The Thin Man (Keepcase)
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Movie Reviews of The Thin Man (Keepcase)
Movie Review: He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.
Summary: 5 Stars
Never have I had the opportunity to witness such an entertaining hour and a half of cinema as I did with The Thin Man. Upon viewing (due to a suggestion from my father), I have a whole new respect for the films made in the 1930s as well as the widely unknown works of director W.S. Van Dyke. This film was an amazing blend of comedy, who-dun-it, and satire combined into a surprisingly short 93 minutes. The charm and wit of the characters, the classic mystery nestled between, and the surprising ending helped create this coveted piece of work. I can honestly say this; I have seen several films come through the Hollywood machine over the years, yet none can compare to the excitement that I experienced watching this film for the first time. I cannot wait to watch it again. It reminded me of my first viewing of the widely hysterical television series entitled Are You Being Served? The dialogue was extremely smart and seemed to break the boundaries of that era's cinema.
I will be perfectly honest, if anyone had approached me prior to my viewing of this film and asked if I knew who William Powell was, I would have given them the classic "stare into the darkness" look. Now, I cannot wait to revisit other pieces of his work. He defined and created the film version of the Thin Man better than I have witnessed any modern day actor do. He took a simple story, a murder mystery that would have been dull otherwise, and transformed it into this satiric comedy about sex, booze, and women. It was a transformation that I was not ready for, which only heightened my overall experience of this film. While some credit has to go to Van Dyke, I applaud William Powell. His sharp tongue, his irresistible charm and charisma, and his chemistry that he had with everyone in this film, especially his wife, Nora (Myrna Loy). The scenes that these two share show us how two people can have fun on a set, define themselves, as well as show us a new standard for the Hollywood married couple. They broke boundaries in cinema, while continuously showing us that no media is needed to expand their hype ... a la Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Powell and Loy carried this film and skyrocketed it past the average point and into one that will remain deeply rooted within your mind as you watch other films of the same genre.
The Thin Man is another perfect example of what happens when good actors create great characters in a film that could have just passed through the average shelves. After witnessing the power of Powell and Loy, you cannot help but also see that others in the film are trying to reach their excitement. There is just this aura of "fun" and a new level of quality that is nearly absent in so much of what Hollywood today has to offer. I am a true believer that if you have actors that want to be in the film, they give their full 100% and it shows through the screen, then the others will follow suit. It is those films where the key players only give 10%, or we rely heavily on special effects that ultimately the film suffers. That was not the case here at all.
Finally, I would like to say that this film doesn't suffer from aging at all. I thought that when I placed it into my player that I would be constantly reminded of how old this film was. Knowing that it was made in the late 1930s, I thought that the jokes and comments would be dated and, perhaps less funny. I couldn't have been more wrong. The jokes had me laughing, the circumstances had me roaring, and the fabulous connection between Nick and Nora had me glued to the screen. This film had everything in place and executed it correctly. While the era was dated, the jokes were not. The words from Powell's mouth seemed refreshing and utterly hysterical. I was impressed, and it kept me glued to the screen throughout the entire film!
Overall, I couldn't have been happier about this movie. This is what the cinema is all about. Taking a classic story, adding in some refreshing and powerful characters, and keeping your audiences guessing until the final moment. The Thin Man was one of those films where I didn't know who-did-it until it was revealed. Imagine a funny film with a great caper that gives nothing away until the final climactic moment. I know to some that seems imaginary, but friends, I witnessed it here with The Thin Man. So, go grab your favorite girl, your best martini, and expect to have an exceptional two hours of monumental cinema!
Grade: ***** out of *****
Movie Review: Everything Great About the Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not only one of the great films of the 1930's, but one of the best and most beloved films in the history of the movies. It spawned a series of "A" pictures which kept the quality just as high and the moviegoing public couldn't get enough of Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles. Perhaps because those sequels were so good it is easy to forget just how spectacular was "The Thin Man."
William Powell and Myrna Loy sparkled as the a couple living the lush life and having fun being married. Nick (Powell) had been a celebrated detective who enjoyed drinking martinis as much as solving crimes, so when his wife Nora (Loy) inherited a fortune he opted for more of the former and less of the latter. Nora, who enjoyed martinis as well, had a nose for mystery, however, and couldn't wait for an opportunity to drag a somewhat tight Nick into a case.
It became a formula repeated for decades but only on rare occasions did anything in the movies come close to the style and sophistication of the original source. The screenplay of Albert Hackett and Francis Goodrich perfectly captured the contrast of Hammett's wonderful couple and their dog Asta against the backdrop of murder. Their banter is legendary and was at its zenith in director W.S. Van Dyke's introduction to mystery's favorite couple.
Set during the Christmas season, "The Thin Man" works as a mystery, a sophisticated marital comedy, and a holiday film. James Wong Howe's photography and William Axt's delightful score added just the right touch for a great cast, most notably a lovely young Maureen O'Sullivan. The actual storyline is quite dark and seemy when one stopped to think about it, but the pace was so quick and the tone so playful that audiences were too busy being entertained to do so.
