“You simply take apart two copies of the book, paste the pages, and cross out what you don’t like. [The script] was done in a very short time, because it was based on a very fine book and there was very little for me to invent. It was a matter of sticking to the ideas of the book, of making a film out of a book…I tried to transpose Dashell Hammett’s highly individual prose style into camera terms – sharp photography, geographically exact camera movements, striking, if not shocking, setups.” – John Huston, on adapting The Maltese Falcon