My dad described the Thin Man as being the sort who, if he falls down drunk, bounces back up and keeps drinking.
I bought my dad the Thin Man movie collection, because he'd mentioned wanting to watch them, so we've been working our way through them the last three days. I hadn't ever seen any of them before, so it's been kind of interesting. At first, the banter between Nick and Nora seems a little harsh, but by the time we got to Another Thin Man, it was more obvious to me that there's genuine affection behind the digs they aim at each other. William Powell and Myrna Loy do deliver most every line with a smile and warmth in the eyes, which keeps it from seeming unpleasant.
I've been surprised by how long it takes for the mystery to get going. Usually they're 20 or 30 minutes in before the first person is killed, and any investigation starts in earnest. I wonder if that's how Dashiel Hammet wrote it up in his books, or if the filmmakers opted to focus more on Nick and Nora relationship. Films about a couple who solve mysteries, rather than films about mysteries solved by a couple, if that makes any sense.
I was concerned when Another Thin Man added a baby to the mix. I figured there'd be a bunch of sickening cutesy baby stuff, but they use the kid more for comic bits, so it worked out. I still can't figure out what was with the bit with Mrs. Asta's infedility in After the Thin Man. Asta is the Charles' dog, who accompanies them. In the first movie they were in New York, but on their way home to San Francisco at the end. In After the Thin Man, they've reached Frisco, and when they get home, Asta learns his lady's been fooling around with some little Scotty terrier. The mystery did involve an unfaithful husband, but it still seemed a strange introduction.
A word on the cops. The police in all these movies are dolts. Loud, frequently large and physically intimidating (and very eager to get in people's faces and bellow or dope slap), but dumb as a sack of hammers. By Another Thin Man, I was joking Nick and Nora would receive more help from the Three Stooges. Imagine my surprise when Shemp shows up at the baby party one of Nick's "acquaintances" threw at Nick and Nora's hotel room. And he was arguably more helpful in the resolution of the case than the police were. Go figure.
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4 comments:
Dagnabit, I love Nick and Nora. Or, as I like to call them...Ralph and Sue Dibny.
Dashiell Hammet only wrote one Thin Man novel. It was the last novel he ever wrote. He detested the Hollywood treatment of his characters, but I disagree. The chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy, coupled with superior dialogue for the time, is what really made the films stand out.
You're right about the mystery being secondary to the banter. Who even remembers who murdered who later?
The first film is fairly faithful to the novel. The novel itself is narrarated by Nick, and is an excellent book. I recommend it.
The identity of the murderer in Another Thin Man was pretty damn interesting, wasn't it?
James Chatterton-SF, Ca
Yeah, this is all about Powell and Loy's chemistry, also wonderful in "Manhattan Melodrama", but there is a lot of melodrama to wade through for the Powell/Loy scenes.
And about Nick's drinking; I'm convinced a lot of it is Nick pretending drunkenness to throw off the people around him.
sally: I hadn't considered the parallels before now, but they are very similar.
James: I'm sorry to hear Hammet
was unhappy with how the movie handled his work, but I agree, the charm and banter between Powell and Loy really is what holds the movies together.
Agreed on the killer in Another Thin Man. The reasoning the killer had was pretty surprising, too. I was initially disappointed because there were so many unpleasant people in that movie, and the killer wasn't any of them, but then the cops started arresting them for things like forgery, so it worked out.
CoryJay: I hadn't considered that about Nick's drinking, but it's a good point. I wonder if his apparent indifference is part of that, too. He behaves as if he'd rather be doing anything else, yet he always tracks the killer down.
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