What's the AFI Project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here: http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/3/1/25756.aspx
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is on the following AFI lists:
The Original Top 100 (#30)
100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies (#67)
100 Movie Quotes (#36 - Gold Hat: "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!")
The Revised Top 100 (#38)
I watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre instantly on Netflix a week ago but have not had the time or the energy (thanks to the killer flu of 2008) to blog about it until just now. I also haven't known exactly what to say. This was my second viewing of this film; I watched it a first time some years ago but didn't remember it very well going into it this time. I'm not sure why. It's a superbly executed story, exploring some heady themes such as the seed of evil and the effects of greed in man, but it's just not a film I can say I love, which is probably why I forgot most of it. That's not an indictment of the film as much as it is a theory as to any bias I might have.
This film marks Humphrey Bogart's fourth and final entry on the original AFI list and Director John Huston's second film (after The Maltese Falcon). Bogie was clearly one of Huston's muses; they made several films together. This film was a bit unique, in that Bogie played something of a cad. There are no true heroes or villains given that there is rampant moral ambiguity and various shades of human weakness, as it pertains to greed, being examined.
Bogie plays Fred C. Dobbs, a down-on-his-luck drifter who seems to be marooned in Tampico, Mexico (this film was predominantly shot on location there, making it one of the first films to be shot at least partially outside of a studio). He begs from the same man (a cameo by Mr. Huston) a few times for money to eat and sleep and buys a partial lottery ticket from a pushy villager boy. He meets another drifter, Curtin (Tim Holt), and while the two are spending the night in a cheap flophouse, they meet Howard (Walter Huston, John's pop), a toothless old man who regales them with tales of wealth and riches while prospecting for gold. After the two friends try working, only to be cheated by their shifty boss, from whom they have to forcibly obtain their earnings, and after "Dobbsy" wins on his lottery ticket, the two get it into their heads that they want to try prospecting for gold themselves. They convince Howard, the expert, to go along with them, and while Howard hesitates, knowing gold's effect on some men and not fully believing Dobbs' promise that the loot will be split evenly, he agrees. They choose the largely untainted Sierra Madre mountains as their digging site and set out to make their fortunes despite the dangers of bandits, desert animals like gila monsters, and each other to contend with.
As story put to film (the screenplay was adapted from a novel of the same name), it's one of the best executed visual tales, including a bittersweet, ironic ending that is its own bit of perfection. Mr. Huston, Jr. kept the pacing tight and made wonderful use of light and shadow to accentuate some particularly intense moments. This film is also an entry on the AFI's thriller list and for good reason - this film is kind of nail-bitingly intense in spots, owing to Mr. Huston's feel for the story and bead on its characters. The scene when Dobbs, who grows increasingly paranoic and suspicious, finally manifests his lust for gold and paranoia into physical aggression is particularly well shot, with the shadows highlighting or underscoring Dobbs' internal and external struggles perfectly.
The performances were also all very good. Bogie's was probably the least convincing relatively speaking, only because his character had some sudden and erratic mood swings that sometimes seemed out of the blue. Then again, Dobbs was probably the most challenging character to portray as the poster child for "the seed of evil in men" theme. On the flip side, Tim Holt as Curtin offered a wonderful, nuanced performance as the antithesis character to Dobbs. His strength, quiet dignity, and sincerity were believable and engaging. Walter Huston, who won a Supporting Oscar, was also an enjoyable watch, never making the "old coot" character truly outlandish or offputting. In fact, he became the superego to Dobbs' id and Curtin's ego.
The technical elements were also well utilized to paint this intense picture of the effects of greed. Despite my praises, though, I feel I don't love the film possibly because the tale is so dark, possibly because it's a western (my least favorite genre, really), and possibly because this film was one of those that percolate slowly until they reach an all-consuming boil. None of these are complaints from my end, but I think they are what prevent me from thinking this was the greatest film ever, even if they are my own personal biases.
I do have one small complaint about the film, however, which is how cartoonish the Mexican characters were sometimes painted. It served the story, but it definitely dates the film because some of these portrayals would probably not pass modern muster as far as politlcal correctness goes. It's a small, predictable gripe, and the native characters weren't always given such a wash, but it happened enough times that I noticed it. Of course, if it weren't for for at least one of these portrayals, the world may not have caught on quite so famously to the lines about not needing "any stinking badges."
In any event, I find The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to be a hard film to rate. I think I need to rate it an 8.5, between minor flaws/very good and perfectly entertaining, given my thoughts and possible biases, but that's still a high rating on my behalf for a well made film. As to tests, I don't see it passing. As you can tell, though I find the film a deserved entry in the Great American Film lexicon based on its filmmaking cred, I feel sort of blase about it in the end, even after two viewings. It's just not one of those films I find myself getting into, but I think many viewers would get into it because it's an excellent film with a great story. If you're a fan of westerns, at any rate, this film is a must-see, and Bogie is a joy to watch in any film he was in because he was simply a consummate actor.