Film Studios

FIlm: The Treasure of Sierra Madre

November 5

Gold

Themes

Gold has been the obsession and epitome of human greed for thousands of years. A shiny valuable metal which does not rust and weather. Many men have died in war over gold and perhaps many shall die in the future. The Treasure of Sierra Madre directed by John Huston brings up an interesting question, what is wealth. As Howard (Walter Huston) says sometimes water can be more valuable than gold. The only reason that gold has such value is because of society. In some tribal settings the wealthiest would not be the man who had the most possession but the man who had assisted the post people, the man who had the most people in debit to him. The thing about materialistic wealth is that it can never truly fulfill you. We see this as Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) gains wealth. The more gold he gets, the unhappier he becomes. This film shows how greed can kill metaphorically and physically. We see at the end what gold is really worth, sand. As the fortune blows away at Howard and Curtin's (Tim Holt) feet, all they can do is laugh because they realize that is all it is. And Dobbs is dead, killed by sand disguised as happiness. We see Dobbs death play out as he begins to go insane toads the beginning of the gold mining. He thinks that everyone is out for him. We see as the greed slowly creeps over his heart. The movie is a warning about the quest for wealth and shows us that even gold, the finest form of wealth will never make us happy.

A scene that stood out.

The scene that stood out to me was when the audience first meets Howard. Walter Huston talks at an almost inhumanly rate. The words literally went by so fast I could barely understand. He is talking to a man who is of unimportance. He is talking to the man about gold and how it is a curse. “That's gold. That's what it makes us. Never knew a prospector yet that died rich.Make one fortune, he's sure to blow it trying to find another.It's best to go alone.But you got to have a stomach for loneliness. Some guys go nutty with it. But going with a partner is dangerous. Murder is always lurking about. Partners accusing each other of all sorts of crimes. As long as there's no find, the noble brotherhood will last. But when the piles of gold began to grow, that's when the trouble starts.I wouldn't mind a little of that kind of trouble.” This is foreshadowing what is to come later on. Howard talks about how the more gold you get the more you want. If you set out for 5 thousand you end up working until you can't work no more. Dobbs interjects and say that he wouldn't be that way, he would stop when He got to 5 thousand. From what we can tell of Dobbs character this isn't true, and we know it. So it is no surprise when they are at the gold mine and they have made way over 5 thousand and Curtin and Howard suggest leaving, that Dobbs say that they are going to stay.

Why this film stand out

This has been one of my favorite films so far. Whitewashing has been a problem in Hollowed since its start and it seems that even after 100 years the film industry can't get it right. Despite having the white savior complex, the film didn't whitewash. All the natives where local and the acting was excellent as well. There are no subtitles during the whole film despite half the dialog being in Spanish. Normally, in a Hollywood film, the Hispanic Actors would speak English with a thick accent. The Audience understands everything because the natives are great actors. There intentions are clear and by not giving subtitles it keeps us engaged and makes us work to understand. This film could be put under the category of a western, yet it has a much different themes than a normal wester. There isn’t the classical hero who saves the girl. It is more a movie that shows the true nature of the human soul, self interest and longevity.