MovieChat Forums > The Maltese Falcon (1941) Discussion > Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon

Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon

posted 10 years ago by marhefka
41 replies | jump to latest

My vote is for Casablanca. MF is great but Casablanca is an all-time classic.

Some reasons why I pick Casablanca:

It won the Oscar for best picture of 1942.
Bogart, Lorre, and Greenstreet are in both movies. But Casablanca has Ingrid Bergman as well as Claude Rains and Paul Henreid.
Casablanca has a better plot.
Casablanca has better dialogue. I can think of at least seven cliches that originated in Casablanca.

I realize that my opinion doesn't amount to a "hill of beans."

[–] hnt_dnl 9 years ago

This one is a layup for me. The Maltese Falcon by a very wide margin! Casablanca is one of the "classic" films that I just can't get into. TMF is more accessible and involving.

[–] ZacPensol 9 years ago

Interesting how split the voting here seems to be. Makes sense; both are great films. However, for me it's hands-down Casablanca as the superior film.

It's difficult to be a fan of both modern and old cinema. These days we're used to much more fast-paced plots, dynamic camera angles, color processing and matching, and so on. Truth is, some classic films just don't age well, and while a movie fan can certainly appreciate and acknowledge the historical significance of an older film, that doesn't always mean it's as entertaining as it once was.

That's how I felt watching 'The Maltese Falcon'. A good movie. A historically significant movie. But I admit to finding it kind of boring at times. Not as bad as most movies its age or older (or younger) by any means, but it didn't engage me the way I'm sure it did audiences in the 1940's.

On the other hand, 'Casablanca' never once slows down. It's aged very well in comparison to more modern films, and it's one of my all-time favorites. Just this year alone I've probably watched it 3 times.

[–] marhefka 9 years ago

@ZacPensol

👍

[–] Erniesam 8 years ago

I simply cannot grasp this classic status of Casablanca. This movie just doesn't do it for me. Yes, I think it is a decent and even good movie, but I find nothing special about it. It has a nice story, good performances, but nothing stands out. Also I find the romantic element pretty annoying. It feels so forced, so artificially melancholic. I do enjoy watching the film from time to time, but I can name at least ten other Bogart movies I rate higher than Casablanca.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kaskait 8 years ago

I don't know why, but I'm tired of Casablanca. It think it has to do with over-exposure.

However I still prefer Falcon more. Bogart displays more range and personality in this film whereas Casablanca is all about making him look as cool as possible.

He also had more chemistry with Astor than he does with Bergman.

[–] rogueforte 8 years ago

This seems like another of those Godfather Part 1 or Part 2 debates. While both are excellent, upon initial viewing, Casablanca 'seems' like the better movie. But after you've seen both a couple dozen times (or more), The Maltese Falcon comes through as having more depth and more enduring.

[–] heelmaster2000 8 years ago

Casablanca was easily the better of the two films. Thought my favorite Bogie film will always be The African Queen.

[–] kaskait 8 years ago

You know I agree. The African Queen shows Bogart the regular man more than any of the other films.

I think he was relaxed during this shoot and he genuinely liked Katherine Hepburn. It shows on film.

[–] Beau_Buffet 8 years ago

Some reasons why I pick Casablanca:

It won the Oscar for best picture of 1942.

This is NOT a good reason.

I chose Casablanca too. One of my favorite movies of all-time. I rated Falcon 3 points lower: 7/10.

[–] anthny_platt 8 years ago

Casablanca showed more of Bogart's excellent acting ability. I like Bergman much better than Astor. I can think of many reasons why I should like Casablanca better.

But I don't. And I personally blame Daschiell Hammett for that.

[–] joenscott 8 years ago

Casablanca by far.

[–] ktowny 8 years ago

Casablanca - It has WWII lurking in the background and what could be called spies or resistant fighters walking in and out. I'm a sucker for spy movies.

"Loves turned to lust and bloods turned to dust in my heart"

[–] kristifriesen 8 years ago

I think Casablanca. The first time I watched it, I realized why it's such a classic. I enjoyed the Maltese Falcon but it didn't hit me in the same way.