THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman (Mary Astor). As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows as Sam's partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man (Peter Lorre) demanding he locate a valuable statuette. Sam, entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejewel

One of the least subtle MacGuffins, THE MALTESE FALCON ('41) provides motive for intrigue and serves as the film's title. In some ways, the Maltese Falcon is quite literally "the stuff that dreams are made of," as the audience pursues the idea of the object with the characters. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM