Maltese falcon
Island nation's bird
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir directed by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart as detective Sam Spade pursuing a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette.
Based on Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, the story follows characters scheming to possess the valuable artifact.
A Maltese falcon has come to represent any coveted object that people pursue obsessively, often with disastrous consequences: The startup became his Maltese falcon—he lost everything chasing it.
- SpadeFictional sleuth's surname
- private eyeHired investigator, unlicensed
- greedExcessive desire for wealth
- femme fataleTreacherous enchantress
- noirHard-boiled film genre
Hammett · Sam Spade · golden age · crime · unattainable · detective · Peter Lorre · John Huston · MacGuffin · deception · obsession · artifact · relic · investigation · clue · pursuit · treasure · motive
- macguffinsholy grail, briefcase, Rosebud, unobtainium, tesseract
Maltese falcongenuine article
Authentic original item
the real thing · Hope Diamond · Crown Jewels · Holy Grail · Ark of the Covenant
Maltese falconOne Ring
Artifact binding all others
Rosebud · Infinity Stones · lightsaber · kryptonite · red herring
Maltese, falcon, Malta, falcons, falconer, falconers, falconry