Hammett's murder mystery novel had previously been filmed twice:The Maltese Falcon (1931), a low-budget, pre-Code film (directed by Roy Del Ruth)-renamed for TV asDangerous Female- with Ricardo Cortez as the gumshoe opposite femme fatale Bebe Daniels; it was faithful to Hammett's novel, although its pre-censorship status allowed for steamier scenes (a nude bathtub shot, a portrayal of Spade as a womanizing Latin lover, and a clearly homosexual relationship between Casper "Fat Man" Gutman (Dudley Digges) and 'fall guy' Wilmer (Dwight Frye))Satan Met a Lady (1936), a remake directed by William Dieterle) with Warren William and rising star Bette Davis as the femme fatale, but without the 'black bird' (a ram's horn was substituted)Huston was convinced that he could remake the film with a more precise screenplay and better acting than the other two adaptations.In the voice of a young boy, he cried out: "Mommy, don't let me drown.Mommy!"The killer's demise caused him to revert back to his normal childhood self, a miraculous transformation, when the oxic waste subsided.The assault was initially successful (Kolp: "Nothing left alive!"), and Caesar was forced to call for his apes to fall back to the village."Plot SynopsisThe opening title and credits play atop the haunting portrait of the eponymous title character as the haunting 'Laura' heme music (the film's famous atmospheric theme tune by David Raksin) plays.