I very much enjoyed this 1931 version of "The Maltese Falcon, an outstanding movie of 1941. Ricardo Cortez, a consistently good actor, portrayed Sam Spade differently than Humphrey Bogart-more warmth, more charm. I liked his portrayal as much as I liked Humphrey Bogart's portrayal. Gutman, the role played by the great Sidney Greenstreet, was played by Dudley Digges, himself an excellent character actor. Peter Lorre's role, Dr. Joel Cairo, was played by Otto Matieson, a very good actor who would have definitely gained prominence had he not died in 1932 at an early age. The role played so well by Mary Astor was played by Bebe Daniels, and she performed it equally well. Elisha Cook's role, Wilmer, was played well by Dwight Frye, probably best known for his role in Dracula. The plot is basically the same as the 1941 version-they are all involved in the search for a rare treasure. I found this version to be nearly as good as the 1941 version, and certainly the acting was as good as the 1941 version.
Review of The Maltese Falcon
