The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

8.2Approved126 minDirector: John Huston

1948 film

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 American neo-western film written and directed by John Huston, and starring Humphrey Bogart, with Walter Huston, Tim Holt, and Bruce Bennett in support. Based on B. Traven's 1927 novel of the same name, the film follows two downtrodden men who join forces with a grizzled old prospector in searching for gold in Mexico.

John Huston developed an interest in adapting Traven's novel in 1935. Development of the film began in 1941, shortly after the release of The Maltese Falcon, but was delayed by American entry into World War II and Huston's Army service. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was one of the early Hollywood productions to be shot on location outside the United States, with extensive location shooting in Mexico, as well as back in the US.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film premiered in Los Angeles on 14 January 1948. It was both a critical and commercial success, winning three Academy Awards - Best Director and Best Screenplay for John Huston, and Best Supporting Actor for Walter Huston - the first time a father and son both won Oscars for the same film. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film and the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture.

The film continues to be highly regarded by critics and audiences, sometimes referred to as Huston's magnum opus and one of the greatest films of all time. In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre about?
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) — Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, both down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico in 1925, meet up with a grizzled prospector named Howard and decide to join with him in search of gold in the wilds of central Mexico. Through enormous difficulties, they eventually succeed in finding gold,
Is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre scary?
Content rating: Approved. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.