The Maltese Falcon

I've been so interested in film noir over the past few years that I've decided to investigate more of the novels that inspired the films. So far I've only read a couple of Chandler's classics, and one gem that JZ recommended (that was never adapted for film).  Now, however, I'm getting a little more serious.  The cat bookstore had a copy of that packaged together Daschiell Hammett's two most famous novels: The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man.  While Hammett's prose is less crazily exuberant than Chandler's, his plot, at least in The Maltese Falcon, is much tighter.  He constructs the sort of story that you read in couple of nights because you can't wait to uncover the next and final twist that slots all the angles into correct perspective.  In contrast to the Chandler novels I've read so far, the package is in fact so neat and satisfying that they barely had to change anything to make the film.

While I can't say too much about the plot without spoiling the surprise, I will observe that I think Samuel Spade is much closer to the conventional hero than Philip Marlowe, which makes him a more suitable role model for a star like Bogart (and hence less suitable for portrayal by Jeff Bridges).  On the other hand, rarely has there been a more totally ambivalent femme fatal role than the one here given to Brigid O'Shaughnessy.  I'll make sure to pay special attention to how Mary Astor plays the part when I rewatch the film.