The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948): USA

Reviewed by Collier Grimm. Viewed on DVD.

It’s hard for me to watch a classical Hollywood film that doesn’t end the way I’m expecting it to. This is why you must rent The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

In classic Hollywood film, “easy ending” plots were created for audiences in need of escape. The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 summoned in a new genre a film that often addressed the fear and insecurities of a nation at war. No one could be trusted, and fear reigned over the lives of movie-going audiences everywhere. Most films centered around a  US victory or happy ending stories, all in hopes of boosting home front morale.

Although Nazi Germany is not mentioned in this film, the insecurities experienced by the lead characters reflect a time of uncertainty in US history.

Stuck in Tampico, Mexico, two men–Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), and Curtain (Tim Holt)–are down and outers ready to find money in any shape or form. After listening to stories from an old prospector, they become inspired to search for gold in the mountains of Mexico. The film takes place in the early 1920s, a time after the Mexican Revolution where bandits ruled and Federales struggled to maintain power in populated regions. The gringo prospectors struggle to strike it rich while staying under the Federales radar, and simultaneously avoid the reckless path of bandits in search of weapons.

The plot thickens when gold fever begins to set in among the down and out prospectors. No one is to be trusted. Everyone becomes a villain and a saint all at the same time. Bogart gives a stunning performance in full beard, a look unheard of in a time of shaven chests and Cary Grant tans. Director John Huston is obviously influenced by the previous decade of German Expressionism, clearly visible in Bogart’s scenes of self-reflection.

Treasure becomes a villain, and all bets are off in this unusual ‘40s film. Although this is not Film Noir, the mood and tone of the piece reflect a time of uncertainty. One of the first films to be shot entirely on location, “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” reveals a time of discovery and greed in U.S. history, while exposing the true insecurities of a nation at war.