The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Plot synopsis:
Three down-and-out Americans – Curtin, Dobbs, and Howard – meet by chance in the Mexican city of Tampico and discuss how to overcome their financial distress. They then set out to discover gold in the remote Sierra Madre mountains. Once in the desert, experienced old-timer Howard quickly proves to be the toughest and most knowledgeable; he is the one who discovers the gold they are seeking. A mine is dug and much gold is extracted, but Dobbs soon becomes greedy and begins to lose both his trust and his mind, lusting to possess the entire treasure. One day, another prospector named Lacaud follows Curtin from a nearby village back to the men's camp. Although the men do not initially trust Lacaud, they decide to allow him to stay and camp with them.
Bandits appear and pretend, very crudely, to be Federales. After a gunfight, real Federales arrive and drive the bandits away. The prospectors soon decide to leave the mine and head to Durango to sell the gold that they have mined. Lacaud decides to stay behind, because he believes there is more gold in the mountain. On the way, Howard is called to assist some local villagers help a sick boy, and Dobbs and Curtin have a final confrontation. Dobbs shoots Curtin, leaving him lying shot and bleeding. Dobbs continues on alone but is soon confronted and killed by the leader of the bandits and two of his remaining henchmen, who had apparently been wandering the desert without weapons or horses after somehow escaping the Federales. The bandits, thinking the gold dust is just worthless sand used to make the bundles of skins they were hidden in seem heavier, scatter the paydirt; they are later captured and executed by the Federales. Curtin survives Dobbs' attack and meets up with Howard. When they hear the story, they can do nothing but laugh at their misfortunes.

Tags: suspenseful, violence, humor, murder, romantic

Review:
Having had his day as an idolized star and romantic leading man, it was now time for Bogart to get down to the serious business of acting For eighteen years it had usually been Bogart playing Bogart in various shadings Now that Bogart was gone and in his place was an older and far less romantic figure, one who found new challenges and was able to meet most of them successfully This new phase of his continued growth began with a story of three men in search of gold Although "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is indisputably one of Bogart's best films, it was co-star Walter Huston who won an Academy Award as did the movie's director and scenarist, John Huston Based on a novel by the mysterious B.
Traven, the film told a riveting tale which explored the degenerative effects of encroaching greed, distrust, and hatred on three prospectors who team up to search for gold in Mexico Bogart's Fred C.
Dobbs was an amazingly complex creation whose slow disintegration into paranoia was brilliant1y managed on camera He is a born loser with no potential for change in sight Suspicious, unfeeling, savage, and easily corruptible, he seems clearly destined for a tragic fate almost from our first meeting with him Tim Holt was also excellent as Bob Curtin, a man who, like Bogart, is tempted but whose conscience will not permit him to exercise his baser desires.
Dobbs and he finds himself overwhelmed and uncertain as to how he will cope with Dobbs's rage and greed However, it is the director's father, Walter Huston, who literally stole the picture from both Bogart and Holt as he played Howard, a wise old toothless codger who knew all along what would happen and took it all in stride, kicking up his heels and having a marvelous time Life can't surprise him any more He's already had successes and failures enough for one lifetime Like a faithful dog, he's along for the thrill of the hunt, and should there be another pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, well, that's just a bonus It is mainly the interaction of these three men from their first meeting and uneasy partnership through their final confrontation that made "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" one of Warner Brothers' triumphs of the forties.
Three down and outers who at one time in their lives were maybe up and comers strike out in search of a fortune or at least enough to live better than they have been.While Humphrey Bogart gives a superb performance it is Walter Huston who turns in the greatest performance as the old prospector Howard.
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.
The Treasure of Sierra Madre, is not only a stunningly visual treat, but also a story and script of depth and magnitude, set in old time Mexico.As a Bogart fan, I found it at first, difficult to get past Bogart playing such a ragged and gritty character, once I did I realised him and his co stars - Walter Huston & Tim Holt were such a tenacious force in this 2.5 hour epic.Sierra Madre feels fresh and could stand up well against anything put out today.
I have not seen a film in recent years, with outstanding lines, powerfully delivered by Huston or with the conviction and honesty Holt does..with Bogart, all three characters are very different yet essential.Do yourself a favor and go buy or rent this.
Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) a nice enough guy who wants only to be fair, but is hungry to 'strike it rich.' The second is Howard, (Walter Huston) as honest as you expect him to be and a man of considerable experience.
He meets Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), another American in horrible economical situation and also looking for job, and the former gold prospector Howard (Walter Huston), and together they go to the Mexican mountains seek for gold.
Having an outstanding direction of John Huston, an astounding performance of Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt and supported by a fantastic screenplay, it is certainly one of the best movies ever, highly recommended for any audience.
The scene, where the character of Holt wondering whether to help his fellow colleague trapped inside the mine n his sympathy towards the widows share of gold as well his infatuation with the widow by jus looking at the photo were again some of the common human nature dealt very well in the film.
As Fred Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) , two Americans searching for work in Mexico, convince an old prospector (Walter Huston) to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains .
