April 6

TCM celebrated Walter Houston’s Birthday. I watched Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The story takes place in Mexico 1925. Humphrey Bogart is an American who has wound up in Mexico. He panhandles for money for cigarettes and food. He meets fellow American Tim Holt. They meet Walter at a cheap hotel talking about gold treasure. Bogart and Tim get work on a ferry. Once they get into port they are stiffed on payment. They meet up with the man and fight for their money. They only take what is due to them. They decide to pool their money and go on a treasure hunt with Walter. The camera is a close up of Walter with the arms of the other two shaking hands in the foreground (I really like that shot). They take a train into the interior of the country and the train is stopped due to bandits. They all fight. Once they reach their destination, they buy supplies and start to go into the hills. After a hard day of travel Bogart and Tim are exhausted while Walter is still full of energy. Walter tries to get then to eat but they are too exhausted. They finally find gold and start mining. While mining, there is a cave in and Bogart is in the cave. Tim starts to leave but turns around and goes to help him. In talking about what they will do afterwards Walter states he will open a little store and not prospect anymore. Tim states that he would like to own a fruit grower. Bogart states he would take a Turkish bath, go to a haberdasher to get a new suit and hat, go to a café and order everything. “What next?” Tim asks. “What do you think?” Bogart replies, (unspoken for woman). As they go along they start collecting enough to get worried about each other taking their goods.

Bogart goes into town and a man follows him back. They share the food and the campfire with him but tell him he has to leave in the morning. With the dawn the man blackmails them for a portion of their goods. Bandits attack, wanting the weapons and kill the man. They find a letter from his wife who talks about fruit tree farm. The amount of gold being mined is less and they have about $35,000 each and decide to leave the mountain. First they have to return the mountain as they found it. As they leave they say goodbye to the mountain. That night natives approach them. A boy fell in the water. He wasn’t dead, but he won’t come to. Walter goes with them to the village. He revives the boy. The next day some natives come up to them wanting Walter to come with him to honor him for what he has done. Tim states that he will watch his goods. Bogart and Tim continue on. Bogart has the idea to take all the gold. He shoots Tim. He goes to the campsite and then goes back to the body. Tim doesn’t move and Bogart goes to the campfire to sleep. Tim crawls off and finds natives to help him. Bogart goes to bury him the next day and finds that he is gone. Tim is taken to Walter who doctors him. They decide to go after Bogart. Bogart stops for water and is ambushed by bandits. The bandits take the mules into town to sell. The next part is all done in Spanish with no subtitles, but you know what is going on. The trader seeing his brand, eyes the men, taking in the pants, boots and hat. The men are arrested. The next scene they are digging graves. They are then put before a fire squad and killed, a straw hat blowing in the wind. Walter and Tim come up to the village as the guns fire. They find out that Bogart was killed. They go through the items and cannot find the goods. A boy says he heard the prisoners talking that they found bags of sand that would make the donkeys seem heavier to bring in more money. The bags of sand were at the ruins. As they go to the ruins a strong wind blows. When they get there they find empty bags. Walter starts to laugh. The gold was going back to where it came from. Walter decides to go back to the village and he talks Tim into going back to the states to talk with the widow of the man killed with a fruit tree farm and gives him his wallet full of money to get there. They decide that they only lost a little money but were still alive.

I have avoided the film for a long time, because I thought it would be boring. The film is a great action and pact adventure film. Bogart and Tim are quiet and speak softly; Walter is loud and noisy with a great laugh.