determined individuals who want the jeweled falcon of Malta: Brigid O’Shaughnessey (Mary Astor), the beautiful femme fatale, cowardly Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre), and pompously inflated Casper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet). Black and White; Not Rated; 101 minutes; 1941

Deane Tucker, Professor of Humanities at Chadron State College will facilitate the discussion which will include a light meal. October 27 Double Indemnity will be shown and on November 24 the series will conclude with The Big Sleep.