MovieChat Forums > The Maltese Falcon (1941) Discussion > Mary Astor - worst casting ever?

Mary Astor - worst casting ever?

posted 20 years ago by jackmronner
195 replies | jump to latest

She was 35 at the time (but looked 45 due to her alchoholic habits) and looked like everyone's maiden aunt. She even had that annoying, yodely vocal style. This was the woman that every man she encountered (well, maybe not Joel "gardenia" Cairo) was willing to sacrifice his life for? In the book, the description was Veronic Lake to a tee. This is perhaps the only weakness in what may be the greatest all-time rookie-director debut. Supposedly, the ship's captain was Walter Huston, director's Dad.

[–] nutsberryfarm 11 years ago

no.

We have a pool and a pond...pond be good for you.

[–] garfield-max 11 years ago

I thought she acted well, though I agree she was too MILF to pass for a knockout beauty

[–] denis-38 11 years ago

In real life--tho this is, in fact, a fantastical movie--the most interesting, sensual women are often NOT obvious knockouts. Mary Astor was a great beauty, but she became matronly rather early--although in those days a woman past thirty wasn't automatically expected to keep up her looks, not even actresses.

At no point is she referred to as a great beauty or a hot number. It's clear from the start that Bogart is more amused than aroused by her. He might have felt something later, simply because her machinations were so total and yet so obvious. She was really rather childish, despite being capable of murder. He flattered her vanity and pitied her. And her probably desired her in some perverse manner.

I think her performance is superb and melds perfectly with all the other (over-the-top) characters.

[–] clivey6 11 years ago

I do think that Astor had the look that men went for at the time, but simply don't now. I mean, women simply don't have permed hair like that any more do they? Astor looks a bit like Celia Johnson, off Brief Encounter. She seemed a bit more well to do than Spade, so he may have felt at a disadvantage class-wise. Back then, that mattered a lot, as it preceded the whole Beatle 'we are cool, working class and getting more sex than you' theme. I remember my Scout master fancying my Mum in the late 1970s, it was simply that cut glass voice and posh-ish presence but it really doesn't translate now where everyone is a superannuated teenager.

Veronica Lake, however, those looks still hold up today.

[–] josephnatescott 9 years ago

"I do think that Astor had the look that men went for at the time, but simply don't now." That's not the main reason for what happened: Huston hired her as a stunt because she had long been famous (sort of a Sandra Bullock type) and her real-life adventurous sex life, in her leaked diary, was on people's minds at the time. Stunning women who could really act such as Barbara Stanwyck and Lana Turner were making plenty of movies during this era.

[–] ShannonTriumphant 11 years ago

Weird! I was just thinking most of this today after looking up something about the film. I just had this thought: "Mary Astor? WHAT were they thinking?"

She reminds me of Ralphie's teacher in "A Christmas Story".

I figured if I posted this, I'd be called "shallow" but maybe I am. I'd have liked to see Veronica in that role.

She deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.

[–] hka-3 11 years ago

I definitely would've preferred someone else, as well.

[–] ShannonTriumphant 11 years ago

What was she most known for, film-wise? I can't picture her in anything at the moment, in which she was The Leading Lady...

She deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.

[–] hka-3 11 years ago

I don't really remember her in anything, either. I just looked at her profile. She won a best supporting actress Oscar for The Great Lie (1941) . Oddly enough in 1942 she took a part as an uncredited extra in In This Our Life, starring Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland.

[–] PillowRock 10 years ago

I can't picture her in anything at the moment, in which she was The Leading Lady

The beautiful-young-romantic-lead portion of Astor's career was in the 1920s in the latter part of the silent era.

She really was quite good looking. In Falcon you can still see (from facial bone structure and such) that she would have been striking a decade or so earlier.

Brigid being several years past the peak of her looks, but still knowing how to "work it" when she is with a man in person, works just fine for me.

[–] PillowRock 10 years ago

She reminds me of Ralphie's teacher in "A Christmas Story".

The *only* thing that strikes me as being at all similar is the hair style. And that is entirely a function of the time period.

[–] FilmKoala 11 years ago

Yeah, I'd say that Mary Astor was this film's one major flaw. She wasn't particularly attractive or seductive enough to make the romance between her character and Sam believable, and she had zero screen chemistry with Bogie. I didn't really find her performance that great either.

I've only ever seen one other film that she did and that's Red Dust. She was good in that and if you could copy and paste her from 1932 it would have made this film a lot better. The years weren't kind to her, it seems.

[–] JurijFedorov 10 years ago

Agree. We are supposed to believe that she is extremely attractive. But when I saw her I thought she just looked average. It reminds me of LA Confidential where the lead actress is supposed to be very attractive too. It's just not believable.

And most of the actors in this movie are terrible. Mediocre movie.

[–] Hollywoodshack 10 years ago

I believe the OP is judging the film by 2000 era standards. Veronica Lake was wholesome, energetic and virtuous. Mary Astor was supposed to have evil underhanded intentions, but appear fatigued, helpless, and desperate at the start of the film. She was a perfect casting choice for the character. I don't believe any film ever contained a dark haired, shadowy eyed Veronica Lake.

[–] jackmronner 10 years ago

As I believe I stated in the original post, a Veronica Lake-like woman was the impression the book gave in describing her. Further, Veronica played many a dark role, gangster's moll, etc., not only vivacious and wholesome. My point was that the lengths men were willing to go to on her behalf suggested a more alluring woman who could stun a man's good sense and self-interest. Also, my "standards" upon first viewing the film would have been early 1960's not 2000, with more exposure to films of the 30-40's (all that they would allow on TV at the time).

[–] eric-1501 10 years ago

I always thought Mary was damn sexy in this role.