Many of you know that Angela and I have a passion for classic cinema. Mine probably started in my days at Drexel, where my roommate Fred and I were often glued to Turner Classic Movies. I then took a course titled American Classic Cinema. It was a prerequisite to courses in Westerns and Hitchcock, and was almost always scheduled when I couldn't take it. When I finally did, it was a fun experience, and I learned quite a bit.
I've also learned that just because a movie is old doesn't make it good. The "Golden Age" turned out its share of clunkers, too. Still, over time a large volume of very fine films has accumulated.
Angela and I recently viewed The Thin Man and Arsenic and Old Lace.
The Thin Man was based on a Dashiell Hammett mystery novel and follows recently un-retired detective Nick Charles and his new wife Nora as they proceed to follow the case of what first appears to be a missing person, and develops into three murders.
The film is fairly fast-paced, which is sometimes unusual among flicks from the 30's. The film is known for the banter exchanged between the Charles' (William Powell and Myrna Loy), and I must say they do make one of Hollywood's finest on-screen couples. The plot thickens at nearly every turn, and it is a fun ride for most of the journey. The finale, as the true killer is revealed at a dinner party, is a bit of an anti-climax. You won't guess who the killer is, because you're never given enough facts to guess, although in hindsight he does have enough motive. Still, I liked it quite a bit. The film launched a series of Thin Man movies, five in all. We're currently waiting for #3.
Arsenic and Old Lace is, of course, based on a play. It's one I even read in school way back in junior high. I still get a kick out of the fact that I got to read the part of Mortimer Brewster, played on screen by Cary Grant. This film achieves what few can - it seamlessly translates from the stage to the screen. The story is pretty tightly plotted, well-paced, and both a little suspenseful and very amusing. The actors for every part are well-chosen and play their parts superbly. It's a fun movie with a touch of dark humor, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys movies that are full of wit and tongue-in-cheek humor but are completely devoid of explosions, loud clanging sounds, and CGI effects (Although I also enjoy some of those movies myself).
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4 comments:
Thanks for the TCM namecheck- those were the glory days (irony only partially intended) when TCM and AMC were both ad-free, and plastic boxes full of cassettes of recorded movies and TV shows were worth keeping. Some, such as Night of the Hunter, may be worth it, but I probably need to bin most of the rest soon. (see egregious second post for a short screed on the always fun topic of planned obsolescence and the A/V wars).
Somehow I never saw either The Thin Man or Arsenic and Old Lace , but I ought to get them from my local library system... I recommend the Alec Guinness Ealing film Kind Hearts and Coronets as a likely follow up for any humorous poisoning and/or skullduggery. Guinness plays a half dozen or so different members of a barmy noble family, all of them standing between the main character and his title.
I think its funny that you are watching The Thin Man movies through Netflix. I recently caught the end of one of The Thin Man movies on TV and decided to add them to my Netflix queue. Now I know who I'm waiting on to see the next on (I'm currently waiting for #2).
Out of character for myself- i ran out of steam before going off on my planned rant on BluRay/DVDs/planned obsolescence. Maybe realizing that the hoped for BluRay/HDDVD format battle is over did it.
I managed not to purchase a single DVD while VHS was still dying its slow death, so maybe I will jump into the next format, but not until those obnoxious BLURAY!!!!!! advertisements are finished. I am sure they will date exactly as well as the DVD!!! ones from 5 years ago...
Hey Ryan, glad you posted! You're in luck, as Angela has moved on down our queue to the "Road to Avonlea" TV series - I'd like to hear your take on The Thin Man next time we're both at Elaine's.
Fred: planned obsolescence is indeed an enjoyable and contentious topic. It makes one wonder: if the next generation technology is available now, then perhaps "format wars" are entirely pre-meditated publicity schemes to settle on the "best choice", which has already been selected for us in some secret board room in Tokyo. It's pretty obvious that Nintendo deliberately limited production of its Wii system to artificially inflate demand, so how can we rule out collusion?
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