The sub-genre of crime noir, hardboiled fiction, was invented by Edgar Allan Poe. His publication of The Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841 marked the creation of the hardboiled genre of crime fiction, which further took off fifty years later with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels. The mystique surrounding these genre’s is what attracts audiences, a tradition that has continued in the production of films. The Maltese Falcon is one of the most popular examples of both crime noir and hardboiled fiction, due to the characterization of Sam Spade and the design of the film. It is necessary for the protagonist of a hardboiled detective story to have a tough attitude and possess the disposition of a loner. Sam Spade is the epitome of a hardboiled detective because he possesses these qualities. When combining his character with the setting and plot, it creates the ideal hardboiled noir film. It is for these reasons that it is the first example of crime noir and hardboiled fiction that people reference when speaking about these genre’s.
The first brush with the fundamentals of hardboiled fiction that the audience are met with upon beginning their viewing of The Maltese Falcon is Sam Spade. At the beginning of the film, Sam meets with a potential client alongside his …show more content…
In hardboiled fiction it is necessary to create suspense by allowing the detective to collect clues that mean something when pieced together in the detective’s mind, but do not mean anything to the audience. By not giving the audience a direct answer, it allows the detective to unravel the case at the end of the story, releasing the buildup of curiosity and tension in the audience. This is what Sam did with Brigid at the end of the film, outlining the story and how he came to those conclusions before turning her over to the police. This technique is what attracts an audience to the hardboiled fiction
The first brush with the fundamentals of hardboiled fiction that the audience are met with upon beginning their viewing of The Maltese Falcon is Sam Spade. At the beginning of the film, Sam meets with a potential client alongside his …show more content…
In hardboiled fiction it is necessary to create suspense by allowing the detective to collect clues that mean something when pieced together in the detective’s mind, but do not mean anything to the audience. By not giving the audience a direct answer, it allows the detective to unravel the case at the end of the story, releasing the buildup of curiosity and tension in the audience. This is what Sam did with Brigid at the end of the film, outlining the story and how he came to those conclusions before turning her over to the police. This technique is what attracts an audience to the hardboiled fiction