The Thin Man was quite the hit in 1934 for MGM thanks to its blend of intriguing mystery and irresistible comedy. The pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles gave the world one of the most charming on-screen couples that has ever graced the silver screen. When you have magic like that in your stable, it only makes sense that MGM would churn out a sequel (or five) to try to keep the good times rolling. After The Thin Man arrived two years later in 1936 and picked up exactly where the first film left off – on the return trip home to San Francisco after solving a much-publicized murder in New York City during the Christmas holidays. While the couple want nothing more than to have a peaceful New Year’s Eve, fate has other plans in mind. Once again these Dashiell Hammett characters reluctantly get drawn into a world of deception, adultery and murder, and all they really want to do is have a nice cocktail and a fun night out. The film was an immense success and has remained a critical favorite since its release. Now that Warner Archive has finally given it a Blu-Ray release, it is time to revisit this engaging tale.
The first sign that Nick and Nora might not be having the enjoyable New Year’s Eve they envisioned is when they are summoned by Nora’s Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph) to a formal dinner with her upper-class family. In addition to the family generally being a bore, Nick is none too welcome by the group thanks to his lower-class immigrant heritage and unseemly occupation as a (retired) private detective. Although they hate to admit it, his skills could come in handy when Nora’s cousin Selma (Elissa Landi) reveals that her bum of a husband has been missing for three days. While he is not exactly missed, it would be nice to locate him, if only for the possibility that they could officially separate for good. This would be welcome news to David Graham (James Stewart), an old flame of Selma who remains a close friend despite wanting more. What starts out as a missing person case soon gives way to multiple murders and fingers pointing blame in every direction. Thank goodness there is a detective in town. 
After The Thin Man takes you to dangerous nightclubs filled with individuals who you would not exactly want to run into in a dark alley. Even more so than the first film, this entry attempts to offer up copious amounts of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. While this follow-up offers more of the same antics that made you fall in love with the first film, it does suffer somewhat from an expanded runtime. Where the original story was a zippy hour-and-a-half, this one runs a full twenty minutes longer when there are some obvious moments that could be excised to maintain a more steady pace. None of the proposed cuts would come at the expense of Nick and Nora, who continue to delight the daylights out of the audience at every turn. Rarely has an on-screen couple been as natural with one another as these two are with their peerless glances at one another and effortless banter that garners genuine belly laughs on more than one occasion. William Powell and Myrna Loy are pure cinematic magic as far as I am concerned.
Another breakout star from the initial entry that continues to bring the laughs is their cowardly pooch Asta. It feels a bit strange to say that a dog has perfect comedic timing, but that is exactly the case in this film. An early reunion with a Mrs. Asta comes with a pretty amusing twist that keeps things lighthearted. Speaking of, a certain announcement from Nora at the end of the film brings up some major concerns that our easy breezy couple may soon be burdened with real-life responsibilities that I am not ready to saddle these characters with right now. The Thin Man series has been one of the most delightful discoveries I have made as an ever-evolving classic film fan. The motto often goes “they don’t make them like this anymore,” but this really does feel true for a film such as this one. The way this series can offer up an engrossing mystery that works right alongside a crackling romance between its two comedic leads is something to admire – and can seldom be replicated. After The Thin Man may not live up to the all-timer status of the first film, but it is still really great on almost every front.
Video Quality
After The Thin Man makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p remaster from a 4K scan of the best surviving preservation elements. This follow-up continues in the footsteps of its predecessor by offering a truly spectacular presentation. The gorgeous black-and-white photography shot by Oliver T. Marsh sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, both in the fancy outfits of Nora’s family members as well as the more working-class look of the nightclub patrons. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s inventive production design. Black levels are very deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found. Warner Archive has completely knocked this one out of the park.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a stellar DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie incredibly well. The first thing you will notice is the warmth and vitality of the Herbert Stothart and Edward Ward score. Despite the strength of the music, nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. This track shows no discernible age related wear and tear outside of a small amount of hissing that likely dates back to the source elements. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. You could not ask for better from the good folks at Warner Archive.
Special Features
- “How To Be A Detective” with Robert Benchley: A nine-minute short from director Felix E. Feist made in 1936 in which Benchley gives a quick humorous lesson on how best to catch a criminal. This is a fun addition to the package that you probably would not have been able to find anywhere else.
- “The Early Bird and the Worm”: A nine-minute Happy Harmonies cartoon in which a happy little bluebird tries to get a precious little musical worm. Not hilarious but charming.
- Lux Radio Theater Broadcast (6/17/1940) with Powell & Loy: An hour-long radio broadcast of After The Thin Man in which Powell & Loy reprise their roles that offers a condensed version of the story. This is a very entertaining listen for fans of the pair.
- Leo Is On the Air Radio Promo: A nearly fifteen-minute MGM radio piece which offers some snippets of musical numbers and information about After The Thin Man. This is an interesting bit of history.
- Theatrical Trailer: A three-minute trailer for the film which plays up the love of the original The Thin Man while teasing new and interesting adventures.
Final Thoughts
After The Thin Man serves as a worthy follow-up to the original film that skillfully offers up hilarious moments alongside thrilling revelations. William Powell and Myrna Loy are quite simply everything as the lovable Nick and Nora Charles. Add in a fine turn from Jimmy Stewart and you have a film that is ready to be enjoyed by any film lover. Warner Archive has provided its Blu-Ray debut with a premium A/V presentation and some pretty cool special features. It does not get much better than this for classic film fans. Highly Recommended
After The Thin Man can be purchased directly through Warner Archive or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
