The document discusses the differences between the novel and 1941 film adaptations of The Maltese Falcon, directed by John Huston. The film makes several changes to the characters and scenes involving women that reduce their roles and emphasize masculinity. Specifically, it cuts scenes depicting female characters as cunning or manipulative. It also alters dialogue and removes a scene to portray the character of Effie as more subordinate to the male protagonist Sam Spade. Overall, these changes shift the theme from the novel's portrayal of women as equally capable of evil as men, to one where masculinity triumphs over femininity in the film.

1. “You’re a Damned Good Man, Sister”: Gender in The Maltese Falcon
John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon (1941) is a close adaptation of the 1930 novel of the
same name written by Dashiell Hammett. John Huston’s film is the most well-known adaptation
of The Maltese Falcon, in part because it demonstrates some of the meaningful changes that
occur when adapting a novel into a film. The film maintains certain aspects of the story while
deleting or altering some scenes in order to modify the novel’s theme of masculinity. The novel
itself makes the women appear as evil as the men. However, by making these changes to certain
scenes and characters from the novel, the film version of The Maltese Falcon reduces the role of
women in the film while emphasizing the role of men, giving it the new theme of the superiority
of masculinity over femininity.
The film version of The Maltese Falcon begins diverging from the novel at the very
beginning of the story. The character Sam Spade does not look the same as he does in the novel.
This is probably the most obvious change. In the novel, Sam looks “pleasantly like a blond
satan” (Hammett 3). Spade is also “quite six feet tall” (Hammett 4). In the film, Humphrey
Bogart, an actor with dark brown hair, plays Spade. Bogart himself is only 5’8”; in addition, he
has a “trademark lisp” (“Biography of Humphrey Bogart”). Although Bogart is 5’8”, this does
not detract from Bogart’s performance as a strong, masculine character. A lisp might seem like a
hindrance, especially when playing a tough detective like Sam Spade. However, his voice and
his fast speaking pace add to the role of a film noir detective. The lisp in no way reduces the
masculinity of Sam Spade. In addition, Bogart’s appearance does not resemble Spade as
described in the novel. This, however, does not detract from Bogart’s performance. He is able to
fully embody the character of Spade. One author, Philippa Gates, argues that Bogart’s portrayal
of Spade “may have become the model for American masculinity” even though he did not fit the

2. role of hero in popular films of the 1930’s (Gates 10). This demonstrates why Bogart was chosen
for the role as opposed to someone who may have resembled Spade.
Another male character, Cairo, is the antithesis of Spade. Cairo is unchanged between the
novel and the film. Philippa Gates states that Cairo’s most notable features, his effeminate
characteristics, remain the same in the film. These characteristics, including his accent,
effeminate mannerisms, and impeccable taste are all characteristics used for depicting
homosexual characters in film noir (16). According to Philippa Gates, the Hays Code calls
homosexuality “sex perversion,” and this sense of “otherness” (in this case, homosexuality) is
typically associated with villainy in films of this period (16). This explains why Cairo remains
unchanged in the film, despite potential controversy about a homosexual character. In addition,
in the film, Cairo is a comic character; Spade, who embodies masculinity, often laughs at Cairo.
This is another reason why Cairo was unchanged for the film. These feminine characteristics
appear ridiculous in a man. Because Cairo has these traits, it seems humorous. This shows that
feminine traits are appropriate only in women. Because Spade remains true to the standards of
masculinity, he is taken seriously and is the “hero” of the film, while Cairo remains a villain.
Spade’s masculinity triumphs over Brigid and Cairo’s (the criminals) femininity.
In addition to the changes made to the male protagonist, the film alters the female
characters. The film does little to alter Brigid herself because, like Cairo, she loses to the
masculine Sam Spade, and so the film did not need to alter her much. Instead, the film focuses its
changes on the less significant women of the novel. After Brigid, Effie is the most important
female character in The Maltese Falcon. Effie is slightly changed in the film. The changes are
subtle and primarily due to the casting choice of Lee Patrick as Effie. In the novel, Effie has
“tomboy” characteristics. The most notable is her “shiny boyish face” (Hammett 3). In the film,

