O Hotel dos Acusados

The Thin Man movies all depend on the fantastic chemistry between stars

William Powell and Myrna Loy. Without these two talented, charismatic

performers, the movies would be a bit hard to watch today, as many of the

supporting players have rather stilted, "theatrical" acting styles. The movies are well-directed, however, move fairly quickly, and have a lot of humor and

dialogue that still hold up quite well. "Another Thin Man" is no exception; although not quite as charming as the first two, this movie still has great

interplay between Powell and Loy, as well as an extremely cool and unusual

Cuban dance number (about 55 minutes into the movie) which is really worth

seeing.

I've enjoyed all the Thin Man movies over and over, although the first is my favorite. But my favorite part of this movie is the gorgeous Latin dance show a the India Club. I am mesmerized by the elegant and smooth dance performance which I understand from an earlier comment was done by Carmen D'Antonio and Miguel Fernandez Mila. It is a marvel to watch and I always look forward to this part of the movie. What a shame that, in those days, such gorgeous artistry could be "uncredited."

I also enjoy the Nora's dance with the gigolo. The whole India Club business is quite funny and entirely in the spirit of the Thin Man series.

Another Thin Man is at times quite funny but is less a comedy than a screwball mystery, which is to say it is a nice little atmospheric whodunit with laughs, populated by an assortment of urban types and set largely on a Long Island estate.

The film is well-paced and has just a hint of the supernatural, which gives it at times an eerie flavor. Photographically it is darker in tone than its jollier predecessors despite the oftentimes comical goings-on.

The occasionally somber mood of the picture perhaps anticipates the coming of the world war, as there is an undercurrent of urgency and dread in the way its story is told that seems to come from outside the movie itself.

William Powell and Myrna Loy prove themselves once again to be the Fred and Ginger of detective movies.

The third of the Thin Man films finds Nick and Nora out on Long Island answering a distress call from an old friend of Nora's father, C. Aubrey Smith. Sheldon Leonard went to prison and he's got the idea that Smith should have been there with him. He's making all kinds of threats against Smith and eventually Smith winds up dead. Three other deaths occur, two of the human and a dog (not Asta) before William Powell solves the mystery.

Another Thin Man boasts the usual tightly written script with a good group of plausible suspects, the ending I have to confess was a real surprise to me.

MGM always gave Powell and Loy a great group of supporting players to work with. Some of the ones I enjoyed here not previously mentioned were Virginia Grey as Smith's daughter, Harry Bellaver as one of Nick's old criminal cronies and Marjorie Main as a landlady who thinks she's seen it all.

Abner Biberman has an unusual role given the times. He's a hatchetfaced stone cold killer named 'Dum-Dum' who works for Sheldon Leonard and has a devotion to him that leans pretty heavily on the gay side. I'm not sure it could be explained any other way.

Myrna is her bright and cheery self aiding Powell more with moral support than assisting Powell with the case. It's what the audiences expected from The Thin Man films and in this they were not disappointed.

This is my favorite of the Thin Man series, although Shadow of the Thin Man and the original Thin Man are also very good. This is the only one of the sequels that uses a story from Dashiell Hammett. The story isn't quite as complicated as the original, which is why I liked it more than the original. This movie is what movies should be. It is built around characters and a story, something that is lacking in many of today's films. William Powell and Myrna Loy have a magical chemistry that could not have been manufactured by some studio executive. Although Nick is the detective, Nora and Asta provide invaluable assistance along with plenty of laughs. No matter how many times I see these movies, I still think they are funny. Don't wait for these movies to show up on television, because they rarely do. Don't waste your money renting them, because you will want to see them again and again. I bought the whole set, and while I can't really recommend the Song of the Thin Man or the Thin Man Goes Home, the others are all really good and Another Thin Man would be the one I would choose as my very favorite!