The Thin Man (1934)

Directed By: W.S. Van Dyke

Written By: Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich

Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Cesar Romero (The original Joker!), Porter Hall and Skippy the Dog

Synopsis:  Former ace detective Nick Charles (Powell) is happily enjoying his retirement with his rich heiress wife Nora (Loy) and their dog Astor (Skippy) content to drink booze and crack wise the rest of his days. But when a famous, and notoriously eccentric, inventor is missing and suspected of murdering his wife an opportunity to come out of retirement arises. Nora, who finds the prospect of seeing her husband working exciting, as well as many of Nick's old friends urging him to take on the case he begrudgingly acquiesces even if the only case he is interested in is "that case of scotch".

Reluctant, but no less brilliant, Nick sticks on his old gumshoes and proves why he is the greatest detective in New York, retired or otherwise. What follows is a case of intrigue, deception, lust, alcohol and all of the other fun sins culminating in a classic whodunit dinner party where one of the guests is none other than the murderer!

Nick: "Oh ... It's all right. It's my dog. And, uh, my wife." Nora: "Well you might have mentioned me first on the billing."

Review: The now classic 1934 screwball comedy The Thin Man wasn't supposed to be anything great, thrown together in under a few weeks and harvesting actors that were under contract with MGM it was at most supposed to be a fun throwaway comedy. What resulted, however, was cinematic magic that still feels fresh and fun almost 80 years later. The Thin Man is pretty much a perfect movie that could end up being your favorite even if you haven't heard of it until now.

Credit where credit is due, the writing by Albert Hackett and Francis Goodrich was nothing less than inspired. Adapting a Dashiell Hammett (also author of The Maltese Falcon) hard-boiled detective novel of the same name and making it into a comedy while maintaining the same thriller aspect was a gutsy move but they sure as hell pulled it off. But as fun as the mystery aspect is it easily takes a backseat to what is the most thrilling aspect of The Thin Man; the performances of Powell and Loy. The reason The Thin Man is a timeless classic is almost undefinable but it surely isn't undeniable. I am speaking of course of the chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. I have never seen a husband/wife relationship on screen that was so genuinely fun and fresh. Between the witty banter and the playful insults lies a believable relationship. Both are accomplished actors, and had also co-starred in the Clark Gable classic Manhattan Melodrama which was released only a couple of weeks prior, but The Thin Man (and it's several sequels) will always be my favorite movie that they are paired up in. 

Nora: "I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids." Nick: "It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids!"

On his own William Powell puts up a grand nonchalant front as Nick Charles, for most of the film he is laid back and content to drink cocktails and spend his days with his wife. But when he is on the case there is a calculating coldness about him, the wheels in his head are always turning even when he appears to be hungover after a night of indulgance. Yes he carries a gun but his greatest weapons would have to be his amicability and sharp wit. Roger Ebert put it best; stating Powell "is to dialogue as Fred Astaire is to dance. His delivery is so droll and insinuating, so knowing and innocent at the same time, that it hardly matters what he's saying." He can talk his way out of almost any situation using humor and more often than not will leave a friend, and Nick has many friends. Even the men he has in the past sent up the river for various crimes hold him in high respect and treat him as a pal, much to the amusment, and sometimes annoyance, of his wife Nora. Powell carries himslef in this manner, somewhere between playboy and hardboiled detective, and he not only makes it work he excells at it. There is no Thin Man without William Powell (Or is there?) his dapper deviousness and classy cynicism are the essance of Nick Charles and I can think of few actors that could ever have pulled that off, even fewer contemporary examples.

But Powell is only part of the reason The Thin Man is such a great film, his female counterpart Myrna Loy is just as key. Her depiction of Nora Charles is every bit as witty as her detective husband and even when it comes to knocking back drinks she proves to be his equal. Quite often Loy will steal a scene with a quip or a mock despairing eye roll, some of the greatest moments of the film lie not only in her dialog but her subtle mannerisms and smiles. If this was a Film Noir she would be the femme fatale but she puts on no airs of superiority, she is just too busy having fun. 

