Original artwork, not a still
The stuff that dreams are made of.
— The Maltese Falcon · 1941
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Spade's farewell to the object of everyone's greed is also a verdict on the whole story: a prize worth killing for turns out to be a fantasy people kill each other to hold. The borrowed Shakespeare gives a hard-boiled ending a rueful, almost poetic note, and the line is the usual closing quote whenever someone describes a film noir.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Maltese FalconShow the scene
At the end of The Maltese Falcon (1941), private detective Sam Spade confronts Brigid O'Shaughnessy, who confesses that she killed his partner Miles Archer to frame her unwanted accomplice Thursby. Despite his feelings for her, Spade turns her over to the police and hands in the black bird statuette everyone has been killing for as evidence, describing it with this line. It echoes Prospero in Shakespeare's The Tempest, 'We are such stuff as dreams are made on'. The American Film Institute ranks it number 14 on its list of film quotes.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)Plot and accolades sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed