The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

talisencrw 6/23/2021 3:57:49 PM 8.4

I wanted something very special to be my 5,000th film (at least to my horrible memory and to my stats on IMDb), and so after brazen and intense thought, I decided on a later-than-expected watch of a classic from Bogart's association with John Huston. I say later than expected because I bought the immaculate 24-film Humphrey Bogart Collection, which was supposed to have it on its 12 double-sided DVDs, but it accidentally had, in its place, the special features disc, which held excellent feature-length documentaries on both John Huston and the making of the film. Thus I waited until recently, when I found the blu for a very good price and went for it. It was worth the wait. The ultimate tale of sordid greed. Without going into detail or spoilers, everyone got exactly what they deserved. My only qualm is that after a splendid cameo by the director (whom when I think of that aspect of his career, I will always fondly think of 'Chinatown'), I was hoping we'd end up seeing more of his character. That would have been even more wonderful for me. Hopefully I will see and rate another 5,000--and I'm very curious if and when I do, what film I'll choose for THAT milestone...

Andres Gomez 6/23/2021 3:57:20 PM 8.4

Fantastic movie with great cast and a thrilling story. Bogart performs great.

Filipe Manuel Neto 10/28/2023 7:38:10 PM 8.4

**An excellent film that deserves to be remembered today, more than seventy years later.** It's curious to see a film where a group of Americans go to Mexico to experience in Mexican lands what many Mexicans now go through in the USA: hunger, unemployment and difficulties in surviving. However, this is how this film begins, which presents us with a group of three Americans with no prospects for improving their lives who decide to invest everything in a treasure hunt by becoming gold prospectors in the most remote mountains of Mexico. The film continues with Americans surviving various hardships and revealing the worst of themselves due to gold fever, a type of greed that affects those who seek to get rich quickly by mining the most coveted metals in the world. There is no doubt that it is a very good film and that it treats the characters in a very careful way, with each one making a very interesting psychological and moral evolution. Therefore, it is perhaps one of the best works of the career of Humphrey Bogart, one of the most notable actors of the golden age of cinema. The way he worked on this film is impressive. Tim Holt is not far behind, however his character has a different evolution. Walter Huston also does a good job here. The film is really worth it: the story is good, John Huston's direction is competent and effective, the black and white cinematography is very beautiful and elegant, the sets are well done, and the costumes also leave nothing to be desired. The film won three Oscars in 1949: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Walter Huston) and Best Screenplay.