The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
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Two broke American drifters join forces with a grizzled old prospector to search for gold in the remote mountains of Mexico.
The story
In 1925, labor contractor Pat McCormick recruits two broke American drifters, Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, to construct oil derricks in the Mexican town of Tampico. After McCormick fails to pay them, the pair encounters Howard, a loquacious ex-miner who shares his knowledge of gold prospecting. After Dobbs wins a small lottery jackpot, the trio gathers supplies to head into the interior. They travel by train, repulse a bandit attack, and eventually head into the remote Sierra Madre mountains. Howard proves to be the most knowledgeable of the group as they begin their arduous journey into the wilderness.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1925, Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin are recruited to work on oil derricks in Tampico, Mexico, but are left unpaid by their contractor. They meet Howard, an old miner who knows the secrets of gold prospecting. After winning a lottery jackpot, the three head into the Sierra Madre mountains. They eventually find gold and begin amassing a fortune through placer mining. As the wealth grows, Dobbs becomes increasingly distrustful. They encounter a Texan named Cody, who they decide to kill, but are interrupted by a bandit leader, Gold Hat, and his men. After a gunfight kills Cody, the trio continues, but tensions rise. Howard leaves his goods with Dobbs and Curtin to help a sick child in a local village. That night, Dobbs shoots Curtin and takes all the gold. Curtin survives and hides, while Dobbs is later ambushed and killed by Gold Hat's bandits, who mistake the gold for sand and dump it. The gold is scattered by a windstorm. Curtin is eventually recovered by natives and returns to Durango with Howard. They find their bags empty and, realizing the irony of their loss, burst into laughter. Howard decides to stay in the village, while Curtin returns to the U.S. to find Cody's widow.
- First release year
- 1948
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Huston
- Writers
- John Huston · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Humphrey Bogart · Fred C. Dobbs; Walter Huston · Howard; Tim Holt · Curtin; Bruce Bennett · James Cody
- Genres
- neo-western; adventure drama; Western
- Themes
- corrupting influence of greed; human nature; desolateness of nature
- Tone and mood
- darkly humorous; bitterly ironic
- Setting
- Mexico, 1925
- Premise and plot tags
- treasure hunting; mining; betrayal
- Source material / true-story basis
- B. Traven's 1927 novel of the same name
- Reception
- The film was both a critical and commercial success, being highly regarded as one of the greatest films of all time and a magnum opus for John Huston. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1990.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 9.3/10 · scale: /10 · review count: 55
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Director · Win; Academy Award · Best Screenplay · Win; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · Win; BAFTA Award · Best Film · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Picture · Win
- Production trivia
- John Huston's first acting role was a cameo in this film.; The windstorm in the final scene was created by jet engines borrowed from the Mexican Air Force.; The film contains only two lines of female dialogue.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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