THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) ORIGINAL PRODUCTION STILL, US

This landmark film noir was written and directed by John Huston and was his directorial debut. The film is based on Dashiell Hammett's novel of the same name, and stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and Mary Astor as his femme fatale client, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. This was Greenstreet's film debut at the age of sixty-two. He had previously worked as a theatre actor. His portrayal of Kasper Gutman is captivating, and gave him the memorable line 'I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it's possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon'.

This is an iconic image of Humphrey Bogart (Sam Spade) clasping the illusive Maltese Falcon.