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The Thin Man Collection : The Thin Man / Shadow Of The Thin Man / The Thin Man Goes Home / After The Thin Man / Another Thin Man / The Song Of The Thin Man (6 Disc Box Set) [1934]


RRP: £45.99
Our Price: £17.98 (subject to change)

"Four Sea Bass"
Review date: 2008-05-11 Rating: 8 out of 10

Based on Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man,these six films brought together one of the great pairings in Hollywood history with William Powell as Nick Charles,playboy shamus and husband to the divine Nora Charles played by the delightful Myrna Loy.
Together the pair charmed their way around each other,countless parties and martini cocktails while still finding time to solve the odd crime or two - well Nick did the detecting while Nora kept him from being too "distracted".

The Thin Man(1934)The first and the best.Sparkling repartee amidst the cocktails with ex-p.i Nick Charles trying to solve the disappearance of a high strung scientist while fending off an ex paramour(and her daughter) and acquainting his wife Nora with the finer points of detective work while working under the influence.
Woody Van Dyke directs the whole thing with his customary speed(12 days to shoot!!)and finesse and the result is sheer poetry.

After the Thin Man(1936)Delightful sequel has Nick and Nora involved in family secrets and murder, this time with the help of faithful Asta.Cue more cocktails and a surprising villain in this well turned,if slightly too long, follow up.

Another Thin Man(1939)The married sleuthes plus "little Nicky"return for a third time investigating the murder of a wealthy industrialist that the Charles' just happen to be visiting.With Nick himself under suspicion this time,it is up to Nora to do a little detective work in this delightful series entry.

Shadow of the Thin Man(1941)A jockey is murdered at the track which is a prelude to more artful detecting from the Charles'.Highlights include Nora at the wrestling and the dinner ordering scene.As with other entries stellar support includes Donna Reed and Sam Levene.Good fun.

Thin Man Goes Home(1944)Fifth entry directed by Richard Thorpe and lit by Karl Freund(no less)sees Nick going home to Sycamore Springs and finding that impressing dad seems pretty difficult when all the townsfolk seem to covering up a murder.Script steals from Conan Doyle amongst others and Nora's incitement of a pool room brawl is a highlight.Strained at times but still fun.

Song of the Thin Man(1946)Final entry sees Nick and Nora trying to solve the murder of a band leader aboard a floating nightclub- the S.S Fortune.
Red herrings aplenty and some funny hep dialogue especially from a young Keenan Wynn highlight this ok finale to a classic series.

As with all series' the law of diminishing returns will apply but even the weakest(Song...)is still high grade entertainment.Powell and Loy were perfectly matched and while today some may bristle at the thought of two "drunks" happily going about their detecting with scantish regard for each other's welfare let alone little Nicky's,you will be won over by the wit and sheer charm of these films.

Another quality job from Warners with each film being accompanied by a animated short and a live action one with particular reference to The Tell-Tale Heart(on the Shadow...Man )adapted from a Poe story which is wonderfully creepy and directed by Jules Dassin!!!

Finally a disc with two documentaries on Powell and Loy is well worth watching.


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Reviews


Comedic Detectives never fail to entertain
Review date: 2007-12-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

My wife and I thoroughly enjoy this series. I introduced her to The Thin Man film, based on the novel by Dashiel Hammett (of Maltese Falcon fame), and she was immediately taken. Nick and Nora Charles present an interesting item, a married couple that have a mature and hilarious relationship with themselves, booze and detective work.

The surrounding characters provide a great backdrop for their antics, and with the constant supply of cocktails, this has to be a class act of the silver screen era.

The detective slant of it is rather good too, with a couple of nice twists in the mix for the more serious. Otherwise, its a great way to while away a rainy afternoon, watching what life was like (or could be like if you're a bit wet :)

Great films, definitely worth watching.

A Highly Entertaining Collection
Review date: 2007-10-09 Rating: 10 out of 10


What a great collection! These detective films have decent story-lines and are highly entertaining. This boxed set has lots of extras too, including cartoons and comedy shorts. There are loads of laughs, including with Asta the dog, and there is a good deal of drinking and wise-cracking in every film. Each film has been lovingly restored. This is a good value boxed set.

Drink Up!
Review date: 2006-05-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

I bought this box set only having seen the first 'Thin Man' and being in love with it. I wasn't sure to expect but I was glad I bought it, one of the best DVD collections of all time. Keep your Star Wars and your Indiana Jones, this is the only box set worth having!

Nick and Nora are one of my favourite pairings, and the portray the happiest screen couple ever, and with Asta the dog (and Nick Jr later on), they are the perfect family.

My favourite always has been and always will be the original 'Thin Man' because it is where the humour is freshest and funniest. I also adore 'After the Thin Man'. Some say it's an improvement on the first, but I stand firm! The series, like most, gets weaker as it goes on, but they are still better than many average films.

A very nostalgic and must see series.

The Complete Thin Man Collection
Review date: 2005-10-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is it, the only way to purchase a great set of Thin Man movies. The set has the five Thin Man movies and a bonus disk:
The Thin Man (1934)
After the Thin Man (1936)
Another Thin Man (1939)
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
Alias Nick & Nora (Bonus disk)

There is some space left on each DVD so they added some extras on each DVD in addition to the Bonus DVD. However the fillers sometimes relate and at other times are just fillers.

The documentary of Nick, on the Bonus DVD, at first looks like a lot of sound bites of people parsing William Powel. Later it settles down to be a good Biography of William Powel and shows some movies that need to be added to the collection.

The documentary of Nora on the Bonus DVD is narrated by Kathleen Turner and is not nearly as well put together.

There is also an episode of the TV series of "The Thin Man" (1957-1959) Nick (Peter Lawford), Nora (Phyllis Kirk), which explains why it is off the air.

The movies themselves are quite crisp; which leads me to thing they did a little cleaning up. A couple of places the sound seems to drop off, however it is not drastic.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Nat Pendleton
William Powell
Myrna Loy
Minna Gombell
Maureen O'Sullivan

Creators:
William Powell (Primary Contributor)
Myrna Loy (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900730877
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 6
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-09-19
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 589 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1969-01-31
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Original Language)

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