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September 30, 2004
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
I watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart. Man, never realized that was Bogey on the cover in the beard and cowboy hat. It was a great film for the most part, and it touches on a very basic human sentiment: greed. In the film, Bogart and two others go gold mining in the mountains of Mexico. They strike it rich, but Bogey ultimately lets greed get to his brain. He begins to rabidly suspect his fellow miners of plots to take his gold, and it ultimately leads to his doom.
This in turn led to a great idea, which I will keep to myself, which would essentially combine this with Reservoir Dogs. Lots of tension, lots of basic human emotions, and a great ending. It's funny, because the ending to the short film is what I assumed would happen in Sierra Madre, and didn't. And honestly, I wish it had, because I think it's better than what happened. It's funny when one piece of art inspires you far more than what the actual art accomplishes. NOT to say that I am superior to John Huston. Never would say that.
There were a few shots in the film that I really was intrigued by. When the Mexicans approached the camp with blades unsheathed, for example. Also, when the Mexican whore walks by and your eye is simply forced to look at her. Oh, and it was totally surprising when the seemingly nice prospecter was buying drinks, then suddenly smacked Bogart in the fact. Excellent stuff.
But I really like the idea I got out of this, and it might just turn out to be my short film. We'll see ...
Posted by nick at September 30, 2004 01:48 AM