The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Directed by: John Huston

Written by: John Huston (screenplay); B. Traven (novel)

A few weeks ago, I dragged The Wifey to our local theatre's Classic Film Wednesday presentation of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." When I was growing up, my dad always pointed to this movie as one of his favorites, though I never quite found the time to see it. Going through a VHS buying binge during college - with local stores clearing out used VHS tapes for as low as a dollar - I picked up a copy, watched it, and immediately fell in love with it.

As the movie begins, Fred C. Dobbs (Bogart) and his friend Bob Curtin (Holt) are American tramps living down-and-out in Tampico, Mexico. After being swindled one too many times, they downheartedly start hoping for just enough money to slip through the rest of their lives. One night at a flophouse, they encounter Howard (Huston), an old miner who promises them modest riches of gold for a few months of hard work. Although their ambitions begin small, as the gold piles up, leading to greed and paranoia between the small mining crew...

Humphrey Bogart's performance as Dobbs is masterful without being overpowering, which is especially impressive considering the attention the role calls to itself. But it is the supporting cast - Tim Holt and Walter Huston - which really carry the film. Holt brings an honesty, bordering on naivete, to his character's hard-work ethic. Huston's ability to remain ambiguous and non-committal at key moments in the film help the audience feel the stress that Dobbs is feeling, fueling his paranoia. And no one who has heard Huston's dry cackle, conspicuously used at significant moments of the film, can ever forget it.

There are also some great subtle moments used to hammer home important concepts. For example, early in the movie, Bogart gets a shave, a haircut, and some clean clothes. Yet, out in the wilderness, as his madness grows, he begins to pay less and less attention to his hygiene. His clothes become stained and his beard grows ragged. There's also some early foreshadowing of Dobb's descent into greed, as he repeatedly begs the same man for money for a meal which he then spends somewhat wastefully.

If there is any complaint about the movie, it's simply that it suffers from a distinct lack of modern pacing. Considering the film's length, not much actually happens. What the movie lacks in terms of plot development, though, it makes up for in character study. The audience is hypnotized by Dobb's madness, wondering how far he will go to keep his gold (which, without spoiling anything, is pretty far).

I won't get into this film being a pretty strong moral allegory against the selfish greed that sometimes rises in capitalism, as represented by Dobbs. It's there if you look for it, although I'll admit it would be a bit of a stretch.

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is a wonderful example of how well were made back during the golden age of film. Without massive special effects or tons of star power (although Bogart brought plenty himself), the overall film is incredibly effective. I highly recommend it, although you do need to make sure you have plenty of time set aside - it's long.