The Thin Man [VHS]
by W.S. Van Dyke
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Product details
Actor: Maureen O'Sullivan, Minna Gombell, Myrna Loy, Nat Pendleton, William PowellDirector: W.S. Van Dyke
Cinematographer: James Wong Howe
Editor: Robert Kern
Producer: Hunt Stromberg
Writer: Albert Hackett
Writer: Dashiell Hammett
Writer: Frances Goodrich
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 91 minutes
Release Date: 2000-08-21
Publisher: Warner Studios
Studio: Warner Studios
VHS Movie Reviews of The Thin Man [VHS]
Movie Review: Great character study. Blah mystery.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Thin Man (W. S. van Dyke, 1934)
I first saw The Thin Man about a decade ago, when I was as much of a lush as Nick and Nora Charles, and at the time I was relatively unimpressed with it; if you take it just for the sake of its plot, it's a modest little mystery flick without much going for it, and it contains one of the things that drives me to madness in mystery films--that scene at the end where the detective gathers everyone into a room and then announces that the murder is in this very room, and starts talking about how he unraveled the mystery. Man, I hate that. It's the good-guy version of the evil genius pausing to explain to the hero how he's going to conquer the world, giving the hero time to escape and brain the evil genius with a piece of handy electrical equipment, thus saving the planet. This time around, however, my mind is a touch clearer, and I get that van Dyke was probably as annoyed with that particular Agatha Christie trope as I am; he plays with it, subverts it in a way that takes it dangerously close to genius, though I can't find it in myself to consider that last scene any less annoying now than I did then. I also missed a lot of what contemporary audiences saw as the charm of the film, which is the interplay between Nick and Nora Charles themselves. I attribute this to what most sober people are well aware of--it's always funner to laugh at the drunk guy than to actually be the drunk guy. Unless, of course, you're Nick Charles, the epitome of the debonair drunk.
The action opens with eccentric inventor Claude Wynant (I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang's Edward Ellis) packing up and heading off to a conference, promising his winsome daughter Dorothy (Maureen O'Sullivan, who will, embarrassingly, probably be remembered for playing Jane in Johnny Weissmuller's many, many Tarzan movies) and her earnest fiance Tommy (Mark of the Vampire's Henry Wadsworth) that he'll be back in time for the wedding. The wedding rolls around, and Wynant's nowhere to be found. Time goes by, and still no one's seen Wynant. Then his girlfriend, Julia Wolf (Heart of Arizona's Natalie Moorehead) turns up dead, and there's evidence linking Wynant to the murder. Soon after, Wynant's ex-wife Mimi's new husband goes missing. Dorothy begs Nick Charles (William Powell), a retired detective now living the good life as a playboy with his socialite wife Nora (Myrna Loy), to prove his old friend Claude's innocence. Nick initially refuses, but after much badgering from his wife, he takes the case, solving it in roughly the time it would take you to make a sandwich if you got up and left the room at that point.
Van Dyke directed almost one hundred films during his career (including the first of Weissmuller's Tarzan films and two of the five Thin Man sequels), but this was his only Best Director Oscar nomination for a movie he was actually credited with directing. (He was uncredited on the film that earned him his second Best Director nomination, ironically--1936's San Francisco. It is equally ironic that in both cases, he lost to Frank Capra.) Given the weakness of the plot, either you have to give the Academy even less credit than you normally should, or there's something else going on here. A quick look through van Dyke's movies contemporary to this may give it away; Manhattan Melodrama, Broadway Melody of 1936, etc. Van Dyke as a mystery director? Preposterous, and the film bears that out. Van Dyke as a chronicler of glitzy New York social life? Now you're onto something. Think of him as the thirties version of anyone who casts Paris Hilton in a movie, and you've hit the nail on the head. The difference, of course, is that van Dyke here hires actors, and very good ones, to play socialites instead of the other way around. It's his portrayals of Nick and Nora's daily life that make this movie worth watching; the chemistry between them is as real as it is for actual married couples who happen to be filthy rich and constantly drunk. (Or, at least, one assumes, having never actually lived on the Main Line.) Myrna Loy, the striking beauty (perhaps second only to Lillian Gish) with the wicked acting chops, may be the finest American actress to have never garnered a single Academy Award nomination; it doesn't matter how bad the movie, Myrna Loy brought her A game to the table. Ironically, Powell, who was nominated for Best Actor three times (here, My Man Godfrey, and Life with Father), was never better than when interacting onscreen with Loy. As a mystery film, it's a failure; as a character study of Nick and Nora Charles, it's delightful. *** ?
Movie Review: A wonderful film and a wonderful pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy! - Buy the box set though...worth it!
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1934, cinema goers were treated to the American comic detective film known as The Thin Man starring William Powell ("Ziegfeld Follies", "My Man Godfrey", "Manhattan Melodrama") and Myrna Loy ("Manhattan Melodrama", "The Great Ziegfeld", "The Best Years of Our Lives").
The film is an adaptation of the popular detective novel by Dashiel Hammett (which would be his last novel) and the film would inspire five more sequels (which have been collected in a DVD box set titled "The Complete Thin Man Collection") and also inspired the 1950's "Thin Man" television series. The film is ranked #32 for the American Film Institutes 100 Laughs and was added to the US National Film Registry in 1997 having been deemed as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"The Thin Man" is featured in black and white (1:33 aspect ratio) in standard 4?3 full frame. The film actually looks quite incredible with only the occasional dust and scratches showing up from time-to-time but the blacks are nice and deep. grays and whites are well-defined and picture quality on DVD is quite solid for a film that is 75 years old.
