Best of James Wong Howe: The Thin Man (1934)

[@johndurham6172]

Great series. These are the kind of movies Hollywood should still be making.

[@marechal1937]

They should, but could they find another William Powell or Myrna Loy or Dashiell Hammett...or James Wong Howe? Thanks for your comment!

[@thefincheranalyst]

Enlightening, concise, and smooth, as always. It's made me want to re-watch the film. I've added it to the post on my website and my playlist here collecting your series.

[@marechal1937]

Mila esker, Leonard, you filmic chameleon!

[@roderickfemm8799]

Given all the praise in the notes as true, was not at least some of this done in collaboration with the director? Such things as when the camera should move or stay stationary, or how the main characters are first revealed? I suppose some directors are more hands-on in this area, and some not so much. I don't know how it was in this particular case.

[@marechal1937]

Excellent observation, and one that we can never know the full answer to. But we can read the many interviews with James Wong Howe regarding his choices, and we can look at the evidence of his many films made (in collaboration to greater or lesser degrees) with other directors. Many of the choices made match similar ones from Wong Howe's other work. In this particular case, the director was W.S. Van Dyke, who was known in the industry as "One Take Woody Van Dyke." He pushed his crews to work very fast, something that made him very popular with the studio executives, though less highly regarded among his peers. "The Thin Man" was shot in 16 days. James Wong Howe was someone who prepared far in advance and who spent long hours on set before anyone else showed up and often stayed after everyone had left for the day. He loved shooting tests with actors to get lighting and angles just so. To get a fuller picture of Wong Howe's artistry, check out my video "James Wong Howe on Roller Skates": kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIKsmXuJqrtqrJY Thanks for commenting!

[@greg1030]

"Hud" (1963); "Seconds" (1966)

[@marechal1937]

One of his best and one that's his flashiest (and most at odds with his own stated values).

[@AltPotus]

I was thinking about how much drinking went on in those movies...

[@marechal1937]

Today, we'd call Nick a functioning alcoholic, a reminder that few classics are actually "timeless." They are products of their times.