The Thin Man
#42 in my movie challenge for the year is this classic mystery adapted from the Dashiell Hammett novel, featuring Nick and Nora Charles and their dog Asta. The mystery of an inventor’s disappearance is less interesting than the intrigue among the suspects, which is secondary to the witty repartee between Nick and Nora, who steal the show. Particularly funny was a throwaway scene, the morning after a big party, where Nick leisurely pops balloons on the Christmas tree with a pop-gun. It’s rather shocking to see how casually excess drinking was taken, and how it is both a joke and sometimes a sign of upper-class urbanity. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nick and Nora needed some time in rehab following their adventures.