3. she appears less boyish. Her hair is styled and she wears make-up. However, the film does keep
her in mostly dark, practical clothing, which contrasts sharply with Brigid’s feminine, more
luxurious outfits. Effie’s traits often distinguish her from the other women of the novel, making
her closer to an equal to Spade rather than his subordinate.
Because of the context of Effie’s appearance and demeanor, the same scenes in the novel
and film can be interpreted differently. Both the novel and the film include a scene in which
Spade tells Effie, “You’re a damned good man, sister” (Hammett 160). This quote makes more
sense in the novel, given the context of Effie being a woman with somewhat masculine features.
It is the ultimate compliment from Spade, who is the epitome of masculinity in The Maltese
Falcon. By saying this, he raises her above the other women in the film; this makes her more
equal to Spade. In the film, however, the quote is not supported by the context of Effie’s boyish
traits. Although it is still a compliment, the film makes Effie appear more feminine in order to
indicate that it is not appropriate for a woman to have masculine traits. There is a note of irony in
Spade’s tone; if only she were a man, they could be equals. This is similar to Cairo’s situation.
Both characters in the film demonstrate that attempting to cross gender lines is problematic and
inappropriate in society.
In the film, however, Effie remains subordinate, despite the previous compliment from
Spade. This is due to one critical scene that is at the end of The Maltese Falcon. After Spade
hands Brigid over to the cops, he talks to Effie. She tells him that she knows he did what he had
to do, but she still feels it was wrong, saying, “But don’t touch me now – not now” (Hammett
217). This scene is not in the film. Instead, after the police take Brigid away, Effie just says that
Iva has come to the office. By doing this, the film makes Effie look subordinate and inferior to
Spade. She does not stand up to Spade, which makes her look weaker. This makes Spade appear

4. more heroic and dominant. His masculinity defeats Brigid’s femininity, and Effie continues to be
subordinate to him.
Changes were also made in the adaptation to the less important women in the film as
well. One notable alteration in the film is the complete absence of Rhea, Gutman’s daughter. She
is a minor but important character to the story. In the novel, Rhea appears in only one scene. In
this scene, Spade finds her drugged, pricking herself with a pin that Brigid gave to her in order to
keep her awake (Hammett 163). By doing this, Rhea shows her determination by poking herself
in pain. Rhea informs him that Brigid is in danger because of the other men (Hammett 164). This
is not true, however; Brigid herself staged this scene. This shows how manipulative Brigid is;
she is willing to involve Gutman’s own daughter. Brigid is also willing to stage this scene in
order to manipulate Spade to find her. Despite her supposed feelings for Spade, she has no
qualms with manipulating and lying to him. This scene, however, is completely eliminated in the
film. Instead, Brigid manages to call Spade, screaming that she needs him to come help her. In
both the film and the novel, Brigid manipulates Spade in order for him to come to another
meeting. The key difference between the scene in the novel and the film is that the scene in the
novel would take more effort to create than the scene in the novel. It is much easier for her to call
someone and sound distressed, rather than involve another person, drug them, and have them lie
to Spade. Brigid is much more cruel and crafty in the novel. The film, however, reduces her
cruelty, making her instead seem like a simple liar.
Another minor but important woman in The Maltese Falcon is Iva Archer. Both the film
and the novel include the scene where she reveals to Spade that she called the police on him
(Hammett 102). In both the film and novel, Effie reveals that Iva was not at home when her
husband was murdered (Hammett 28). However, Spade does not bring this up again when talking

5. to Iva about the police. Because she was out that night, she likely had been out other nights as
well. These scenes in the novel gives Iva more dimensions, whereas in the film she looks only
like a woman scorned.
The Maltese Falcon features multiple female characters that add to the depth of the novel.
By having these complex women, the novel demonstrates that women can be as cruel and clever
as men. The film, however, changes, reduces, and even eliminates scenes in which the women
have prominent roles. This results in making the women appear weaker and less important to the
story. At the same time, the film slightly alters Spade while leaving Cairo unchanged. Because of
this, the film emphasizes the gender characteristics of certain characters in order to make a
statement about gender roles. The result is that the film creates a new theme of masculinity
triumphing over femininity.

6. Works Cited
“Biography of Humphrey Bogart.” Humphrey Bogart. Internet Movie Database.com. Web. 20
October 2013.
Gates, Philippa. “The Three Sam Spades: The Shifting Model of American Masculinity in the
Three Films of The Maltese Falcon.” Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media
49.1 (2008): 7-26. Film and Television Literature Index with Full Text. Web. 23 October
2013.
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Print.
The Maltese Falcon. Dir. John Huston. Perf. Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. Warner Bros.
1941. Film.