The story involves the rich and eccentric father of Dorothy (O'Sullivan) disappearing suddenly. Nick, who knows her father, and just about every other oddball or criminal in the funny papers gets dragged into the search when his mistress gets murdered and everyone seems to think he's working the case. A couple of murders and several hundred shakers of martinis later, Nick gathers all the suspects together at a dinner party and solves the case.
Everything between the opening credits and the closing is a sheer delight that will make you remember how much fun it can be going to the movies. There is a bit more set-up here than in the films that followed as the actual solving of the mystery was as important as the fun Nick and Nora were having while doing it. Afterwards the focus would be shifted to the fun with the mysteries being secondary.
This easily ranks as one of the top ten films ever made. For sheer entertainment, it is absolutely unbeatable. Just like those Americans jamming into packed theatres to see it upon its first release, those seeing it for the first time will long for more. Fortunately, there are more, and nearly just as good. A film for anyone who loves the movies.
Movie Review: It's not thin...
Summary: 5 Stars
The one adjective that I think really describes this movie is `fun'. That's an adjective, right? They use it on `Family Feud' all the time ("this is my FUN sister Martha") so I figure that it has to be one. Anyways, this movie is `fun' personified, `fun' times 100.
The movie is fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
Anyways, enough blabbering. The film centers around a boozy couple named Nick and Nora (this is not about their infinite playlist) who find themselves pulled into a `missing person/murder mystery' when they are approached by the young Dorothy who is in desperate search for her father. Shortly after her father disappears his lover winds up dead only to have her murder and the subsequent murder of an informant pinned on the missing man. Nick is pretty certain that the police are on the trail of an innocent man, but proving his theory is a matter of, well, you just have to watch.
That last dinner scene is just marvelous!
For me, this film is just pure entertainment. It is a film noir meets a comedy meets a thriller, and it nails every nook and cranny beautifully.
William Powell is brilliant as Nick. If it weren't for Clark Gable's equally stunning work in `It Happened One Night', I'd say that Powell should have taken the Oscar. Sure, alcoholic is a slight gimmick, but he plays that gimmick beautifully. Myrna Loy is a clever and complimentary sidekick, but she definitely lacks the `pop' that Powell brings to his every scene. The supporting cast is all great, especially Maureen O'Sullivan (as the desperate daughter) and Minna Gombell (as the suspicious ex-wife). Gombell especially defined `fun' for me here; so theatrical yet completely controlled in her grasp of character.
I have not seen the subsequent sequels (I really should), but I have seen this one a few times and each and every time I enjoy it and admire it more and more. If you want to sit back and have a `grand ol' time' then you really need to seek out `The Thin Man'.
Movie Review: Let's have another drink
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fine example of movies from the Great Depression era that never set foot on reality, not even one little toe on the misery of the times. Moviegoers didn't want to see movies about the soup lines. The sleuthing married couple and their dog, Asta, wear expensive clothes, have a vague if more than sufficient income, live in a magnificent apartment, and have a bottomless supply of booze. The two heros drink constantly, at every excuse for a thirst. It is supposed to suggest that they are sophisticated, I suspect, but I kept wondering how they managed to get out of their chairs, much less solve murders.
And yet there is something that keeps the viewers attention. It isn't an intriguing puzzle with a surprising solution. In fact, the murder mystery part of this is scarcely important. So what is it? Tarzan's Jane (Ms. O'Sullivan) is easy to look at in a supporting role. And then there are Powell and Loy, the badinage between them, something seldom seen in movies. And of course there is the wire-haired terrier, Asta, who sniffs out the corpse that propels this to the finale. It is a very contrived device, but by that time--who cares?
Thin Man movies are fun to watch, martinis and all.
Movie Review: "Hey, would you mind putting that gun away? My wife doesn't care, but I'm a very timid fellow"
Summary: 5 Stars
In the classic original THIN MAN (1934), we first meet adorable Nick and Nora Charles and their pet dog-mascot, Asta. Nick (William Powell), a former sleuth, wants to settle down into a quiet lifestyle and manage Nora's (Myrna Loy) various inheritances, but his fun-loving wife would adore for Nick to involve them in the occasional murder mystery. She gets her wish when Nick's former client Wynant (Edward Ellis) goes AWOL shortly before his daughter (Maureen O'Sullivan) is to be married. To complicate matters further, Wynant's beautiful secretary Julia (Natalie Moorhead) is later found shot to death in her office.
Can Nick and Nora manage to track down the killer--and Wynant--before the bodycount rises again? Is Wynant the killer? The mystery almost becomes incidental as we watch the most wonderful married couple ever to set foot on the screen! William Powell and Myrna Loy were, I'm convinced, born to play the roles of Nick and Nora Charles. Their performances are sublime. Sit back and revel in the snappy dialogue and witty banter. A classic that only gets younger.
The DVD includes a bonus trailer gallery for the other titles in the "Thin Man" series. Highly recommended!