<Tr> <Th> Language </Th> <Td> English </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $381,000 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir written and directed by John Huston in his directorial debut, and based on Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel of the same name . The film stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and Mary Astor as his femme fatale client . Gladys George, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet co-star, with Greenstreet appearing in his film debut . The story follows a San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three unscrupulous adventurers, all of whom are competing to obtain a jewel - encrusted falcon statuette . </P> <P> The film premiered on October 3, 1941, in New York City, and was nominated for three Academy Awards . The Maltese Falcon was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 1989 . </P>

Who plays the femme fatale in the maltese falcon