Thin Man on TCM New Year's Eve 2009

[Nathan Dodge]

I have difficulty understanding how MGM selected the novel as a basis for the screenplay and movie it spawned.

This article is great reading and may answer your question.

 

[Levallois]

Nathan,

Thank you for the link. Terrific information about the history of the Thin Man series!

John

 

[Richard Warren]

deleted accidental double post.

 

[Richard Warren]

The movie is actually remarkably faithful to the book in a literal sense (action and dialogue were lifted wholesale). The tone of the book is rather nihilistic and corrupt. The tone of the movie is of course light-hearted. Many of the characters in the book are much more warped than portrayed in the movie. In the book, implicitly Nick is really is a more shady, amoral character (you feel he really did marry her for her money, and cheats on her to boot) and Nora is implicitly quite bent herself to be attracted to him.

It is possible that Hammett was trying to do some sort of critique of wealthy society, which was so far-fetched that it was easily interpreted in the movie as screw-ball comedy.

 

[Bugsy]

Watching these films was like renewing old acquaintances. So classic.:eusa_clap

 

[Naphtali]

. . . It is possible that Hammett was trying to do some sort of critique of wealthy society, which was so far-fetched that it was easily interpreted in the movie as screw-ball comedy.

Quality of writing aside, Hammett's politics were horrifying. He was an unrepentant Stalinist - not merely a communist, but 'way down in the pit. Apparently, he retained his ideology throughout his life despite the revisionism that occurred during the 20th Party Conference of 1956 when Khrushchev denounced Stalin for his excesses.

I thoroughly enjoy Hammett's Continental Op stories, The Red Harvest, and The Maltese Falcon. It is difficult, for me, to reconcile Hammett, whom I loathe, with his writing.

I apologize to everyone for this outburst of venom. It will not occur again.

 

[GallatinHatMan]

Though I watch the original almost every time it's on, I recorded the series anyway. I greatly enjoyed it, as usual. The time period between the movies gives a running view of dress and deportment, both conventional and alternative. When I grow up, I want to be William Powell as he portrays Nick Charles.

 

[Fletch]

Many of the characters in the book are much more warped than portrayed in the movie. In the book, implicitly Nick is really is a more shady, amoral character (you feel he really did marry her for her money, and cheats on her to boot) and Nora is implicitly quite bent herself to be attracted to him.

Nora points out that Nick is really "a Greek fool" - Charles is short for Charalambides. FWIK about Hammett, he did not intend that as a mere bit of multicultural color. Greeks were widely stereotyped in that era, particularly as being money-hungry and abusive toward women.

Hammett the writer wasn't a full-on misogynist, but women in his books know their place - and their place is frequently to be masochists.