Humphrey Bogart’s 76-year-old western is still the best of his 4 classics

Humphrey Bogart Starred in four classic westerns over his storied career, but the latest – a 1948 John Huston masterpiece – is still the best of the bunch. Bogart is one of the most iconic movie stars in Hollywood history, renowned for his magnetic screen presence and inimitable leading-man charisma. Very few actors can boast a resume as profiled as Bogart’s. He stared at it CasablancaConsidered by several publications to be the greatest film ever made, and also featured in such gems as The Chinese mutiny, The African queenAnd To have and have not.

With his private detective roles, Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and Philip Marlowe in The big sleepBogart created the archetype of the film noir antihero. Every noir protagonist of Chinatowns jj gites to Blade Runners Rick Deckard has followed the Bogart pattern. But film noir isn’t the only genre Bogart has dipped his toe into, he’s also starred in war movies, gangster movies, romantic comedies and, of course, westerns. He didn’t make anywhere near as many Westerns as, say, John Wayne or Henry Fonda, but he starred in one of the genre’s finest entries.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is Humphrey Bogart’s Best Western – what the 1948 movie is about

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is about three guys looking for their fortune

In 1948, Bogart teamed up with writer-director John Huston to adapt B. Traven’s novel. The treasure of the Sierra Madre For the big screen. Bogart stars with Tim Holt as a pair of drifters named Dobbs and Curtin, respectivelyWho are looking for a way to make a rush. Walter Huston, the director’s father, plays an old prospector Who told them about a massive supply of gold in Mexico. They gather some supplies, take the train down to Mexico, and collect a fortune in placer gold. Unfortunately for them, their troubles are just beginning.

Although they agree to split the gold three ways, Dobbs immediately becomes distrustful of the other two. He is afraid that they will make off with his share of the gold, so he grows increasingly paranoid of them. ironic, Dobbs’ worsening paranoia makes him the one the other two should worry about. His paranoia makes him more and more erratic and his reckless decision-making begins to diminish their fortunes, meaning that there is less and less gold to fight over as time goes on. It is a brilliantly constructed screenplay that keeps tightening the noses.

Why Treasure of the Sierra Madre is considered one of the best western movies of all time

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is the ultimate cinematic study of greed and paranoia

On its first release, The treasure of the Sierra Madre was a critical and commercial success. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay for John Huston and Best Supporting Actor for Walter Huston, marking the first time a father and son won Oscars for the same movie. It also won Best Picture trophies at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. Today, it is a bona fide classic, often dubbed Huston’s masterpiece. in 1990, The Library of Congress selected The treasure of the Sierra Madre For preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

what makes The treasure of the Sierra Madre So great is his timeless exploration of humanity’s penchant for greed, and the corrupting power of that greed. Greed becomes Dobbs’ downfall; He is so worried that his cohorts will take his part that he begins plotting to take theirs. When a Texan named Cody tries to join their group, they choose to kill him rather than share their gold. This is not just an average West; It is a study of the human condition. It builds to one of the greatest endings in movie history: a cruel twist of ironic fate.

Stanley Kubrick, Spike Lee, Sam Raimi and Paul Thomas Anderson have all been quoted The treasure of the Sierra Madre Like one of their favorite movies. The latter was inspired by the film as he made his own cinematic examination of greed and human corruption in There will be blood. The scene in which Dobbs and co. Debate on whether they should kill Cody was referenced in Breaking bad Season 5, Episode 6, “Buyout.”

How Treasure of the Sierra Madre compares to Humphrey Bogart’s 3 other westerns

The other three were panned by critics and forgotten by audiences

The treasure of the Sierra Madre was the last of Bogart’s four westerns; He had previously strengthened in A holy terror in 1931, The Oklahoma Kid In 1939, and Virginia City In 1940. whereas The treasure of the Sierra Madre Has a perfect 100% score on Rotten TomatoesBogart’s previous westerns were panned by critics. Virginia City scored 56%, The Oklahoma Kid scored 48%, and A holy terror Does not have enough reviews for an official ratingBut it received even worse reviews than the other two. Obviously, the consensus is that The treasure of the Sierra Madre Is Bogart’s Best Western.

A holy terror was a bog-standard B-movie that didn’t do anything to stand out. The Oklahoma KidThe casting of Bogart and James Cagney was criticized for cowboys with outlaw accents; It works as an unintentional comedy, but not as much as a straightforward western drama. Despite being helmed by Bogart’s future Casablanca Director Michael Curtiz, Virginia City is also a disappointment, as it favors mindless spectacle over genuine suspense and thrills. The treasure of the Sierra Madre is Bogart’s greatest contribution to the Western genre, and it’s not even close.

Why Humphrey Bogart never made another western after The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Bogart told friends he was “too short to be a cowboy”

After a phenomenal success like The treasure of the Sierra MadreIt would seem that although Hollywood studios would be eager to get Bogart in another western, but the actor never returned to the genre. This is because he did not feel comfortable in western roles. Bogart told his friends that he was “Too short to be a cowboy“(by INSP). When he accepted a Western role, the producers made him elevator shoes and shoulder pads, which made him feel “as a better” So he decided to focus on other genres that do not require him to change his height.

It is safe to say that the foregoing future Western projects did not have a negative impact on Humphrey Bogarts career. He continued to star continuously in movies until his early years in 1957. He received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor – first for Casablanca In 1942, then for The African queen In 1951, then for The Chinese mutiny In 1954 – and he won on his second nomination for The African queen. In 1960, he posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was fine without the western genre.

Source: INSP