I recently sat down and watched the more-renowned 1941 version of this and then, by way of comparison, watched this earlier take on the same story. It's an approach I'd recommend, as the two versions complement each other wonderfully. While the 1941 is proto-noir with all its labyrinthine motivations and machinations, this lesser-known version creaks a fair bit and, although the performances are generally awkward and the direction stilted, everyone has their moments. Bebe Daniels, for instance, shines as the "heroine", exhibiting far more bubble and downright sexiness than Mary Astor did. Which segues neatly into this version's most startling asset: sex. Quite a bit of it, by Hollywood 30s standards. coming pre-Hays Code, there's a fair amount of flesh on view and an abundance left to the imagination. The scene with Daniels taking a bath was astonishing for its sexiness and the homosexual frisson between Gutman and Gunsel was quite marked.
The script is very much the same, and it's fascinating seeing such familiar lines coming out of unfamiliar mouths. This film, however, fills in some holes that the '41 version skated over (Spade's affair with Mrs Archer, for instance) so, seen together, they can be seen as two pieces of the same jigsaw puzzle. As I said, the performances are a little stiff, there are some delightful moments (watch as they wait for the arrival of the falcon: Daniels cheating at Solitaire and watching to see if anyone sees her; Cortez as Spade playing with a kid's game, chewing gum and idly looking around). It could use a little jazz-age looseness in its staging, but I think this is a worthy predecessor to the '41 version, and fans of that should definitely take a looks at this one.
The script is very much the same, and it's fascinating seeing such familiar lines coming out of unfamiliar mouths. This film, however, fills in some holes that the '41 version skated over (Spade's affair with Mrs Archer, for instance) so, seen together, they can be seen as two pieces of the same jigsaw puzzle. As I said, the performances are a little stiff, there are some delightful moments (watch as they wait for the arrival of the falcon: Daniels cheating at Solitaire and watching to see if anyone sees her; Cortez as Spade playing with a kid's game, chewing gum and idly looking around). It could use a little jazz-age looseness in its staging, but I think this is a worthy predecessor to the '41 version, and fans of that should definitely take a looks at this one.