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There's a scene toward the beginning of The Thin Man that cements this series' effusive and bubbly sentiment perfectly. As Nick Charles (William Powell) sits down at a table in a bustling restaurant, drunk as a goose, Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) asks him how many martinis he's had. When he responds with ėsix,î she tells the waiter who's just brought her a cocktail to bring five more and to place them right in a row next to the one he's just brought so she can catch up with Nick as quickly as possible.
The next shot is of a mega-hungover Nora getting an ice pack from a nicely-rested Nick.
The Thin Man movies haven't aged the way other slapstick/thriller fare has - The African Queen, if that can be considered a tonal cousin to these pictures, still plays as though it was filmed last month - but that doesn't mean that this lovingly presented Thin Man box set doesn't have more than its fair share of joys.
The series' first episode, The Thin Man, is predictably the best work in the series. Dashiell Hammett's punchy, bawdy dialogue marries with the believable and rollicking plot structure in ways few Hollywood scribes have been able to duplicate. What The Thin Man does so perfectly is bring its audience into the elite rich-and-famous lifestyles of the film's protagonists without any condescension or conceit. You see, Nick and Nora may be super-rich, but they love to drink, solve crimes, and fall in love just as much as any other on-screen couple.
In fact, watching this new edition of The Thin Man is the home theatre equivalent of having a deliciously dry martini (with a hint of a twist). There's a professionalism and drive at the core of director W.S. Van Dyke's film, but the jubilant glee with which he paints his leading characters is what has given the film its impressive legacy.
The other films, unfortunately, are shells of what The Thin Man is. After the Thin Man and Another Thin Man are noble efforts, but The Thin Man Goes Home and Shadow of the Thin Man are very, very easy to sleep through. Song of the Thin Man is a bit more fun, but after all that time in the Thin Man universe, the only elixir that will match the wonder of the first film is the bonus disc that comes with this box set. On it, we get excellent documentaries on both Powell and Loy, and a look at The Thin Man with the cumulative imperative that it deserves.
The Thin Man movies may not be all that important any more, but there's still fun to be had. Order me up another, barkeep.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
While not definitive, the transfers of these six films are pretty darned exceptional. Their full-frame presentations manifest a nice exploitation of monochromatic contrast, thorough and robust black levels, and a shockingly nice cleanliness. Sure, there's a bit of grain that lies over each of the films here, but without a ground-floor restoration, that kind of thing will always be there. And fine detail quality has a few missteps here as well - where most of this collection is lovely and punchy, there are moments of muddiness and smear.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The mono mixes here are adequate, if not wholly impressive. Dialogue, music, effects - they're all crackly and tinny, but that's how they were recorded, so there's very little that can be done. Background noise has been taken down a notch - though often it pops right back up (especially in extended crowd sequences) - but other than that, these mixes showcase six films that sound arguably as good as they can considering their humble beginnings.
Also included are a French mono track (on The Thin Man, After the Thin Man, and Another Thin Man), English, French and Spanish subtitles (even Portuguese subtitles on The Thin Man), and English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
For such a massive collection, there are fewer bonus features than I expected. The first film only offers a trailer gallery for the other films in the Thin Man series. After the Thin Man has a Robert Benchley comedy short, How to Be a Detective, a vintage cartoon, The Early Bird and the Worm, a radio show with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and the film's theatrical trailer. Another Thin Man has a Love on Tap musical short, a vintage cartoon, The Bookworm, and its theatrical trailer. Shadow of the Thin Man has a short, The Tell-Tale Heart, a cartoon, The Goose Goes South, and its trailer. The Thin Man Goes Home has a Robert Benchley comedy short, Why Daddy?, a vintage cartoon, Screwball Squirrel, and its trailer. And Song of the Thin Man has another short, A Really Important Person, a vintage cartoon, Slap-Happy Lion, and its trailer .
But the bonus disc houses two excellent documentaries - William Powell: A True Gentleman (30:00) and Hollywood Remembers: Myrna Loy (46:00) - as well as an episode from the Thin Man television show entitled ėDarling, I Loathe Youî and a 1936 LUX radio broadcast with many members of the film's original cast.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
There are no DVD-ROM supplements on this DVD.
Final Thoughts
This writer was desperate for a commentary track here - at least on the first film (Richard Schickel would have done a great job with it) - but even without it, this Thin Man Collection is a lovely summertime gift for fans of the films. Transfers are fine, mixes are adequate, and while there aren't a ton of definitive features included on each disc, there is enough to show that Warner Bros. did indeed put a bit of time and energy into this project. Check out the first film by all means and then decide if you want the mega-box.
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