Okay, I've finally watched THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, and I found it to be one of those tough films to comment on, perhaps due to its very excellent reputation.
I found Bogart to be very good in the movie, and I also enjoyed Walter Huston's performance and could see how he earned his award. The earlier scenes of the movie - before the men ventured out on their search for gold - actually impressed me more than the main parts of the film did. The classic moments where Dobbs is asking John Huston for a hand out again and again; bitching at the pesty little kid (Robert Blake!); beating the hell out of his "boss" when he tries to pull a fast one. These were my favorite scenes.
Once the trio of buddies is out in the heat, prospecting for their gold, I have to say that while the tension and acting was very good, I just guess I had a hard time both accepting and believing that Bogart could actually go THAT nuts, and wind up turning against his friends like that. Paranoia and greed is one thing, but it just didn't sit right with me for this character of Dobbs - especially after we'd seen what a fair guy he is back when he only took his share of the salary instead of grabbing the whole wad of bills from his beaten "employer" (then again, I'm sure the turnabout was supposed to be the idea). It just didn't ring true for me that he could do what he did to his pal. I understand that it was the desert heat getting the best of him, and especially the gold working its ugly spell as the "root of all evil," but it just hit me as improbable and excessive that things would or could go to THAT much of an extreme. Dobbs became a man possessed, and the effect was often more farcial than it was intense.
I think director John Huston turned in a fine piece of cinematic work, and for technicality and acting (more than content) I did like this film enough to give it *** out of ****. I thought Bogart gave a very good performance, albeit one that I didn't really want to see happen to his character and one which I had a hard time swallowing actually could. I wouldn't be against seeing it again and re-evaluating it further, somewhere down the line.
I found Bogart to be very good in the movie, and I also enjoyed Walter Huston's performance and could see how he earned his award. The earlier scenes of the movie - before the men ventured out on their search for gold - actually impressed me more than the main parts of the film did. The classic moments where Dobbs is asking John Huston for a hand out again and again; bitching at the pesty little kid (Robert Blake!); beating the hell out of his "boss" when he tries to pull a fast one. These were my favorite scenes.
Once the trio of buddies is out in the heat, prospecting for their gold, I have to say that while the tension and acting was very good, I just guess I had a hard time both accepting and believing that Bogart could actually go THAT nuts, and wind up turning against his friends like that. Paranoia and greed is one thing, but it just didn't sit right with me for this character of Dobbs - especially after we'd seen what a fair guy he is back when he only took his share of the salary instead of grabbing the whole wad of bills from his beaten "employer" (then again, I'm sure the turnabout was supposed to be the idea). It just didn't ring true for me that he could do what he did to his pal. I understand that it was the desert heat getting the best of him, and especially the gold working its ugly spell as the "root of all evil," but it just hit me as improbable and excessive that things would or could go to THAT much of an extreme. Dobbs became a man possessed, and the effect was often more farcial than it was intense.
I think director John Huston turned in a fine piece of cinematic work, and for technicality and acting (more than content) I did like this film enough to give it *** out of ****. I thought Bogart gave a very good performance, albeit one that I didn't really want to see happen to his character and one which I had a hard time swallowing actually could. I wouldn't be against seeing it again and re-evaluating it further, somewhere down the line.