The third installment of the James Bond films, effectively solidified the trademark formula that has made the series a favorite of film critics and movie goers alike. Goldfinger, loosely based on Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel of the same name, would come to represent for many, the epitome of what a James Bond film is and should be.

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The Maltese Falcon is a film that opened with little fanfare and few expectations in the fall of 1941. It had a modest budget of about ($381,000) and was shot in less than six weeks (from June 9 to July 18, 1941), with a first time director and no major stars. And if that wasn’t enough, two films featuring the detective Sam Spade character, adopted from a novel by Dashiell Hammett, had already flopped. And yet, its long term popularity has somewhat of historical significance considering the obstacles the film had to overcome.

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What exactly makes a good movie theme? Is it the melody? Is it the underpinning rhythm, or perhaps the chord changes? Is it the combination of everything mentioned, with the added caveat of time, space, and careful arrangement of all the elements? For a better understanding of movie themes that are considered to be among the very best, lets look at one of the most monumental movie themes of all time, . . . the “shark” theme from Jaws.

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