No, I like all six movies and will be buying them all on Blu-ray. However, the first three movies are my favorites ones. I think part of that problem is I'm used to watching all six movies in chronological order so I might be getting "Thin Man" fatigue by the time I watch the last three movies. From now on, I won't be doing that in one setting any longer.
My advice is not to watch all six movies at the same time as I've been doing. I grew up watching these movies so my affection for them is unquestioned. However, I think even I have been fatigued in watching them together.
Probably the best thing to do as someone else suggested is make your decision after you watch the 3rd film. If you are getting tired of the series at that point you probably don't need the others but if you are still enjoying the series then you will most likely enjoy the rest.
Yup!
I think Shadow of the Thin Man is one of the better entries in the series.
Thanks. I just ordered a used hardcover from Amazon. There‘s one review stating the in-print paperback edition has poor quality photos and text.
The first three have great mysteries with very clever solutions, as they were written by Dashiel Hammett. (The first from the novel, the second from an original screenplay by Hammett, and the third, from a previously published short story by Hammett, called "The Farewell Murder".) After that, though, I find the mysteries and their solutions perfunctory. Though I like "Shadow of the Thin Man", I figured out the solution almost from the get-go. It wasn't exactly compelling. What held my attention were the supporting characters, especially Sam Levene, and also Stella Adler as a gun moll. (The whole idea of Stella Adler as a gun moll boggles the mind, but she's very good). Though for me, "Shadow of the Thin Man" is where everything starts to get bogged down. The action is extremely leisurely, and William Powell and Myrna Loy seem distracted. It's also too glossy and inundated with MGM production values for its own good.
We usually re-watch the six films over a couple of months, so we avoid that fatigue factor. And this time, with the BD releases being spread out, it works out even better.
Even though I watched all six movies back at New Year's Eve/Day, I have watched "After the Thin Man" and "Another Thin Man" again on their BD release dates this year. I will do the same for the last three movies too.
You're saying the first three Thin Man pictures lacked MGM's usual high standards for glossy production values?
In the beginning, the production values are not an end in itself, especially in the first "Thin Man". It's directed by "One Take" W. S. Van Dyke, who, especially in the first film, does long single takes, with lots of overlapping dialogue at a very breezy pace. It's also a bit sloppy. The camera goes out of focus, the tracking shots wobble, people have their heads accidentally cut out of the frame for a moment, but it makes the film better, and gives it a sense of being-in-the-moment that goes well with the humorous interactions between Myrna Loy and William Powell. The seond film is glossier and more expensive looking, but "One Take" doesn't let that get in the way. It's still breezy and quick-paced. The third film is slower and even glossier, but Van Duke still has his moments of quickly-paced inventiveness, in particular the scenes with Marjorie Main & the Tango bar. But by the fourth, exhaustion has set in. Mr. van Dyke seems less interested in moving the camera around, and the glossiness has become an end in itself. It's still entertaining, but not what it once was.
In my opinion, all of the Thin Man movies are worth a gander - some with more staying power than others. But honestly, MGM really put its best 'feet' forward on these releases. Each is a quality affair. If I had to pick a weak link, it's probably Song of the Thin Man, but even that one is highly watchable for its Powell/Loy chemistry. 'Shadow' is a great film.