Although by many to be director John Huston's finest film , this is a tale of fear , greed and murder , as three partners fall out over the gold they have clawed out of the inhospitable and bandit-ridden deserts and mountains .
It's a look that is totally at odds with anything else produced in Hollywood at that time.Actor wise, Treasure of the Sierra Madre turns the clock back to the 1930s, putting the director's father Walter Huston in a starring role, and casting Humphrey Bogart as a seedy villain.
Through this first portion of the film, both men seem like decent enough sorts and the audience tends to empathize with them--even when they are involved in a vicious brawl with Barton MacLane--you feel the guy has it coming when the two give him a beating.Later, however, their prospects change when they hit on the idea of hooking up with an old coot (Walter Huston) who seems to know a lot about gold mining.
The three take off for the Mexican wilderness--and much like the story "Heart of Darkness", the good and bad within them is slowly revealed--all brought about by greed.What I particularly liked about this film is what a great professional Humphrey Bogart was.
There is a great deal to recommend THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE: the names in the cast, of course (including Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston); the writer/director (John Huston); the plot (three gold prospectors brave the land, bandits and one another to seek their fortune in the hills of Mexico); or simply word of mouth (it's one of the best-loved films of all time, and for good reason).
For myself, I find two in particular that stand out, the first of which is the wonderfully observed, carefully executed psychological journey on which the main character Fred Dobbs (Bogart) embarks when he and his buddy Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) decide to join old experienced gold-prospector Howard (Huston) on a new prospecting trip.
There are so many highlights such as the famous scene in which banditos face Bogart and his pals and Alphonse Bedoya utters the famous line about "badges, badges, we don't need no stinkin' badges."  Walter Huston gives a gem of a performance as a wily prospector who has seen it all.....the effects of gold on man and the hardships caused by questing for gold.
Most especially, even if it's a small scene, when the three men talk about what they'll do with their share of the money- Dobbs's goals are in the short-term, unlike the practicality of Howard or Bob. By the last third of the film, if one were just looking at that set apart from the rest of the picture, one might think it's a flashback to Bogart's 'old days' as a character actor in the 30s.
Yet he's the star here, which makes Dobbs's plummet a kind of sad testament to the American dream, so called, and to the corruptibility of goods.But aside from building strongly on the characters, Huston is also a good storyteller, and his Treasure of the Sierra Madre is one of the finest 'yarns' of the 40s, albeit subversive as his other great films, the Maltese Falcon and the Asphalt Jungle, were.
My theory is that Sheridan did go to Mexico and did film such a scene but Huston or Warners decided not to use it for some reason and it was reshot but the story that that is Anne Sheridan remained alive.Mr. Lax identified the guy in the bar who warns Dobbs and Curtain about McCormick as Tim Holt's father Jack and goes on to tell the story of his life and career but in fact that actor, as the IMDb shows is Pat Flaherty.
treasure of sierra madre is THE exception that defined the rules of Hollywood Glamour Time Motion Pictures.no good guys, no bad guys, no racism, no religious bigotry, NO LOVE STORY (involving two human beings) believe it or notBUTan interesting psychological study, chess game, intelligent, surprising, REAL, and of course also a solid adventurei was blown away.
Max Steiner score is excellent, particularly the guitars on the San Joaquin Valley bit as Tim Holt recalls his youth, and later when Walter Huston suggests that Tim go and visit Cody's widow.But I really liked the Mexican music, mariachi and folk, in the beginning of the film.I've tried for years to find/track down the mariachi music used in the background when Bogart gets out of the barber chair.
Telling the story of three men who go into the mountains of Mexico for gold and finding greed and madness instead, "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is an brilliant character study that shows Humphrey Bogart's character, Fred C.
It's a film that has been lauded by the critical community as one of the best of all time; I don't know about that, but it has much to recommend it.Walter Huston caps off a long career of terrific performances with his scene-stealing number here as the old, wizened prospector who's seen it all.
Dobbs in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", Humphrey Bogart gives one of his very best performances, and is right up there with his playing in "The African Queen".
Walter Huston is absolutely brilliant as the old prospector, and Tim Holt certainly proved in this film that he should have been given many better roles than he received before and after this movie.
The fact remains, however, that "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" contains what is arguably Humphrey Bogart's finest screen performance in a 25+-year career; one of John Huston's best directorial efforts; AND my favorite performance of all time--Walter Huston as the wise-with-experience  prospector, Howard.
For this terrific portrayal, Walter Huston won what is perhaps the most well-deserved Supporting Actor Oscar in the history of those dubious awards.By now, everyone is familiar with the story of the three gold prospectors who go into the wilds of Mexico, only to be undone by gila monsters, banditos, and human and Mother Nature.
what a great movie...superb acting by Bogey and the rest of the cast...one of John Huston best film.
They then meet the old man (Walter Huston) who happens to be an expert in gold digging and this gives them an idea on how to get their hands on some real dough, but nothing is as easy as it looks, especially when dealing with strangers, bandits and insanity while looking out for your share of the gold.This movie has such brilliant performances especially from Bogart and Huston and has a script you will never forget.
