El tesoro de Sierra Madre

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

This is a weirdly contemporary film. I mean, it's certainly set in the past, and it's made in the heyday of Hollywood genius top to bottom which is long gone. But because it's about this old time and about raw black and white issues (often), the film and the filming are really appropriate. The whole thing just fits, and beautifully.

And I mean beautiful. As rugged as it all is--the landscape as well as the beards, all very real--the movie is lyrically filmed. The story is told with visual clarity. And the script, speaking of story, is sophisticated and believable. In all, under the direction of legend John Huston, this is a spot on terrific movie.

Of course, there are two actors who are just amazing in their roles (and a third, Tim Holt, who is just fine, if not stellar). I mean of course Walter Huston, who nearly steals the show in every scene. He's a character, but not a caricature. His wisdom--real wisdom, based on smart observation over decades of experience--is sterling. Great stuff, well put. And of course he's the father of the director, which is a fun, and slightly Freudian twist. He gives one of the great performances of the decade.

Humphrey Bogart is not far behind, actually. If you like him in Maltese Falcon or Casablanca, you'll be surprised at first by the scruffy, raw character played here. But it's clear-headed, brilliantly delivered Bogart all the way, and a joy to watch him really act. See it for him, too.

Then there is the story itself, which is as important now as ever. That is, what matters in life? And what is the price to pay to get it? It's all rather bold and emotional even though it's delivered by some rough guys out of money prospecting in the wilderness of Mexico.

Are there downsides here? I suppose. You certainly can wonder about the way the Mexicans--good ones and banditos both--are portrayed. I think it's not bad, tinged with clichés, of course, but in Spanish without translation or stilted half-English, so it's the real thing. And no subtitles. Nicely done for an early Hollywood affair. Huston, the son, the director, if you don't know, is famous for doing things raw and right and slightly off the charts. He is making a commercial film, to be sure, but it has many small aspects that are just not pandering to anyone. This makes it work.

I'm sure to some this is a masterpiece. I'm giving that some thought. See it.

This film is a sharp-edged study of the effects of greed on otherwise normal men, and one man in particular: Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs. Dobbs and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) are down and out and meet up with prospector Howard (Walter Huston). When Dobbs wins a lottery, he uses the proceeds to finance a trip for the three to central Mexico to search for gold.

The three have to deal with the lawlessness of central Mexico at the time - bandits were actually on the loose in that country killing anybody with stuff, and taking that stuff. The Federales were a violent solution to a violent problem - killing the bandits after a summary judgement and the bandits having dug their own graves. So our trio not only have to worry about bandits once they strike gold, they have to worry about the darkness of their own souls.

In the beginning, Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs is a decent guy who does not take advantage of others. Dobbs only takes his money from the guy that wouldn't pay and he does share his lottery ticket and is generous with his fellow miners, but as greed begins to take root in him, little by little we see his goodness eaten away. It's a great credit to the writing and Bogart's skills that this is done gradually and played out over time. Incidentally, that's director John Huston "staking him to a meal". One of the best director cameos ever (although Polanski in Chinatown is equally great)!

Dobbs overestimates himself and the fallibility of human nature. Walter Hustons character freely admits what gold could do to any of them including himself. Dobbs is sure it will never happen to him, but he's never had anything, so he's never faced temptation, and when he falls it's a long way down.

This may be Tim Holt's finest performance - it was probably his finest opportunity given he had spent years laboring as a B western star on the RKO lot. Walter Huston as the prospector, minus his dentures and plus a bunch of pounds and with holes in his clothes is not the debonair fellow you are used to seeing in film . If Mary Astor's character in Dodsworth could have thought this was the future appearance of the man she loved, would she have taken her gondola in the other direction? I guess we'll never know.

Highly recommended as one of the great character studies in which several characters get studied in detail.

