John Huston's first film displays his distinctive hallmarks: the mocking attitude toward human greed, the cavalier insolence toward plot details, and the delight in bizarre characterizations. What makes it a prototype film noir is the vein of unease. Filmed almost entirely in interiors, it presents a claustrophobic world animated by betrayal, perversion, and pain, never—even at its most funny—losing sight of this central abyss of darkness. (Run time: 1 hour, 40 minutes)

After the film, join us for a talkback with film scholar and head of public programs, Will Schmenner.

Image: The Maltese Falcon (1941)