Ranked at No. 30 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 all-time greatest American films, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a genuine masterpiece that was, ironically, a box-office failure when released in 1948. At that time audiences didn't accept Humphrey Bogart in a role that was intentionally unappealing, but time has proven this to be one of Bogart's very best performances. It's a grand adventure and a superior character study built around the timeless themes of greed and moral corruption. As adapted by writer-director John Huston (from a novel by enigmatic author B. Traven) it became a definitive treatment of fate and futility in the obsessive pursuit of wealth. Bogart plays Fred C. Dobbs, a down-and-out wage-worker in Mexico who stakes his meager earnings on a gold-prospecting expedition to the Sierra mountains. He's joined by a grizzled old prospector (Walter Huston, the director's father) and a young, no-nonsense partner (Tim Holt), and when they strike a rich vein of gold, the movie becomes an observant study of wretched human behavior. Bogart is fiercely intense as his character grows increasingly paranoid and violent; Huston offers a compelling contrast as a weathered miner who's seen how gold can turn men into monsters.

The Wages of Greed

This one of several films in which John Huston and Bogart worked together. The director's father Walter also plays one of the lead roles. In fact, John Huston appears briefly in a scene in the same park where Fred C. Dobbs (Bogart) purchases a winning lottery ticket from a Mexican boy (yes, that's Robert Blake). The central plot concerns three men (Dobbs, Howard, and Curtin) who are "down on their luck" until Dobbs' windfall which enables them to bankroll a treasure hunt in Mexico. They set out with high hopes and great expectations, eagerly agreeing to be equal partners when they locate gold. After they do, inevitable tensions, distrust, and then animosity develop. What fascinates me most about this film is Bogart's portrayal of Dobbs as an anti-hero. Pay special attention to his eyes which reflect the deterioration of his sense of obligation to his two partners. The grizzled veteran Howard (Walter Huston) correctly suspects from the beginning that love of money could destroy the partnership, as indeed it does. Curtin (Tim Holt) is the principal victim of Dobbs' greed. Huston received an Academy Award for directing this film and another for his original screenplay, based on B. Traven's novel. Among all films in the treasure-hunt genre, this is truly a classic. At its conclusion, I was again reminded of what my grandmother once told me: "Pigs get fat but hogs get slaughtered." Actually, at least some pigs are also vulnerable to forces over which they have no control. The same can be said of Fred C. Dobbs, consumed by greed which apparently he could not control. As the film ends, only Howard remains...his understanding of human nature enriched even more by his recent experiences. Wealth is temporary but wisdom endures and sometimes prevails. That may well be the point of this great movie.

Bogart gives outstanding performance in this classic film

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" won Oscars for best director (John Huston), best supporting actor (Walter Huston) and best screenplay (John Huston). The film was also nominated for best picture but unfortunately lost out to Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet". This was yet another marvellous performance by Humphrey Bogart in a difficult role and proves once again what an outstanding actor he can be when given the right material.

Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) are two Americans down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico, who manage to acquire a temporary job working for Pat McCormick (Barton MacLaine) but don't get paid for their efforts as McCormick does a disappearing act with the money. Dobbs and Curtin catch up with him later in a bar and after coming to blows manage to get the money that was owed to them. A young Mexican boy (Robert Blake) approaches Dobbs who reluctantly buys a lottery ticket from him. Dobbs and Curtin spend the night in a flop house where they meet Howard (Walter Huston), a grizzled old timer who tells them stories of the times he went prospecting for gold in the mountains. They are both quite interested in this but don't have the necessary funds to purchase the equipment they would need. Next day the young Mexican boy comes to find Dobbs to tell him that his ticket has won some money in the lottery. It is not a fortune but enough to invest in some tools and equipment so that Curtin and himself can team up with Howard to search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains. Greed and distrust inevitably take hold of Dobbs and he gets increasingly suspicious of his two companions and becomes more and more paranoid as the days go by. He is sure that they want to steal his share of the gold which is just not so. A group of bandits led by Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya) come across their camp and try to rob them of the gold but with the help of James Cody (Bruce Bennett) they manage to fight them off.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Humphrey Bogart (to John Huston): "Hey, mister, will you stake a fellow American to a meal?".

Bogart (to Bruce Bennett): "Tonight you're our guest. Tomorrow morning look out - no trespassing around here, you know, beware of the dog - get it?".

Alfonso Bedoya (to Bogart): "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges".

Bogart (to Tim Holt): "Fred C. Dobbs don't say nothing he don't mean".

Writer/director John Huston played a cameo role at the start of the film as an American tourist ("White Suit") who Bogart approaches for money (three times!). Robert Blake was the small boy who sold Bogart the winning lottery ticket. Blake later went on to appear in many feature films such as "In Cold Blood", "Electra Glide in Blue", "Tell Them Willie Boy is Here", and also starred in the TV seies "Baretta".

This was a superlative performance by Humphrey Bogart - one of his best - and completely different to his smooth portrayal of Rick in "Casablanca". His character of Fred C. Dobbs was shifty and devious verging on paranoia and madness. The film has now rightly become a classic and is much admired by "movie buffs". Clive Roberts.

AFI top 100/ WB Classic now on digitally remastered DVD set!

The American Film Institute's (AFI)1998 Top 100 American Movies in the first 100 years placed "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" at #30. This 1947 western classic was one of Warner Brothers (WB) Studios many Classic movies produced in the 1930's &40's. (ie, Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Casablanca (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy to name a few). The WB had a stable of Stars like; Bogart, Cagney, Flynn, Bergman, Barrymore, Rains, Bacall, Greenstreet, Lorre & De Haviland to name a few which produced an abundance of classics in short order.

Well for the first time WB has meticulously digitally remastered their classics of old under the DVD "Two Disc Special Edition" Series. These DVD's are outstanding and the Feature Film is worth the price of admission alone, but Warner Brothers has provided us a 2 DVD set with everything for us to escape to 1947 Hollywood and relive the movie theatre experience. DISC 1 - Provides us with a "Night at the Movies" (circa 1947) This is pure genius (hats off to the WB) and the viewer experiences a complete show (so get the popcorn ready, this is fun stuff!!!!) To begin Leonard Maltin gives us an introduction to this 1947 show followed by coming attractions, a newsreel, a cartoon, a short subject film and then the Feature film all back to back just like the movies. AWESOME. Also on Disc 1 are 12 Humphrey Bogart film trailers. Thats just the first disc!!! DISC 2 - Has a 2 hour documentary on the life of Director John Huston (2 Oscar's, Direction & Screen Play for "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"), Documentary on "Discovering the Treasure of.....", Classic Bugs Bunny Cartoon, Storyboards, Cast & Crew, Publicity Materials Gallery and a 1949 Radio broadcast starring Bogart & Walter Huston (Oscar winner for best supporting in Treasure (also John Hustons father)).

Warner Brothers did a fabulous job digitally transferring (the picture & sound are perfect)this Full Screen Black & White feature to DVD and there's more classic movies to come. I can't wait. This a must have for your home theatre experience. Enjoy.