The Maltese Falcon

The movie version and written version of "The Maltese Falcon" are nearly identical (at least for the first few chapters), except for a few aspects. When watching the movie and then reading the book, I noticed a difference in the way Archer's death was carried out. Another general aspect of the story that stuck out to me was my dislike for Miss Wonderly.

When Archer was murdered in the movie, the viewer was able to see the murder take place before Spade found out, whereas in the book, the reader was held in suspense until Spade actually went to the scene of the crime to view Archer's body. I personally felt the way the movie carried out that string of events was better. It made the murder seem more dramatic and significant because the viewer was actually able to see it take place. While reading, the murder of Archer almost seemed insignificant. Spade's attitude was so nonchalant and stoic that it took the drama and importance out of the event for the reader.

I also noticed a difference towards my attitude of the female character while reading the book and watching the movie. I found the Miss Wonderly to be very irritating on screen. I really disliked her needy, helpless attitude, and while I realize that this was generally how female characters were portrayed in the pulp stories and film noir, something about her made it difficult for me to even stand watching her. These qualities seemed insincere. She would make statements like, "I've always been a liar," and then somehow expect sympathy and help from Spade. Why she would expect him to help her when she continually admitted to being a liar is just beyond me. I did not understand why she kept trying to hide her true motivations from Spade, and I found her use of her own sexuality frustrating and unfair. During the scene in her hotel room when Spade kissed her was a perfect example of how she was using her looks to her advantage. Yes, Spade bought into it, and since he was a very smart and clever character, I am sure he know exactly what she was doing. None the less, I still found those qualities irritating.

When I was reading the story, I did not get this same feeling of annoyance. Yes, she was still the typical confused, clueless, vulnerable female character, but these qualities seemed more genuine in the book. Perhaps I would find that if I were to keep reading further into the story, her true qualities would come out as they started to in the movie. Regardless, I found her less annoying on paper than on screen.

Questions:

Why does Spade seem to indifferent to Archer's murder?

This question is unrelated to my post, but in the "suggestions" list made for the movie, many remarks are made with reference to elimination of scenes involving sexuality or gruesomeness. I suppose I can understand these demands. However, page 2 says that Cairo cannot be portrayed as a pansy. Why not? I just found that comment to be interesting.