The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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| Author | B. Traven |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Schatz der Sierra Madre |
| Country |  Germany |
| Language | German |
| Genre(s) | Adventure novel |
| Publisher | |
| Released | 1927 |
| Released in English | 1935 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-8090-0160-8 |
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1927 novel by the mysterious German-English bilingual author B. Traven, in which two American down-and-outers in 1920s Mexico hook up with an old-timer to prospect for gold. The book was very successfully adapted into a 1948 film by John Huston.
Contents |
[edit] Story and historical setting
By the 1920s the violence of the Mexican Revolution had largely subsided, although scattered gangs of bandits continued to terrorize the countryside. The newly established post-revolution government relied on the effective but ruthless Federal Police, commonly known as the Federales, to patrol remote areas and dispose of the bandits. Foreigners, like the three American "prospectors" who are the protagonists in the story, were at very real risk of being killed by the bandits if their paths crossed. The bandits, likewise, were given little more than a "last cigarette" by the army units after capture, even having to dig their own graves first. This is the context in which the three gringos band together in a small Mexican town and set out to strike it rich in the remote Sierra Madre mountains. They ride a train into the hinterlands, surviving a bandit attack enroute. Once out in the desert, Howard, the old-timer of the group, quickly proves to be by far the toughest and most knowledgeable; he is the one to discover the gold they are seeking. A mine is dug, and much gold is extracted, but greed soon sets in and Bogart's Fred C. Dobbs begins to lose both his trust and his mind, lusting to possess the entire treasure. The bandits then reappear, pretending, very crudely, to be Federales, which leads to the now-iconic line about not needing to show any "stinking badges". After a gunfight, a real troop of Federales appear and drive the bandits away. But when Howard is called away to assist some local villagers, Dobbs and third partner Curtin have a final confrontation, which Dobbs wins, leaving Curtin lying shot and bleeding. However, as he staggers away through the desert, Dobbs is found and killed by some surviving bandits, who, in their ignorance, scatter the gold to the winds. Curtin is discovered and taken to Howard's village, where he recovers. He and Howard witness the bandits' execution by Federales, and learn that the gold is gone. They part ways, Howard returning to his village, and Curtin returning home to America.
[edit] Film
| The Treasure of the Sierra Madre | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | John Huston |
| Produced by | Warner Bros. |
| Written by | B. Traven (novel) John Huston |
| Starring | Humphrey Bogart Walter Huston Tim Holt Alfonso Bedoya Bruce Bennett |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | January 6, 1948 |
| Running time | 126 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,800,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is John Huston's 1948 adaptation of B. Traven's eponymous novel, in which two American down-and-outers (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) in 1920s Mexico hook up with an old-timer (Walter Huston, the director's father) to prospect for gold. The old-timer accurately predicts trouble but is willing to go anyway. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was one of the first Hollywood films to be shot almost entirely on location outside the U.S. (in Tampico, Mexico), although the night scenes were filmed back in the studio. The film is quite faithful to the novel.
[edit] Quotation
The film is the origin of a famous line, often misquoted as "We don't need no stinking badges!" The correct dialogue is:
- Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya): We are Federales... you know, the mounted police.
- Dobbs (Bogart): If you're the police, where are your badges?
- Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya):
| “ | Badges!? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges! | ” |
In 2005, the quotation was chosen as #36 on the American Film Institute list, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes.
[edit] Awards
John Huston won the Academy Award for Directing and Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay in 1948 for his work on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Walter Huston, John Huston's father, also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film, the first father-son win[1]. The film is consistently in Internet Movie Database's top 250 films, and was #30 on American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies and #67 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills. The film has also been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
[edit] Cast
A few notable uncredited actors appear in the film. Director John Huston appears (see below) as does actor Robert Blake as a young boy selling lottery tickets.
In an opening cameo, director John Huston is pestered for money by one of the two main characters.
The most controversial cameo is Ann Sheridan. Sheridan, who was in Mexico at the time, allegedly did a cameo as a streetwalker. After Dobbs leaves the barbershop in Tampico, he spies a passing prostitute who returns his look. Seconds later, the woman is picked up again but this time in the distance. Some film goers and critics feel the woman looks nothing like Sheridan, but the DVD commentary for the film states that it is she. Many film internet sources, including IMDb, credit Sheridan for the part.
Co-star Tim Holt's father, Jack Holt, a star of silent and early sound Westerns and action films, makes a one-line appearance at the beginning of the film as one of the men down on their luck.
Bruce Bennett, who plays a key role as a rival prospector, had portrayed Tarzan in Edgar Rice Burroughs's own 1935 film version, under Bennett's birth name of Herman Brix. The Brix Tarzan spoke in a cultured voice with a full English vocabulary, unlike his MGM rival Johnny Weismuller's ape man. Bennett, who celebrated his hundredth birthday on May 19, 2006, died February 24, 2007.
[edit] Trivia
- The reclusive novelist B. Traven was asked if he would like to visit the set during location shooting. Traven demurred, and said he would be sending an associate instead. The associate was actually Traven himself, using a pseudonym.[2]
- To lend authenticity to his role, Walter Huston was persuaded by his son John Huston to perform without his false teeth.[3]
- Bogart's repeated panhandlings at the start of the film are parodied in the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon 8 Ball Bunny. Bogart's victim is director John Huston in an uncredited appearance.
[edit] External links
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre at the Internet Movie Database
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre at the TCM Movie Database
[edit] See also
The Maltese Falcon • In This Our Life • Across the Pacific • Report from the Aleutians • The Battle of San Pietro • Let There Be Light • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre • Key Largo • We Were Strangers • The Asphalt Jungle • The Red Badge of Courage • The African Queen • Moulin Rouge • Beat the Devil • Moby Dick • Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison • The Barbarian and the Geisha • The Roots of Heaven • The Unforgiven • The Misfits • Freud the Secret Passion • The List of Adrian Messenger • The Night of the Iguana • The Bible: In The Beginning • Reflections in a Golden Eye • Casino Royale • Sinful Davey • A Walk with Love and Death • The Kremlin Letter • Fat City • The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean • The Mackintosh Man • The Man Who Would Be King • Wise Blood • Phobia • Victory • Annie • Under the Volcano • Prizzi's Honor • The Dead
Categories: Articles to be split | 1927 novels | 1948 films | Black and white films | Films based on fiction books | Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winning performance | United States National Film Registry | Films directed by John Huston | Warner Bros. films | Films whose director won the Best Director Academy Award | Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe
