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Plot

One of the great 20th Century American literary icons, Dashiell Hammett invented the hard-boiled detective novel and, in the process, elevated the mystery novel to high art. This PBS documentary charts Hammett from his inauspicious beginning as a high school drop-out private detective to his career pinnacle, hobnobbing with movie stars and the cultural elite, to his demise resulting from alcohol in 1961. The film also delves into Hammett's works using ample clips from his most renowned work, The Maltese Falcon. Kathleen Turner narrates.
Genre(s):
Documentary,Epic and Historical,Special Interest
Run Time:
56min.
DVD Release Date:
10/19/1999
Director(s):
Joshua Waletzky
Themes:
Writer's Life
Keywords:
detective,mystery-writer,novel,writing
Language:
English