The Maltese Falcon

Director John Huston would go on to direct 36 more films, including six Oscar winners, but none of them are more cherished than his directorial debut, 1941’s The Maltese Falcon. The film was also the breakthrough for star Humphrey Bogart, who had never before anchored a major production before. In one of his signature roles, Bogart commands the screen as anti-hero Sam Spare, a tough-talking, gun-touting private detective who, during the course of a murder investigation, is caught up in a race between three opportunists to obtain a jewel-encrusted treasure. Mary Astor and Peter Lorree co-star.