This film, unlike the others, matches the book by Hammett almost line for line. I have watched it easily more than a hundred times over the years and it never loses is interest. If you want to "hear it", it was on the Lux Radio Theater.
shareIt's probably the main reason why this 3rd filming of Dashiell Hammet's book became the definitive classic version. Not to mention the excellent & memorable cast. The original 1931 film was good but didn't faithfully follow the book & the 1936 version was a satire & a joke & a flop retaining nothing of the original story.
shareYeah - the novel corresponds so well with the movie that I once had to look through the list of credited casts to realize that I never saw a scene with Spade an Rhea Gutman (where he gets the fake lead to Ancho Avenue from her), or watching the DVD several times before finding out that there is no scene of Bridgid drawing a ’G’ in the air before Cairo (instead of talking about The Fat Man).
Small signs of a very good film – because I ‘know’ I have seen those scenes!
It's not an exact Line for line adaptation. They took out the scences involving Spade visiting his lawyer in person and the whole La Paloma Incedent plays out over a few days, and the history of the Bird is different too. Otherwise it is a pretty good adaptation. Oh PS Miled dies in the book under a road sign at the bottom of a hill not at the bottom of the Ravine in the film
Oh GOOD!,my dog found the chainsaw
Also they left out the strip search. Still, this movie is about as faithful as feature length film adaptations get.
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