# Different falcon, different universe



## Robert Urbanek (Nov 21, 2019)

(Spoiler Alert) Some years ago, I watched _The Maltese Falcon_, the classic Humphrey Bogart film, on TV. In the movie, the characters pursue a falcon statue whose veneer is supposed to conceal precious gems. When the Fat Man scratches the statue with a small knife, he discovers there are no jewels underneath; the falcon is a fake. This climactic scene seemed lame. In a previous viewing of the film several years before, I thought there had been a struggle for the falcon. The statue fell to the floor and broke apart, revealing the absence of the gems.

I concluded that two versions of _The Maltese Falcon_ existed, representing two paths of history. In the universe in which the falcon was broken, the Vietnam War led to a nuclear war and the destruction of male authority, which is represented by the falcon in Egyptian mythology and other cultures. However, in this universe, we experienced a lesser conflict, the Vietnam War, which only "scratched" the falcon and the authority of men. Somehow, my memory had accessed the alternative timeline.

The linkage of the falcon to the Vietnam War can be found in the history of the Ford Falcon. The compact, made from 1960 to 1970, wasn't memorable for performance or refinement. Nevertheless, the car racked up sales of over half a million in the first year; over a million were sold by the end of the second year.

Ford executive Robert McNamara is widely credited with being the "father" of the Falcon. McNamara left Ford to become the U.S. Defense Secretary who presided over the Vietnam War. Like the Ford Falcon, the Vietnam War enjoyed acceptance for several years before falling out of favor. The tenacity of the Viet Cong and the anti-war movement would clip McNamara’s wings over the world. And the youthful, rebellious Ford Mustang would eclipse the conventional Falcon.


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