By the time audiences reached the fourth entry in the ongoing Thin Man series, there was plenty of debate over whether or not the franchise had gotten stale. Many believed that the introduction of a child in Another Thin Man had dulled the rapport, while others believed that time spent with the Charleses was always time well-spent. The 1941 entry Shadow Of The Thin Man arrived after a two year absence from the screen. While the dynamic duo of William Powell and Myrna Loy returned in front of the camera, the situation behind the scenes was quite a bit different as author Dashiell Hammett departed from the production for the remainder of the series, along with the husband-and-wife writing team responsible for the first three screenplays. Thankfully, this fourth entry does mostly maintain its quality, but the film was hampered by debuting just two weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film still cracked a profit, but there were clear signs that the world was getting smaller for Nick and Nora.
As with every film, Shadow of the Thin Man begins with the Charles family living a life off blissful domesticity before roped into an unexpected murder investigation. The couple leave the rapidly growing little Nicky at home as they endeavor to have a relaxing day at the racetrack. Unfortunately for those around them, it seems that everywhere they go death inevitably follows. Upon their arrival at the racetrack they learn that a jockey has been killed in connection with an organized crime racket that rigs the races. Nick is surrounded by starstruck reporters and police officers who want to see the “famous Nick Charles” work his magic on this latest case. This is especially true of investigative reporter Paul Clark (Barry Nelson) and Lt. Abrams (Sam Levine, returning for the first time since After the Thin Man). Nick knows it’s only a matter of time before he gets involved, so he agrees rather quickly this time out. Of course, Nora makes sure she stays right in step with him throughout.
The case allows Nick and Nora to weave in and out of the path of various figures including a racketeer (Loring Smith), a seemingly innocent secretary (Donna Reed, It’s a Wonderful Life), and a woman of questionable morals (famous acting teacher Stella Adler). There is also the fun of running into many of Nick’s questionable friends, such as an excited hotdog vendor at the wrestling match that gleefully tries to gift Nora with a sodium-filled treat. The Thin Man series is set up to follow a specific formula, and this one follows it to the letter down to the end gathering of subjects in a single room to explain who is responsible for the various crimes throughout the film and why. It does not matter that we know where the film ends up, only that we have fun getting there. Nick is very clever in how he deduces certain key aspects of his case, but it is often Nora who gives him the much-needed spark to put everything in perspective. You delight in seeing Lt. Abrams’ face contort when given seemingly ridiculous instructions for how to pursue the case, but like the audience, he knows that Nick always has his reasons.
If we are being honest, it is not even the mystery that keeps us returning to the franchise, but rather the opportunity to spend some time with the characters themselves. It is true that they do not quite have the spark that they did in their very first film, but Nick and Nora still have a breezy rapport that is more meaningful than most on-screen couples even four films deep. As in real life, these previously care-free adults have been hampered somewhat by their child, but even little Nicky does not serve as a major impediment to the film’s fun. On the contrary, the four-year-old has some really humorous scenes with his father including an early scene in the park involving a “fairytale” as well as a scene on a carousel that leaves Nick dazed. The characters are not completely changed, though; Nick can still sense a drink being prepared from blocks away, and Nora does not fuss over her son when they are away. If you eliminated a few key scenes, you would not even be able to tell they have a kid, and that’s how we like it. It’s not breaking new ground, but Shadow of the Thin Man continues to find the series in entertaining form thanks to the boundless charm of William Powell and Myrna Loy.
Video Quality
Shadow of the Thin Man makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master from what I have to assume is a new 4K scan. This fourth film continues to impress just like the previous entries by offering an outstanding presentation. The stunning black-and-white photography shot by William H. Daniels sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact. Black levels are very deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and there is no apparent print damage to be found. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s varied production design. There is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, both in the outfits of Nick and Nora as well as the more working-class look of some of the reporters and police officers. Warner Archive continues to treat this series with the respect it deserves.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with an outstanding DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie perfectly well. The pleasing warmth of the David Snell score sounds as lovely as ever here. Even with 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 that can become an issue with some source elements. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Warner Archive has continued to offer up the best sounding release that one would want.
Special Features
- The Tell-Tale Heart: A 20-minute vintage 1941 short from Jules Dassin which adapts the classic Edgar Allan Poe story. This is an entertaining version of the story that is quite effective.
- The Goose Goes South: A six-minute Hanna/Barbera short that concerns the one goose who does not fly south for the winter and the adventures he gets into trying to get there by alternative means. This is a fun bit of business.
- Theatrical Trailer: The three-minute trailer for the film is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Even after four films, Shadow Of The Thin Man continues to find William Powell and Myrna Loy in rare form as the iconic husband and wife team. Those who have never been under the spell of these performers in previous films will not have their minds changed with this one, but at this point the series is still mighty entertaining. Warner Archive has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and a few entertaining supplemental features. Fans of the series could not ask for a more worthy presentation. Recommended
Shadow Of The Thin Man can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store 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.