Nora: "Do you want a drink?" Nick:" What do you think?"

In fact that one word wholistically describes exactly what The Thin Man is: fun. The dialog, the performances and yes even the detective story are just fun. If Shane Black (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) was screenwriting in the 1930's The Thin Man would have been right up his alley and I'm not just saying that because Christmas is the backdrop! The mixture of action, humor and intrigue are exactly what makes The Thin Man such an enjoyable watch and it has longevity and holds up to repeat viewings. If you fall in love with Nick and Nora and their adventures or were ever to get bored of The Thin Man (impossible) then you will be glad to know that this flick spawned a successful franchise of 5 sequels that always brought in acting heavyweights like Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Dean Stockwell and many others. I heartily would reccomend any of the series, but the first is easily the greatest of the six and if you haven't had the pleasure to see The Thin Man just do yourself a favor and pick it up, it still deserves an audience 80 years later.

"You know, that sounds like an interesting case. Why don't you take it?" ~ "I haven't the time. I'm much too busy seeing that you don't lose any of the money I married you for."

The Thin Man endures not only as one of the greatest comedies ever committed to film, but one of the greatest films period.

If you are having trouble finding the films I fully recommend The Complete Thin Man Collection DVD boxed set, mine has seen more than it's fair share of use.

Casablanca (1942)

Directed By: Michael Curtiz Written By: Julius and Philip Epstien and Howard Koch

Studio: Warner Brothers

Players: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claud Rains and Peter Lorre 

I really don't care who you are, what walk of life you come from or your individual film experiences because Casablanca is one of those rare films that transcends such trifles and encapsulates everything that is great about this fine art that we enjoy. This review was going to happen eventually anyway and I could not think of a more appropriate, or more worthy, film to cut my teeth on. So grab a brew and make a toast because Cinebriated is taking a crack at one of the greats, "Here's looking at you, kid."

Setup: "With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned hopefully, or desperately, toward the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great embarkation point. But, not everybody could get to Lisbon directly, and so a tortuous, roundabout refugee trail sprang up - Paris to Marseilles... across the Mediterranean to Oran... then by train, or auto, or foot across the rim of Africa, to Casablanca in French Morocco. Here, the fortunate ones through money, or influence, or luck, might obtain exit visas and scurry to Lisbon; and from Lisbon, to the New World. But the others wait in Casablanca... and wait... and wait... and wait." 

So begins the opening narration of 1942's Casablanca, set within a backdrop of desperation, fear and with the impending specter of yet another World War. When two of the highly coveted "Letters of Transit" find themselves in the hands of jaded, American nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Bogart) his cynicism and self-preservation are put to the test. But when a woman (Bergman) from Rick's past unexpectedly reenters his life he becomes emotionally and morally conflicted, leading to an ultimate decision between love and a greater cause.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine ..."

Review: Casablanca is a damn good film, but you shouldn't have needed me to tell you that. But what exactly is so exceptional about it?

When it was being made nobody involved expected it to be anything out of the ordinary and was, in fact, a very rushed production. The odds were stacked against it from the beginning, but something came together and produced one of the greatest films of all time. Was it the breakout performance of Humphrey Bogart? The current world socio-political climate? The chemistry and emotional depth brought to the table by Bergman? The dignified Henreid? The stellar supporting cast? Flawless dialog, one of the most tragic love stories or ingenuitive filmmaking? Surely it was all of these things that solidified Casablanca as the quintessential Hollywood Golden Age film, but there is so much more to praise and these only scratch the surface. We are going to take a closer look into the nuances of what exactly make Casablanca a timeless classic and essential viewing for anyone that professes to love film. 