Having had his day as an idolized star and romantic leading man, it was now time for Bogart to get down to the serious business of acting… For eighteen years it had usually been Bogart playing Bogart in various shadings… Now that Bogart was gone and in his place was an older and far less romantic figure, one who found new challenges and was able to meet most of them successfully… This new phase of his continued growth began with a story of three men in search of gold…

Although "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is indisputably one of Bogart's best films, it was co-star Walter Huston who won an Academy Award as did the movie's director and scenarist, John Huston…

Based on a novel by the mysterious B. Traven, the film told a riveting tale which explored the degenerative effects of encroaching greed, distrust, and hatred on three prospectors who team up to search for gold in Mexico…

Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs was an amazingly complex creation whose slow disintegration into paranoia was brilliant1y managed on camera… He is a born loser with no potential for change in sight… Suspicious, unfeeling, savage, and easily corruptible, he seems clearly destined for a tragic fate almost from our first meeting with him…

Tim Holt was also excellent as Bob Curtin, a man who, like Bogart, is tempted but whose conscience will not permit him to exercise his baser desires. (He could have let Bogart die in a cave-in, but saved him instead.) Young, impressionable, and unprepared, he has never seen the likes of a Fred C. Dobbs and he finds himself overwhelmed and uncertain as to how he will cope with Dobbs's rage and greed…

However, it is the director's father, Walter Huston, who literally stole the picture from both Bogart and Holt as he played Howard, a wise old toothless codger who knew all along what would happen and took it all in stride, kicking up his heels and having a marvelous time… Life can't surprise him any more… He's already had successes and failures enough for one lifetime… Like a faithful dog, he's along for the thrill of the hunt, and should there be another pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, well, that's just a bonus…

It is mainly the interaction of these three men from their first meeting and uneasy partnership through their final confrontation that made "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" one of Warner Brothers' triumphs of the forties

In the 1920's, labor was hard to find. If you happened to be a laborer, work was almost non existent. Indeed, if you were unemployed and in Mexico, your chances were dismal. Yet, these were the times, which attracted many South of the border. The place was barren, yet many a fortune could spring up directly before you, . . .if you were luckily enough to see it. That is the story behind this incredible film. The legend of El Dorado was only one of the many myths which lured the adventurous to Mexico, another was "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." The gold of the Mother of Mountains was passed from father to son for generations. Thus when the film adaption was made, it was sure to be sculpted by men of vision. One such man is legendary John Huston who directed this film. Three common men are lured by the promise of discovering a lost treasure. The first is Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) a nice enough guy who wants only to be fair, but is hungry to 'strike it rich.' The second is Howard, (Walter Huston) as honest as you expect him to be and a man of considerable experience. The last is Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) who if given a chance, will use it. The trio make a PAC to share and share alike all the treasure they find. However, only Howard is aware of what the possession of Gold can do to a man. To find the treasure, they need the mountain, some hard work, a little luck. To bring it home, will require something only one of them possesses. The film is a Classic and is due to the combined talents of all the stars and the director. If you look closely, you'll see Robert Blake (Barreta) and John Huston in brief roles. ****

Two penniless Americans (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) during the 1920s in Mexico join with an old-timer (Walter Huston, the director's father) to prospect for gold. The old-timer accurately predicts trouble, but is willing to go anyway. The film is fictional, but presents a very realistic scenario: By the 1920s the violence of the Mexican Revolution had largely subsided, although scattered gangs of bandits continued to terrorize the countryside. The newly established post-revolution government relied on the effective, but ruthless, Federal Police, commonly known as the Federales, to patrol remote areas and dispose of the bandits. Foreigners, like the three American prospectors, were at very real risk of being killed by the bandits if their paths crossed. The bandits, likewise, were given little more than a "last cigarette" by the army units after capture, even having to dig their own graves first.

The film shows the Americans doing just about anything for money: drilling oil, digging for gold, begging and more. And once gold comes into the picture, the men who once claimed they were not greedy see things differently. Bogart actually goes mad, after he gets greedy and paranoid... during which he encounters a gila monster! The most memorable scene of this film involves the bandits, who don't need any "stinking badges". While the line is much more quotable in "Blazing Saddles", we couldn't have "Blazing Saddles" (or "UHF") without this film... just about everyone, even those who never saw or heard of "Sierra Madre", knows the badges line.

Humphrey Bogart's best film is probably "Casablanca", but this one features him in a nice, rough exterior. Yes, sometimes leading men have beards and are covered in dirt. Pretty boys do not stay pretty boys after digging in the hills, or at least that wouldn't be realistic. This film does a fine job trying to "keep it real", so we have to commend Huston not only on his directing, but his wonderful location scouting.