OK, so, I know I have a DVD of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre somewhere, but for the life of me, I could not find it when it came time to watch it for the Stacker Challenge. I know I had it when I did the same for the AFI Countdown, so what happened to it? I must have looked through my DVDs a half dozen times before finally biting the bullet and getting a digital rental. I somehow suspect I will find this missing DVD at some point when I am not looking for it in the near future. At least I know what happened to my Hitchcock collection: I loaned that to my niece when it looked like she was going to be a film buff, and that never happened. How was I supposed to know she’d be busy with, like, a job and classes?
Regardless, I am reaching the point in the Stacker Challenge where more and more of the films I will be watching are films I have, if not seen before, then at least with a high probability that I will have written them up before. Which leads me to wonder…what do I say about The Treasure of the Sierra Madre this time around?
Last time, I reflected on how this film has a couple of famous lines, lines that many people know or know of. Of course, both of those lines are misquoted. Humphrey Bogart’s Fred Dobbs does not, as a cartoon version repeatedly asks Bugs Bunny in one cartoon, ask if the rabbit can help out a fellow American who is down on his luck. Here, he asks if someone would stake out a fellow American to a meal, but he accidentally asks the same man three times. Likewise, the bandit leader known only as Gold Hat does not say, “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” He instead says, “Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!” The lines, as people remember them, are different, but the general gist is the same, and in the case of the Bogart line, is probably only really remembered if you are really big into Looney Tunes like I am.
But I have seen the “stinkin’ badges” bit in other places. So, here’s a question: how many people when they see or hear something that includes one of those lines knows specifically that it comes from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre?
My guess is not many. There are famous lines in many films, and they aren’t always quoted accurately. Bogart seems to be a popular choice here because he likewise did not say, “Play it again, Sam,” in Casablanca. Likewise, Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back does not intone, “Luke, I am your father.” The lines these characters say are very similar, but they are not the same. They are also how those lines are remembered. And this isn’t limited to film: Captain Kirk never said, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
Now, sometimes these famous lines are remembered accurately. Rhett Butler doesn’t give a damn, and Don Corleone will make someone an offer they can’t refuse.
Much of this sort of thing can be chalked up to the Mandela Effect, I’m sure. People misremember lines all the time. And sometimes a line is so good it makes it into the wider culture. I remember as a high schooler reading Hamlet and Macbeth for the first time and being utterly amazed how many familiar turns of phrase were in those works, and not just the super-famous lines. But that’s William Shakespeare, and most writers aren’t William Shakespeare.
What does all this have to do with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Oh, good question, hypothetical reader. Whether someone knows these lines accurately or not, wouldn’t it be better to, say, know the context for these lines and the story that revolves around them?
Consider if you will that this film is considered one of the all-time greats, and with what I argue is good reason. Acting in the 40s may be a lot more stiff than what we see in film and TV today, but as a morality tale about the dangers of greed, it may be harder to find one better. Bogart’s Fred Dobbs didn’t set out to become a murderous ball of greed, looking to horde gold he was convinced his two comrades, Tim Holt’s Bob Curtin and Walter Huston’s Howard, were looking to steal not just from him but from each other. Veteran prospector Howard even warned against such a possibility when the trio set off to do some prospecting. Both Curtin and Dobbs denied it, and given Bogie was the big star back then, I do remember initially being surprised he was the one who went crazy, but in the end, it does make sense that the bigger star would get a chance to stretch his acting muscles more. Dobbs isn’t even necessarily portrayed as an evil man: he just got caught up in dreams of riches he never even thought he could ever have. Howard even says he’s about as honest as most men when he’s patching Curtin up after Dobbs had shot and robbed the other man.
If there’s anything in this film that doesn’t quite make sense, it’s how the old prospector is also apparently a talented doctor of some sort. Yes, he doesn’t claim to have a degree, but he’s apparently good enough to revive a comatose kid and fix up Curtin’s bullet wounds.
I figure there’s a reason this wasn’t streaming anywhere aside from a PPV rental. Yeah, I didn’t pay much money, but why doesn’t WB keep this on Max? I mean, yeah, there’s probably a good reason for that, but the point stands. Certain films are something of a classic. They should maybe be made more available. But the other thing is, a film like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre probably has much less name recognition as it is. The most casual of film buffs, people who mostly stick to what’s new and rarely go for films older than they are, may not have heard of it, or Bogart. Casablanca and Gone with the Wind, sure. But The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? That seems less likely. It says something about the impermanence of a lot of art, that works that are considered instant classics are forgotten, and even works that have staying power are only really appreciated by the dedicated few.
But maybe folks just don’t need any stinkin’ badges.
NEXT: Speaking of classic films that aren’t currently streaming anywhere, this time I know where the DVD is! Be back soon for 1950’s All About Eve.
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