Still, if you're at all familiar with Walter's breadth of work, you'll be saddened that he got his Oscar for this movie.Walter stars as an old-timer who tells two down-and-out bums, Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt, about his experience with gold digging.
Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt are three guys who are down on their luck and turn to prospecting for gold in a rugged part of Mexico known for its bandits.
Walter Huston, directed by his son John, is fantastic as well, as the experienced old man who can scale hills like a goat, and who knows human nature after having seen men around gold over his lifetime.
Movie Review: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948)A book written by writer Bruno Traven (1882-1969) and presumingly published in 1927, then discovered by Hollywood director John Huston (1906-1987) and adapted to attract Hollywood star Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) to break public character as the easing-cool figure of smoke and drink to become the thoughout unlikeable character of Dobbs, who nevertheless creates "high-rise" fascinations as suspense due to the teaming-up with down-to-earth empathetic Howard, played by the director's real-life father Walter Houston (1883-1950) with harding streetwise wisdom, and actor Tim Holt (1919-1973) as running-for-a-chance Curtin; together they embark into the title-given desert-mountain-strip of Mexico to dig for gold.The story-arc with this gripping 125-Minute-Movie received in times of a fading Hollywood era with "Consent Decree" of year 1948 with regard to United States versus "Paramount Pictures" concluding into splitting states of filmmaking empires by separating exhibition entities from incorporated film producing Major studios, when also Warner Bros.
Especially given its age.Both Huston and Tim Holt as Curtain are excellent in their roles, but this film belongs to Humphrey Bogart as Dobbs.
Its greatness lies in the performances and double takes the Humphrey Bogart character throws at co-stars Tim Holt and Walter Huston, the great character actor father of the director (John Huston).
Mexico was no easy bag to travel through in 1925 as the Great Depression was in full swing.Walter Huston turns in what many consider to be his best acting as the "old man" who tries to be both father-figure and referee to Holt and Bogie.
It's the ultimate fantasy.Going on a quest for great riches in order to live happily ever after.Three men go on just such a journey.They gradually,however,become stricken with greed and mistrust.Sleeping with one eye open,never so much as turning your back for fear of a knife being stuck in it,etc.This is a great telling of an all too sad truth in life,that when it comes to money or wealth,no matter how much we say we trust,no matter how much we say it won't change us, it can happen much easier than we give it credit for.Great performances here by Humphrey Bogart(did he ever give a bad one?),Walter Huston, and Tim Holt.Great direction from John Huston,who also makes an appearance in the film.One of the true great films in cinema history..
Humphrey Bogart and John Huston collaborated on five films together, among them, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
The story of two impoverished men overcome by greed when they finally have a chance to strike it rich in Mexico was also a perfect tale for Huston to tell and audiences have been gifted with the perfect collaboration since its release nearly 70 years ago.Fred Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is an American desperately searching for work in Mexico.
There he meets Curtin, who together with Walter Huston, ex- prospector, decide to have a go for the gold in the Sierra Madre mountains.This movie grabs you with it's gritty reality of life for the working man who grinds out a living from the dirt of the earth.
Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt play these three itinerants, making for a powerful ensemble of talent whose performances bring a timeless relevance to this story of human greed, and redemption.
Although John Huston's directing is absolutely equal to the screenplay, winning Oscars for both, it is the performance level of the actors that makes "Treasure of The Sierra Madre" the classic film that it is.
Although John Huston's directing is absolutely equal to the screenplay, winning Oscars for both, it is the performance level of the actors that makes "Treasure of The Sierra Madre" the classic film that it is.
Beginning and ending with Walter Huston's award winning role of the worn-out old miner who is looking for one last big score, Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt are equal to the task and draw us in to this tale of need and greed.
Beginning and ending with Walter Huston's award winning role of the worn-out old miner who is looking for one last big score, Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt are equal to the task and draw us in to this tale of need and greed.
Of course, we know that his son John, did much research in preparation for writing the screenplay; but we are nevertheless plunged into a sure belief that this old miner must surely have been there age upon age, mine upon mine, and has therefore, a thousand tales to tell.When, in the course of the story, Walter is taken away, somewhat without choice, to work the magic of a healer for a Mexican village, we are again convinced that he is a medical doctor hiding out as a prospector.
Of course, we know that his son John, did much research in preparation for writing the screenplay; but we are nevertheless plunged into a sure belief that this old miner must surely have been there age upon age, mine upon mine, and has therefore, a thousand tales to tell.When, in the course of the story, Walter is taken away, somewhat without choice, to work the magic of a healer for a Mexican village, we are again convinced that he is a medical doctor hiding out as a prospector.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)Two Americans, played by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt, are reduced to panhandling in 1920's Mexico, meet up with an old prospector and decide to join together and search for gold.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre would win the Oscar for John Huston for Direction and Screen writing, and for his father Walter for best supporting role.While I can see how Laurence Olivier won the Oscar for Hamlet in 1948, I have a hard time understanding how Bogart didn't even warrant a nomination.
Two penniless Americans (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) during the 1920s in Mexico join with an old-timer (Walter Huston, the director's father) to prospect for gold.