A Blueprint for Noir: The Maltese Falcon

A Film as Text on John Huston's The Maltese Falcon (1941). The film is often cited as a key text in the genre of movies known as film noir, yet while it certainly influenced many of the film noirs that followed, it does not fit comfortably within the parameters that defined that cinematic movement. Paul Coughlin examines the film's 'non noir' elements.