The Thin Man

W.S. Van Dyke's adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's classic gumshoe novel launched a series that would reap five sequels, none of which would approach the freshness of the original, which stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, an upper-crust husband and wife detective team aided by their dog Asta (a gifted canine actor, who also appeared in Bringing Up Baby), reluctantly embroiled in the case of a missing inventor suspected of murdering his lover (among others). Winding up Agatha Christie-style, with a traditional all-the-suspects-gathered-together-in-a-room confrontation, The Thin Man is primarily carried by the witty repartee between the principals, who--modern audiences cannot help but note--appear to be bona fide highball-chugging alcoholics. Nominated for four Oscars--Best Picture, Director, Actor (Powell), and Screenplay, The Thin Man has been released pretty much extra-less (the sole feature is trailers from all six films), but the DVD transfer is very nice, sporting nice contrast and a sharp image. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 27, 2019—Warner, 91 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $21.99—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1934’s The Thin Man features a fine transfer with DTS-HD 2.0 audio. Extras include a 1936 audio-only Lux Radio Theater broadcast featuring stars William Powell and Myrna Loy (59 min.), and the 1957 The Thin Man TV series episode 'Scene of the Crime' (26 min.). Bottom line: this classic whodunit shines on Blu-ray.]