DVD Reviews

Treasure of the Sierra Madre – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 6, 2010, 19:48 GMT

Gold in the hills, avarice in the hearts of men. Two hard-luck drifters (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) and a grizzled prospector (Walter Huston) discover gold. Then greed and paranoia set in. John Huston won Academy Awards for his direction and screenplay. And his dad took the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Without awards, but with enduring acclaim, is Bogart\'s performance, transforming from a likable hobo to a heartless thug simmering ...more

“Can you help a fellow American down on his luck?”

There’s gold in them thar’ hills!  This time the golden team of Bogart and Huston take on the novel written by an enigma.  The result would be winners all around with a father and son actually finding Hollywood gold. 

Down-on-his-luck Yank Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is panhandling in 1920’s Mexico (amusingly three times to a brash white-suited American played by director John Huston in a cameo).  He eventually partners with a fellow down-on-his-luck traveler named Curtin (Tim Holt) and they both meet up with grizzled prospector Howard (Walter Huston). 

Howard spins tales of gold just ripe for the digging up and the trio set out to the mountains to prospect.  Those same mountains are fraught with dangers from banditos led by Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya) but the men may find their souls blackened by greed of the treasure they seek. 

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is based on the book by B. Traven.  Never read it, but the identity of the elusive Traven is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  Nobody knows who Traven was and was represented by Hal Croves, a shadowy figure on location that had legal documents saying he was representing Traven. 

Years later his widow would come out to say that Croves was actually Traven, but some people don’t buy that either.  The documentary on the film just whets the appetite with this mystery.  John Huston rose to great fame with Bogie on the Maltese Falcon, but war would get in the way. 

Not long after 1941’s Falcon flew, Huston went to war to make documentaries explaining the long gap between Falcon and 1948’s Madre.  Bogie continued his career and rising star so a chance to “get the team back together” may have been well wanted by audiences, studio bosses, and even the “team” themselves.  It would also give Bogart a chance to stretch his acting muscles as his Dobbs hints at the greater things that Bogie had deep down. 

We may tend to remember “Here’s looking at you kid” twitchy impersonation, but the man had talent.  Witness African Queen (again with Huston), The Caine Mutiny (strawberries!), and Madre as fine examples of his skill.  Casablanca can’t be exactly dismissed either, though most impressions spring from it. 

However, the Academy would fail to notice as Bogart didn’t get nominated for Madre.  They did award Walter and John with gold.  Walter for supporting actor and John for adapted screenplay, the first father and son win.  The picture would be nominated for best picture but lost out to Olivier’s Hamlet.   

If you’ve never seen it, Treasure of the Sierra made is lost gold awaiting discovery.  If you have seen it, you know what a treasure it is.  On a related note, the film would spawn an oft misquoted line – “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges.”  It’s actually "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!"

Treasure of the Sierra Madre is presented in a grand 1080p high definition transfer (1.33:1).  Special features are in standard definition and include the 128 minute treasure “John Huston: the man, the movies, the maverick” that details the career of the rascally legend.  A true delight. 

The 50 minute “Discovering Treasure” looks at the production and that shadowy Traven.  The 25 minute “Night at the Movies” recreates what audiences may have seen when going to the theatre (cartoon, short, newsreel, trailers).  You also get the 7 minute Bugs Bunny cartoon “8 Ball Bunny” that has a cameo by Dobbs, a radio adaptation, and the 2 minute theatrical trailer. 

Dobbs is one of Bogart’s best performances and the film is a great one.  It’s a scorching portrait of greed and paranoia that his fine performance only enhances.  Highpoints for all involved and a must have on Blu-ray for fans of film. 

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