As for audio, the audio is presented in Dolby Digital monaural (English and French). The film is center channel driven, audio is clear and understandable but for those with modern receivers can set their audio for audio on all channels for a more immersive soundtrack.
Subtitles are in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"The Thin Man" comes with the theatrical trailers for all six "Thin Man" films and text listing of William Powell and Myrna Loy's film career.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"The Thin Man" has always intrigued me because I've read about it for so long but have never watched it. But with all six films released in a DVD box set (which I purchased new on Amazon for [...]), with its low price, "The Complete Thin Man Collection" was a steal and definitely a must-buy!
I've read about how William Powell and Myrna Loy were a fantastic onscreen couple and after watching the first film "The Thin Man", the two are just fantastic together. Although, there was no romance between the two outside of the film, onscreen the two had wonderful chemistry and the amount of jokes and the husband and wife banter in the film was just fun and hilarious. I often wonder if some of the things they did on screen (jokes and making faces) were improvised or if director W.S. Van Dyke had this all planned out in the beginning.
But for me, what captivated me was the chemistry from the two major talent but also Myrna Loy. I truly believe that she is one actress that is under-rated but so talented. I've read that in the 1920's, the parts she most played where vixen type of roles during the silent film era and that it was "The Thin Man" that really brought her to prominence as an actress. She has this natural beauty and comedic quirk that I found so wonderful and again, the way she and William Powell clicked, was quite amazing and like many people back throughout the past seven decades, I found myself captivated towards their wonderful performance together.
Overall, the film was an entertaining film, especially to find out that the adaptation of Dashiell Hammet's novel only took three weeks to film and I suppose that is the strength of the director W.S. Van Dyke. For me, the film didn't seemed rush, everything came together quite well in terms of pacing, editing and also the overall screenplay and it helps to have two talents that make things quite believable and fun to watch.
I have five more films yet to watch in the box set and I've read and heard many times that the sequels do not quite meet the level of this first film but as mentioned, getting all six films in one box set for under [...] (note: prices for this box set have fluctuated throughout the year but I purchased this at that low price before Christmas) is fantastic plus you get another DVD featuring documentaries on both William Powell and Myrna Loy plus classic comedy, mystery and musical shorts, two radio dramas, vintage cartoons and also the TV series pilot. Picture quality was pretty solid for this DVD and for the most part, you're getting your bang for the buck with this box set.
If you are a fan of "The Thin Man" or like myself, have been curious about the film and wanted to see this magic onscreen between William Powell and Myrna Loy, this film and "The Complete Thin Man Collection" is highly recommended!
Movie Review: They don't make em like this anymore
Summary: 5 Stars
Great banter, a real fun romp in a world far more innocent then the one we live in today. They smoke like chimmies,
drink like fish and yet how can you not love Powell and Loy. Bravo to the Thin Man.
Movie Review: Debut Of The Thin Man
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a revue of the WB DVD release of the MGM 1934 classic, THE THIN MAN, directed
by W.S. Van Dyke and starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles.
Nick Charles, a retired but still famous detective is vacationing in Christmastime NYC with his wife Nora and their dog, Asta. Nora Charles has money and they are both enjoying a rather extravagent vacation--especially considering that this is the depths of the Depression--when an old friend of Nick's, a scientist named Wynant, disappears.
Nick really wants nothing to do with the mystery but when Wynant's daughter appeals to him for help he just can't refuse. And once things get moving Nora and even Asta get involved in this confusing but involving case. The story is told with a great deal of humor and wit, the back and forth accusations get a little silly sometimes but, especially considering that this is about a missing friend, the light touch works
like in no other movie of this type.
The interaction between Nick and Nora, and sometimes the supporting characters is
delightful and it usually advances the plot but after a while the viewer is more interested in the relationship between the two principals than the mysteries surrounding them.
A wonderful film, suitable for enjoyment by just about everybody. This DVD edition has the trailers for all six THIN MAN films as an extra feature and has subtitles in English, French and Spanish. I'm sure that THE THIN MAN wil be enjoyed by everyone who sees it.
Movie Review: The Thin Man (keepcase)
Summary: 5 Stars
Love the Thin Man movies and this is a keepsake. Not owning a television these movies is good entertainment.
Summary of The Thin Man [VHS]
The intoxicating chemistry and repartee between the oft-teamed William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles--America's favorite soused detectives--is fully 100-proof in the marvelously witty Thin Man movies. You simply won't find more delightful movie company than Nick and Nora. The title, of course, refers not to Nicky the dick, but to the mysteriously missing scientist he and his lovely partner set out to find. Powell and Loy deliver their sparkling dialog with giddy enthusiasm (and occasionally slurred speech) in this rapid-fire, three-martini suspense comedy directed by famously speedy W.S. Van Dyke and adapted from the novel by Dashiell Hammett. The success of The Thin Man spawned a litter of sequels, including After the Thin Man (featuring a young James Stewart), Another Thin Man (in which a baby is added to the Charles family), Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man. --Jim EmersonThe Thin Man Video
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