The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

John Huston (screenplay)
B. Traven (novel)

Release Date:

24 January 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Western | Action

Tagline:

The more he yearns for a woman's arms . . . the fiercer he lusts for the treasure that cursed them all!

Plot:

Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, both down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico in 1925, meet up with a grizzled...

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Gold | Prospector | Tampico Mexico | Bandit

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Dobbs
Walter Huston	...	Howard
Tim Holt	...	Curtin
Bruce Bennett	...	Cody
Barton MacLane	...	McCormick (as Barton Mac Lane)
Alfonso Bedoya	...	Gold Hat
Arturo Soto Rangel	...	Presidente (as A. Soto Rangel)
Manuel Dondé	...	El Jefe (as Manuel Donde)
José Torvay	...	Pablo (as Jose Torvay)
Margarito Luna	...	Pancho

Also Known As:

Treasure of Sierra Madre (USA) (poster title)
Le trésor de la Sierra Madre (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Der Schatz der Sierra Madre (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Altin hazineleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
De schat van de Sierra Madre (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
El tesoro de la Sierra Madre (Spain) [es]
Ha-Otzar M'Sierra Madre (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Il tesoro della Sierra Madre (Italy) [it]
O Tesouro da Serra Madre (Portugal) [pt]
O Tesouro de Sierra Madre (Brazil) [pt]
O thissavros tis Sierra Madre (Greece) [el]
Sierra Madren aarre (Finland) [fi]
Sierra Madres skatt (Sweden) [sv]
Skarb Sierra Madre (Poland) [pl]
Tre mand søger guld (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:12 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Norway:16 | West Germany:6 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:15 (1977) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #12347)

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

John Huston played one of his infamous practical jokes on Bruce Bennett in the campfire scene in which he eats a plate of stew. Bennett knew that his character was starving so he wolfed down the food as quickly as possible. Huston then demanded another take. And another. In both extra takes the rapidly filling-up Bennett again had to eat a large plate of stew. Unbeknownst to him, Huston had been happy with the first take. The cameras weren't even rolling for the second and the third. He just wanted to see how much food Bennett could lower before he became too stuffed. As soon as the joke was revealed, Huston added insult to injury by calling for a lunch break.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end, the gold dust would have never blown away, even by an especially strong wind such as the "norther" - gold dust is far too heavy. It could have been recovered by panning the topsoil where it was dumped. Also, no Mexican bandit would have mistaken gold dust for anything but gold.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dobbs: Say buddy, will you stake a fellow Am...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friends: The One with the Baby Shower (#8.20)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms

An excellent film

The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre

Certainly a consuming piece of cinematic achievement. I was delighted in viewing this film, especially when you have the talents of Bogart, Holt and Huston…..oh what abilities or should I say ‘gifts'.

My eyes never strayed from the screen, I couldn't take the risk of missing one second of this tremendous adventure/drama film. Bogart played the character ‘Fred C. Dobbs' so convincingly, it doesn't surprise me though he was at his career peak. It was like his portrayal of ‘Lt. Comdr. Philip Francis Queeg' in `The Caine Mutiny' surely no one would disagree he carried the part to it's limit.

The B & W format gave an added depth and the direction by John Huston (as usual) was nothing more then what I would expect from an accredited director like him. I was amused to see a very young Robert Blake in the role of the boy selling lottery tickets and the brief appearance of Bruce Bennett as ‘James Cody'…. whom starred with Bogie in `Sahara' several years prior. Another reliable support actor was Alfonso Bedoya as ‘Gold Hat' my fondest memory of any of his acting roles must be `The Big Country' in 1958.

Walter Huston stood out with his performance, this was the first time I've had the privilege to watch him in a film role. His portrayal was astounding…..and the script he had to work with was a treat to hear.

Another funny point I want to point out, I don't know why I kept comparing Tim Holt to John Derek. In some of the scenes his appearance and voice were so similar to Derek's it was uncanny. I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but I can't dismiss the similarities (to me anyway).

The plot was an interesting one, one that slowly draws you in until you can't stop watching. I really enjoyed `The Treasure Of Sierra Madre' certainly a ‘must see' film…highly recommended.