Let's start where all films start, with the writing. Adapted from the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" Casablanca would go through an intense series of rewrites at the hands of at least 4 credited screenwriters who, for the most part, were working on their separate versions in seclusion. It was a tumultuous start and even when the cameras began rolling May 25th, 1942 the script was far from finished. Despite several writers working on adapting Casablanca for the screen a solid story always remained the core with the different writers playing to their strong points it was a collaborative effort from the very beginning, and ended up winning the 1943 Academy Award for screenplay. Tight, witty dialog is a great basis for a film but it takes a whole lot more to make it something special. Between the four of them they took an unproduced play and turned it into a passable melodrama, but when the cameras started rolling that is where Casablanca really begins to shine.

If there is one thing that defines Casablanca it is it's diversity and this group of writers exemplified that, but not more than the cast. Of the cast there were only four credited American actors, the rest was an international who's who affair. Many were real life expatriots that had recently escaped to the U.S. adding their personal experiences to their roles, however brief. This rich background cast adds an extra depth that you rarely see in cinema, then or now, and the fact that so many people had a shared experience similar to what shown in Casablanca (in an albeit romanticized version) make it a time capsule of early World War II socio-political issues and is a unique look at the people that lived it.

"We'll Always Have Paris ..."

Now on to some of the screens most celebrated performances; Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henried and Claude Rains. Prior to Casablanca Bogart was more or less a hardboiled thug, while he still carries a similar persona into Casablanca there are so many more facets of his immense talent that he manages to exhibit. Through his apathetic and sardonic exterior it is clear that there is a tortured soul that lies underneath and much, if not all, of Casablanca centers around this emotional and moral struggle within the character of Rick Blaine. When he finally breaks down into tears you share his pain, when he resolves to run off with Ilsa you can empathize. It is unquestionably Humphrey Bogart's film and everyone else feeds off of his performance and character and none so beautifully as Ingrid Bergman as Rick's former lover Ilsa. Bergman's passionate performance can only be matched by Bogarts tortured one. She is a woman divided between love and her cause (Personafied by the great Paul Henreid) and she tries with every essence of her being to do right by the latter. The history between Rick and Ilsa will threaten that devotion and Bergman's slow and emotional breakdown throughout the course of the film will culminate in her choosing one over the other but at anytime you know it could really go either way. Bergman's brilliant portrayal of Ilsa is truly what makes Casablanca a thrilling romance,  it takes two to make a love story and these two had one hell of a story.

"Ricky, I'm going to miss you. Apparently you're the only one in Casablanca with less scruples than I."

Far and above, however, my favorite aspect of Casablanca is the relationship between Rick and the the captain of the French police, Louis Renault (Claude Rains). Both have their jobs to do and it often means interfering with eachothers work but at no time does that strain their friendship, or as close to friendship as Rick's character will allow, and the banter between Bogart and Rains is a treat to watch.  These two characters are the heroes of the story, even if it isn't obvious at first, with Rick as the bold anti-hero and Captain Renault as a passive aggressive Nazi subordinate. I would argue these are both the roles of each actor's career and anytime they share screen time is cinematic gold. You are never sure of what either man is capable of or if they have some kind of endgame in mind but they compliment eachother flawlessly. Both men have their own personal wars to fight and it takes a climatic ending for them to both openly realize that their causes are one and the same. 

Casablanca is dark and dire tale of love lost but there is also an underlying, and more important, theme of hope and a greater cause. The cause is worth sacrificing, worth dying, for and that was a hell of a powerful message when the world was engulfed in the middle of a second world war. It may have been made almost seventy years ago but it is a message that continues to resonate to this day, Casablanca is a film that will always be relevant and it was not one single thing that made this so. The combination of masterful writing, brilliant performance by the stars and the rest of the cast and some ingenius filmmaking under the restrictions of war time film production made it so.

Casablanca is a timeless masterpiece of cinema that is a cardinal cinephile sin not to experience. It is beautiful film in so many ways and you discover more to apprecriate everytime you watch it. It should go without saying; perfect score for a flawless example of filmmaking.