MGM
I’ve heard of the film The Thin Man plenty of times throughout the years. It has always been a film I’ve been intrigued to watch. Thanks to the Warner Archive Collection, I am finally able to watch it! The Thin Man was directed by W.S. Van Dyke who directed nearly 100 movies over his career. The Thin Man brought on five sequels and Van Dyke directed three of them. The film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as husband and wife Nick and Nora Charles. Nick is a retired detective who comes out of retirement after his former client Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis) goes missing. Wynant’s daughter, Dorothy, who recently got engaged, is worried about her father and to make things worse, Wynant’s former secretary and former lover is found murdered.
Review
The film starts off as a mystery with the missing of Clyde Wynant. His daughter is about to get married and is concerned with the disappearance of her father. Former detective Nick Charles, along with his wife Nora, investigates Wynant’s missing. The film offers a mystery with a fun whodunnit dinner scene at the end, but the film’s mystery isn’t strong or well-thought out. The chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy is what carries the movie. Their constant competitiveness and drinking keep the pacing quick and upbeat. I didn’t know what the plot of The Thin Man was going to be, but I’ve seen it at the top of best film lists many times, and I was happy with how this film turned out. I went from thinking this film was going to be a heavy mystery film, but it ended up being a character piece involving two memorable characters from the 1930s. I haven’t seen many films from the 1930s but this is one of the better ones I’ve seen.
Video
The 1080p transfer for The Thin Man cleans up the film from any debris, dirt, or other damages. The film looks clear for a black and white movie. The moments with well-lit areas made the characters clear to see and even some of the darker moments within the film avoided grainy artifacts. It’s heartbreaking to know that certain film negatives no longer exist, but it is important to make transfers like this that succeed in making films as clear as possible to preserve them.
Sound
For a movie released in 1934, the film’s dialogue was crisp and clear. There are a few occasions where background noises are heard, but the main thing a transfer like this should succeed at and preserving is the dialogue. The audio track is great and keeps me interested in the conversations between the characters.
MGM
Special Features
Like most Blu-ray releases of films from decades ago, there aren’t many special features to offer. The Thin Man Blu-ray release offers a few special features for fans of the series.
- Lux Radio Theatre Broadcast (58:51) — This was an audio program that was co-hosted by the director and brought back William Powell and Myrna Loy in their roles as Nick and Nora Charles. It also offers an interview with Theda Bara at the end.
- Scene of the Crime (25:48) This is the second season premiere of the Thin Man TV series. It first aired on October 24th, 1958 and starred Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk as Nick and Nora Charles.
- Theatrical Trailer (3:18)
Overview
This movie doesn’t offer the strongest mystery ever, but it is carried by great performances and a chemistry between its two leads that stands out. I found this film to be both hilarious and intriguing and I would be interested in watching the plenty of sequels and TV series. I just hope they are as good as this movie. Warner Archive Collection did a fine job with this transfer and handled the audio and video with care and offered some fun special features with it.
Warner Archive generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
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