The Maltese Falcon (1941 film) The Maltese Falcon (1941 film) The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir written and directed by John Huston in his directorial debut, and based on Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel of the same name. The film stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and Mary Astor as his "femme fatale" client. Gladys George, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet co-star, with Greenstreet appearing in his film debut. The story follows a San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three unscrupulous adventurers, all of whom are competing to obtain a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette. The film premiered on October 3, 1941,
The Maltese Falcon (1931 film) well and give her whatever she wants. When the matron asks who will pay for the special treatment, Spade tells her to send the bill to the D.A.'s office: "I'll OK it." "The Maltese Falcon" was not the first Hammett story to be adapted into a motion picture. Both "Red Harvest" (filmed in 1930 as "Roadhouse Nights") and "City Streets" (1931), based on a short story and starring Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney, preceded it. Working titles for the film were "All Women", "A Woman of the World" and "Dangerous Female". Some scenes in the film were shot on location