The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Black and white, 35 mm
USA, 1948, 126 min
Section: Tribute to John Huston (1906-1987)

Synopsis

After returning from the battlefields of Europe in the Second World War, John Huston made a film version of a novel by B. Traven, a successful writer whose identity has never been discovered. Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, and the director’s father Walter Huston portray a trio of outcasts setting out for Mexico in search of gold. Once they reach the foothills and come across a glittering vein of gold however, the greed and selfishness of one of them undermines the friendship forged through the hardship they had endured. Defying the danger of the flop of what was the most expensive American production of its day, the movie was a fascinating and adventurous drama akin to western and ancient Greek tragedy that Jack Warner himself called “the greatest motion picture we have ever made”. Regarded by many as the best of all of Huston’s films, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre won three Oscars at the close of the 1940s; in addition to best screenplay and director, Walter Huston, too, was awarded for his portrayal of the ageing “wise fool”, Howard.