The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros., 1941), Typed-Carbon Early Draft Temporary Script by John Huston....

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The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros., 1941), Typed-Carbon Early Draft Temporary Script by John Huston. Vintage original typed-carbon early Maltese Falcon (1941) draft script by John Huston, 168-pg. (as paginated) on white vellum tissue leaves, dated May 15, 1941. Bradded and bound in green, studio title-printed full-wraps, stamped on front "Temporary/ Important! Return Story Dept./ Return to Stenographic Dept./Warner Bros. First National Studios, Burbank" and type-dated May 15, 1941. With blue memo sheet laid in at front, "This Script is not final, and is given to you for advance information only". This film marked the third adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's classic detective novel, and without question, it remains the definitive version. The Maltese Falcon was directed by John Huston, a seasoned screenwriter making his remarkable directorial debut, setting the standard for the film noir genre with its sharp dialogue, moody cinematography, and morally-complex characters. Humphrey Bogart, in a career-defining performance, stars as Sam Spade, a hard-boiled San Francisco private detective who navigates a treacherous web of deception, murder, and greed. Though Spade isn't afraid to bend the rules, he follows his own unshakable moral code, making him one of cinema's most enduring anti-heroes. Some notes about Huston's writing and directing from Wikipedia: "Such was the extent and efficacy of Huston's preparation of the script that almost no line of dialogue was eliminated in the final edit. Except for some exterior night shots, Huston shot the entire film in sequence, which greatly helped his actors. Much of the dialogue from the original novel was retained. The only major section of the novel missing in the film is the story of a man named 'Flitcraft', which Spade tells to Brigid while waiting in his apartment for Cairo to arrive. Huston removed all references to sex that the Hays Office had deemed to be unacceptable. He was also warned not to show excessive drinking. The director fought the latter, on the grounds that Spade was a man who put away a half bottle of hard liquor a day and showing him completely abstaining from alcohol would mean seriously falsifying his character." The most glaring difference between this early draft and the final film as shot lies in the final scene(s). Here, Sam Spade turns over Bridgid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor) to the police, along with the leaden Falcon, with no particular clever quips, and the action picks up the next morning in Spade's office, involving a heart-wrenching emotional scene with his faithful and trusted secretary. The film as shot ends with Detective Polhaus (Ward Bond) saying about the Falcon, "It's heavy! What is it?" to which Spade replies, with a moment's careful consideration, "The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of" which has been canonized as one of the greatest lines in film history. What is often overlooked, however, is the fact it is technically not the last line of dialogue in the film, as Detective Polhaus takes that honor, with a simple "Huh?" which, although not a grammatical sentence, is indeed an authentic line of film dialogue. The script's original wraps are extant, though very well handled, having chipped and fractured along entire spine, with small chips, tears and creases all around margins (much more so to front) and a 2" vertical tear at lower brad junction. Interior pages remain relatively free of age or handling wear, with exception of a randomly occurring faint yellow staining, presumed from production handling. The poster image is for reference only and is not included with this lot. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.