It turns out that none of my three young coworkers has ever seen The Maltese Falcon, which is damned close to incomprehensible to me. (“Young” – two of them are around 28, the other is 35.) I don’t consider myself a particularly geeky or knowlegable movie fan, but this is basic stuff, people! I was just chatting with BlueKangaroo (another young 'un), and she hasn’t either.
So – have you ever seen The Maltese Falcon? How old are you? Do you consider yourself a movie buff?
Thanks.
Not a movie buff, never seen it and I’m 29.
Wait-- you’re asking non-movie buffs if they consider themselves movie buffs?
Shhweedheart, thish ish the shtuff that nightmaresh are made on.
Swoon You do a wonderful Bogie.
Nah, I consider it a fundamental film – I know the movie buffs have seen it (or if they haven’t, I’m not sure I want to know) – I’m just curious where the age cutoff is for those who have and those who haven’t seen it at some point.
Yes, but I wasn’t thrilled (The Big Sleep, on the other hand, is wonderful). 35. No.
I own it on DVD.
I am older than I once was.
The Maltese Falcon is only #23 on the AFI’s top 100 American movies of all time (1997 edition). If you want further dismay, ask your co-workers how many of the top ten they haven’t seen:
I think they used to show it on Magic Shadows a lot when I was a kid and I think I saw it a few times on tv without paying particular attention. I watched it intentionally last year and I was 34. I don’t think I’ve ever even used the phrase movie buff let alone consider myself one.
The Maltese Falcon is a classic, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that many people haven’t seen it. What surprises me is meeting people who haven’t seen The Godfather.
I haven’t seen:
I’d be willing to watch “On the Waterfront” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” The others, no.
I haven’t seen The Maltese Falcon, and I have no intention of doing so.
It’s a genre flick in a genre I have little-to-no interest in.
Tengu, **The Maltese Falcon ** came first. The genre followed in its wake.
Of that list, I have only seen The Godfather and the Wizard of Oz. I mean, I know how the rest of those films end they have been talked about so much, so they are pretty low on my “movies to watch” list. I’d rather watch something I don’t know anything about.
I haven’t seen Maltese Falcon either. Isn’t that a Bond film?
I’m 23 btw.
How a movie ends is rarely as important as what happens in the other 9/10ths. Character, dialog, direction, acting . . .
Even if that were, in fact, the case*, why would that make it any less an example of a genre I have almost no interest in? I didn’t claim it was a derivative, clichéd movie - just that I have pretty much no desire to watch any movie in the genre. In fact, it would just make it that much more likely I’ve already absorbed all the clichés it created - it’s been rather thoroughly parodied and referenced in movies and TV shows I DO watch.
I do consider myself a movie buff, and I’m well into middle age, but I’ve never seen “The Maltese Falcon.” Just never had a chance to see it for one reason or another. I HAVE read the book, though, as I’m a big fan of Dashiell Hammett; I’ve read most of his work, if ot all.
Another classic I’ve missed out on is “Singing in the Rain.”
I think, as one of the people in question (though not a co-worker), I don’t think I’ll let her know how many of these I’ve seen. I also don’t think I’ll let on that I haven’t heard of a couple of them…
I’ve wanted to see a few, though. Just never got around to it.
Yes, of those, “Singin’ in the Rain” is the only one I’ve not seen. As for “Citizen Kane,” I have it on tape AND DVD and have watched it many times. I frequently find something new in it. I have “Casablanca” only on tape; watch it several times a year. I like it even more than “Kane.”
I have seen it and I am 40. I do not consider myself a movie buff, but I have seen the Top Ten, most of them multiple times and I have seen 94 of the top 100.
I might be a movie buff and never knew it. Is this possible?
jsgoddess, why would you not be willing to watch the movies you listed?
I guess I could understand some for glorifying violence, but why not Citizen Kane?
Schindler’s List is a gut-wrenching movie but it does anything but glorify violence. It shows a little bit of humanity in one of the darkest moment of history.
BlueKangaroo, please let me know which you have not heard of? I find myself slightly amazed and wonder if you are perhaps not even 20 yet?
Siam Sam, I have seen Singing in the Rain 20-30 times. It is timeless fun and worth watching as the greatest MGM musical of all time.
Jim
I make it down to #76-City Lights before I hit one I haven’t seen. Actually that and #92-A Place In The Sun are the only ones on the list I haven’t seen.
52 and not really that much of a film buff.