The Black Bird

The Black Bird is a 1975 comedy film written and directed by David Giler and starring George Segal and Stéphane Audran. It is a comedic sequel to the John Huston film version of The Maltese Falcon (1941) with Segal playing Sam Spade's son, Sam Spade, Jr., and Lee Patrick and Elisha Cook Jr. reprising their roles of Effie Perrine and Wilmer Cook. It was Giler's first and only directorial effort.

This article is about the 1975 film. For the 1926 film, see The Blackbird. For other films with similar titles, see Blackbird (disambiguation).
The Black Bird
Theatrical poster by Drew Struzan
Directed byDavid Giler
Screenplay byDavid Giler
Story by
Produced byGeorge Segal
Ray Stark
Lou Lombardo
Michael Levee
StarringGeorge Segal
Stéphane Audran
Lionel Stander
Lee Patrick
CinematographyPhilip H. Lathrop
Edited byLou Lombardo
Music byJerry Fielding
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
December 25, 1975
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

When San Francisco private detective Sam Spade dies, his son, Sam, Jr., inherits his father's agency, including the sarcastic secretary, Effie Perine (also known as "Godzilla"). He must also continue his father's tradition of "serving minorities". When Caspar Gutman is killed outside Spade's building, his dying words are, "It's black and as long as your arm."

Spade is given an offer by a member of the Order of St. John's Hospital to purchase his father's useless copy of the Maltese Falcon. A thug named Gordon Immerman has been hired to make sure Spade delivers the bird. Spade later gets an offer from Wilmer Cook for the Falcon, but before they can negotiate, Cook is killed. Shortly thereafter Spade meets a beautiful and mysterious Russian woman named Anna Kemidov, daughter of the general who once owned the real Maltese Falcon. She also wants Spade's copy and is willing to seduce him to get it. Spade is soon dealing with Litvak, a bald Nazi dwarf who is surrounded by an army of Hawaiian thugs. In the ensuing chaos, Immerman tries to become Spade's partner. Spade discovers that his "false" copy may be the real thing.[1]

Cast

Production

Ray Stark owned the rights to The Maltese Falcon and hired David Giler to adapt. Giler tried to work on the script with his friend John Milius but they were unable to collaborate. Giler then decided to turn the project into a comedy, and Stark let him direct.[2] It was his first and only directorial effort. During principal photography, frequent clashes occurred between Stark and star George Segal.[3]

Lee Patrick and Elisha Cook, Jr., reprised their roles from the John Huston version of The Maltese Falcon (1941).[4]

Reception

Panned by critics and audiences alike, the film is considered the weakest adaptation of the novel. Pauline Kael wrote that it is "a dumb comedy, with an insecure tone and some good ideas mixed with some terrible ones".[5] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregated score of 33% based on 3 positive and 6 negative critic reviews.[6]

See also

References
  1. Plot summary in Internet Movie Database
  2. Sragow, Michael (1983). "Ghostwriters". Film Comment. Film Society of Lincoln Center. 19 (2): 12. JSTOR 43452681. Retrieved 6 June 2022. "Giler's own favorite credit scam came on the Black-Bird, which he also directed.
  3. The Spadework Behind a 'Falcon' Remake: Spadework Behind Remake of 'Falcon' – A Remake of 'Falcon' Warga, Wayne. Los Angeles Times 15 Sep 1974: q1.
  4. Allmovie plot synopsis.,
  5. Kael, Pauline (1991). "The Black Bird". 5001 Nights at the Movies. MacMillan. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8050-1367-2. a dumb comedy, with an insecure tone and some good ideas mixed with some terrible ones.
  6. "The Black Bird - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
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