John Huston (1906–1987)
Author of Annie [1982 film]
About the Author
The son of Walter Huston, the well-known movie actor, John Huston directed numerous Hollywood films, including such classics as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), for which he won an Oscar as best director, and The Asphalt Jungle (1950). He wrote the screenplays for many of them, including show more the quintessential hard-boiled detective movie The Maltese Falcon (1941), which was also his directorial debut. Huston's protagonists are often either independent professionals whose tough exteriors hide a dedication to principle, like the detective in The Maltese Falcon, or losers whose obsession with a doomed quest leads to their destruction, like the three gold-seekers in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. But, in his 46-year career, he would try his hand at almost everything, from the grand comedy of The African Queen (1952) to the shaggy dog tale Beat the Devil (1954), the offbeat western The Misfits (1961), the rather bloated epic The Bible (1966), and the medieval allegory, A Walk with Love and Death (1970). As he aged, his films seemed to get deeper and better, starting with The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and continuing with Wise Blood (1979) and Prizzi's Honor (1985). His final work, The Dead (1987), is an exquisite film adaptation of the short story by James Joyce. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: John Huston
Works by John Huston
TCM Greatest Classic Legends Film Collection: Bogie and Bacall (2017) — Director; Director — 46 copies
Double Feature DVD: Annie [1982 film] and Annie: A Royal Adventure [1995 film] (2005) — Director — 26 copies
Double Feature: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [and] The Maltese Falcon (2014) — Director — 14 copies
20th Century Fox Studio Classics Collection: Volume 4 (The Agony and the Ecstasy / The Bible: In the Beginning /… (2010) — Director — 14 copies
The Humphrey Bogart Collection: The Big Sleep / The Maltese Falcon / Casablanca / Key Largo (2000) — Director — 7 copies
20th Century Fox Studio Classics Collection: Volume 3 (Anna Karenina / A Farewell to Arms / The Sun Also Rises / Les… (2010) — Director — 7 copies
Best of Bogart: The Maltese Falcon / Casablanca / The Treasure of the Sierra Madre / The African Queen (2014) — Director — 6 copies
Silver Screen Romances (The Solid Gold Cadillac / We Were Strangers / Angels Over Broadway / Music in My Heart / The… (2014) — Director — 6 copies
The Marlon Brando Collection (Julius Caesar / Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Teahouse of… — Director — 6 copies
The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 3: The Old Maid; All This, and Heaven Too; The Great Lie; In This Our Life; Watch on… (2008) — Director — 5 copies
Essential Classics: Dramas (The Maltese Falcon / Citizen Kane / Ben-Hur) — Director — 5 copies
Roots of Heaven [1958 film] 5 copies
Freud [1962 film] 5 copies
Hollywood Classics: Humphrey Bogart: Beat the Devil [and] Call It Murder — Director — 4 copies
Humphrey Bogart: The Signature Collection: Volume 1 : Casablanca / The Treasure of the Sierra Madre / They Drive by… (2006) 4 copies
4 Films — Director — 4 copies
Slumber Party Pack Nanny McPhee / Matilda / Annie / Madeline & Nanny McPhee Returns DVD Set Classic Family Fantasy… — Director — 2 copies
Independence [1976 film] 2 copies
La Lettre Du Kremlin 2 copies
Marilyn Monroe: Classic Nine Classic Individual Films — Director — 1 copy
The Classics: 5 Movies — Director — 1 copy
African Queen, Rebecca, Suspicion — Director — 1 copy
WWII: A Filmed History 1 copy
Biblical Classics Quadruple Feature: The Bible In The Beginning / The Greatest Story Ever Told / The Robe / Demetrius… (2017) — Director — 1 copy
Humphrey Bogart Era — Director — 1 copy
The Barbarian and the Geisha / Violent Saturday — Director — 1 copy
The Man Who Knew Too Much / The Stranger / Beat the Devil — Director — 1 copy
Peter Sellers MGM Movie Legends Collection (The Pink Panther / What's New, Pussycat? / The Party / Casino Royale) (2009) — Director — 1 copy
Beat the Devil 1 copy
Prizzi's honor 1 copy
Freud 1 copy
John Huston Collection (Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison / The Barbarian and the Geisha / Moby Dick / Freud / Beat the Devil) (2018) — Director — 1 copy
Comedy Classics 9 Movie Pack 1 copy
Humphrey Bogart Classics: Volume 2 — Director — 1 copy
Bermuda Triangle 1 copy
Leading Men Collection, Vol. 2: A Farewell to Arms / Gentleman's Agreement / The Grapes of Wrath / Heaven Knows, Mr.… (2013) — Director — 1 copy
The Public Enemy 1 copy
Associated Works
Winter Kills [1979 film] 3 copies
John Huston: The Man, the Maverick, the Movies — Actor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Huston, John Marcellus
- Birthdate
- 1906-08-05
- Date of death
- 1987-08-28
- Burial location
- Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Nevada, Missouri, USA
- Place of death
- Middletown, Rhode Island, USA
- Places of residence
- St. Clerans, County Galway, Ireland
- Occupations
- film director
actor
screenwriter
film producer - Relationships
- Huston, Walter (father)
Huston, Tony (son)
Huston, Anjelica (daughter)
Huston, Danny (son)
Members
Discussions
John Huston “Film Fest”! in 75 Books Challenge for 2023 (September 2023)
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 119
- Also by
- 25
- Members
- 3,627
- Popularity
- #6,981
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 52
- ISBNs
- 228
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 1
Major Frank McCloud (Bogart) shows up at the Largo hotel in the Keys to see his war buddy's father and widow to give them some news about how George died a hero. McCloud became disillusioned while trying to save the world and has been drifting since the war in both a personal and literal sense.
Nora (Bacall) had been drifting before she met George and begins to feel this same connection to Frank as they talk about their lives since the war. There is a maturity here as Huston shows a deeper aspect to caring about someone rather than the fireworks of physical attraction. The themes of loneliness and isolation run through every aspect of this film.
Frank once again must decide whether to save the world when the Largo is taken over by fallen gangster Johnny Rocco (Robinson). Rocco was once big and despite his deportation back to Cuba by the United States government as an undesirable, plans to be big again. Frank had gone to war as an idealist, hoping to rid the world of gangsters like Rocco but now views it as a lost cause.
Nora is a reminder to Frank, however, that while your head may say one thing, your whole life can say another. As the tension of being held hostage during an approaching hurricane in the sweltering Keys intensifies, Frank slowly begins to go with his whole life rather than his head, breaking his own personal isolation from the fight he gave up. The turning point comes when Rocco humiliates his former girlfriend, Gay Dawn (Claire Trevor), by making her sing for a drink, then refusing to come across with it when she complies.
Claire Trevor gives a moving performance as a girl much like Nora who simply got hooked up with the wrong guy, and became a lush. She will have her own turning point and help Frank when he’s forced to take Rocco and his pals back to Cuba. Lionel Barrymore gives a good performance also as George’s disabled father, holding on to his son’s memory and his beliefs.
A great score by Max Steiner complements the lonely mood of this film perfectly. Bacall is terrific waiting for Frank to return against the odds, wondering if she can open the shutters of her loneliness and let the light in once more. This is a somber and mature film that deserves to be viewed more than once. Bogart and Bacall fans will love this film, but they’ll find much more here than just Bogie and Bacall. A minor masterpiece and one you need to see.… (more)