{"id":57022,"date":"2020-12-11T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T19:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=57022"},"modified":"2021-01-10T15:04:53","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T22:04:53","slug":"treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-the-1948","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=57022","title":{"rendered":"Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;The way I see it, gold can be as much of a blessing as a curse.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-57035\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster-196x300.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster-669x1024.png 669w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Poster.png 715w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo penniless drifters (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) partner with an aging prospector (Walter Huston) to search for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico, but quickly find their quest marred by bandits, greed, and distrust.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Betrayal<\/li>\n<li>Gold Seekers<\/li>\n<li>Greed<\/li>\n<li>Humphrey Bogart Films<\/li>\n<li>John Huston Films<\/li>\n<li>Mental Breakdown<\/li>\n<li>Walter Huston Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary notes that this adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Treasure_of_the_Sierra_Madre\">B. Traven&#8217;s novel<\/a> represents &#8220;masterful storytelling by John Huston, who won Oscars for his direction and his script adaptation&#8221; &#8212; indeed, it &#8220;is one of the greatest American films.&#8221; He writes that &#8220;Humphrey Bogart had one of his finest roles as Fred C. Dobbs, revealing the brittleness and paranoia that his &#8217;40s <em>heroes<\/em> felt but held in check.&#8221; Meanwhile, Supporting Oscar-winning Huston plays a &#8220;wise, fast-talking&#8221; man who &#8220;teaches his two partners about mining&#8221; but warns that they may &#8220;become distrustful of each other&#8221; &#8212; which does indeed happen, leading to a &#8220;brilliantly played character transformation&#8221; by Bogart in which he &#8220;nears madness&#8221;. Peary notes that this &#8220;epic has dynamic scenes in wilderness and civilization, superior dialogue, exciting action-adventure, [and] interesting characters&#8221; &#8212; but &#8220;what really makes this film special is that Dobbs, who proves anything but moral or heroic, is the <em>lead<\/em> (most emphasized) character rather than having that designation going to the moral Curtin [Holt], who, in movie storytelling terms, is the more logical choice.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p>In <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, Peary names this the Best Movie of the Year (over Laurence Olivier&#8217;s <em>Hamlet<\/em>), and elaborates on what makes it such a fine picture. He writes that in order to &#8220;achieve authenticity, as well as a dirty, gritty, dangerous feel to his picture, Huston insisted on shooting on location in Mexico&#8221; &#8212; making it &#8220;the first narrative American movie filmed entirely out of the States&#8221; &#8212; and &#8220;hired Mexican character actors and amateurs,&#8221; wisely chancing on &#8220;including long bits of dialogue that were delivered in Spanish and had no subtitles.&#8221; However, Peary argues that &#8220;Huston&#8217;s major contribution to the film was making Gold Hat&#8221; (a bandito played by Alfonso Bedoya) &#8220;a continuing character&#8221;: he&#8217;s a &#8220;vile, smiling, almost comical&#8221; bandit who &#8220;could have been conceived by Luis Bunuel&#8221; and &#8220;is one of the screen&#8217;s great punk-bully villains&#8221;, with his &#8220;great moment&#8221; coming when &#8220;he tries to pass himself and his men off as <em>federales<\/em>, and Dobbs (Bogart) asks to see their badges: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Badges? We ain&#8217;t got no badges. We don&#8217;t need no badges. I don&#8217;t have to show you any stinking badges.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Peary notes that while &#8220;at first glance <em>The Treasure of the Sierra Madre<\/em> seems to be an action-adventure film geared for young boys, with its treasure hunt in unknown territory, gunplay, fisticuffs (the scene in which Dobbs and Curtin fight with their boss&#8230; in a bar is a classic), tension and squabbling among partners, brutal villains, [and] no women&#8221;, it&#8217;s &#8220;also a complex character study about what the discovery of gold can do to individuals.&#8221; Peary further points out how &#8220;most of the tension in the picture is caused by <em>intrusion<\/em>: the lure of gold intruding on [the] minds of and relationships among the three men, and different characters intruding on space &#8216;belonging&#8217; to others.&#8221; Suffice it to say there&#8217;s much rich material here to be explored, and Huston does a marvelous job presenting a story with numerous surprises &#8212; both brutal and heartwarming &#8212; but one that never pulls any punches. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Humphrey Bogart as Fred Dobbs<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Bogart5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Bogart5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Bogart5.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Bogart5-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Bogart5-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Bogart5-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Walter Huston as Howard<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Huston3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Huston3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57030\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Huston3.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Huston3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Huston3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Huston3-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tim Holt as Curtin<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Holt2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Holt2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Holt2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Holt2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Holt2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Holt2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ted McCord&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-1024x615.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57029\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-1024x615.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-768x462.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-1536x923.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography-449x270.png 449w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography.png 1699w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography5.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography5-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography5-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography5-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography3.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Cinematography3-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Highly effective location shooting in Mexico<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57031\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57032\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location2.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madre-Location2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many memorable moments<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madres-Badges.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madres-Badges.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madres-Badges.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madres-Badges-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madres-Badges-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Treasure-of-the-Sierra-Madres-Badges-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0040897\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1948\/01\/24\/archives\/treasure-of-sierra-madre-film-of-gold-mining-in-mexico-new-feature.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre\/review\/121209\/\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/reviews\/44478\/treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-the\/\">DVD Talk Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3329madr.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The way I see it, gold can be as much of a blessing as a curse.&#8221; Synopsis: Two penniless drifters (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) partner with an aging prospector (Walter Huston) to search for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico, but quickly find their quest marred by bandits, greed, and distrust. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Betrayal Gold Seekers Greed Humphrey Bogart Films John Huston Films Mental Breakdown Walter Huston Films Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary notes&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=57022\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=57022"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62773,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57022\/revisions\/62773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}