87. The Thin Man (1934)

Directed By W. S. Van Dyke

Synposis

A series of murders in New York leads retired detective Nick Charles to get on the case. With hillarious consequences.

Review

Well, this was a great film. As soon as I think I've seen the best film of 1934 I am proved wrong. This film has it all - suspense, laughs, drama and a little doggy to! The film gets its brilliance from a superbly chosen couple of actors, William Powell and Myrna Loy are perfect as the wise-cracking, always slightly drunk, sophisticate couple.

In some respect humour has dated since 1934, but not here, this is a film that will actually make you laugh out loud. Not just for the jokes themselves but for the brilliant deliverance. The main actors are inspired here, they are so absolutely natural that you soon get attached to them, you laugh with them and you want to grow up to be like them.

This is probably on the top 5 films I have seen on the list until now. Actually it might only be beaten in terms of laughs by Love Me Tonight and even so it is a tight race. It is definitely the best acted of the two films, but as it is not so overtly a comedy it doesn't try to pack so many laughs a minute.

As a detective film it is also great. Finally there is a parlor scene with an actual purpose. In the end the detective gets everyone together for a dinner, not because he wants to reveal the murderer but because he wants to figure out hwo the murderer is. He has no idea, he just hopes one of the guests will reveal himself through the dialogue. It is amazingly well done and definitely a film you all should watch if you haven't. Get it at Amazon UK or US.

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Completed in 1934 and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke from a script by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich; the screenplay was based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, supposedly based on his relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman. Also appearing in the film were Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Cesar Romero, Porter Hall, Henry Wadsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber and Natalie Moorhead.

The "Thin Man" of the title was actually the lead suspect, but the name was thought by virtually everyone to refer to Nick Charles, and it was used in the titles of the sequels, although no one ever called him that.

Introduction of the two main characters: