Christmas with Nick and Nora Charles, and État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People (digital collage by Despina Veneti©, using a production still from The Thin Man /MGM, 1934)
“Oh Nicky, I love you because you know such lovely people!” (Nora to Nick Charles in The Thin Man, 1934).
After nearly twelve months marked by anguish, isolation and the tragic loss of my dad, I’m positively determined to make Christmas joyous for this year’s party of two. Our home film festival, of which I wrote about two years ago, is proceeding with daily screenings of Yuletide-themed favorites, chosen from my ever-growing list. For this Christmas Day, I want snappy dialogue and witty humour, delightful frivolity and carefree charm, crowned with the impossible elegance and unique chemistry of William Powell and Myrna Loy: we will be watching The Thin Man (1934). My “fragrant escort” will be equally sophisticated, bubbly and light-hearted, fit for such exceptional on-screen company; I will be wearing État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People, with the corresponding candle scenting our living room.
Nick and Nora Charles (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
Based on Dashiell Hammett’s eponymous novel (and infused with more screwball comedy than actual murder mystery), The Thin Man started off as a modestly budgeted “quickie” that turned out being a huge, critical and financial, success. Filled with quotable one-liners and sexy innuendos, the film showcased one of the most beloved screen duos in cinema history (Powell and Loy would co-star in a dozen more films), spawned five sequels, and made marriage appear like a potentially fun-filled adventure. Fast-paced, stylishly photographed and perfectly acted, The Thin Man remains an evergreen delight some eighty-six years after it was made.
Enter Nick Charles (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
Ex-private investigator, suave raconteur and prolific drinker Nick Charles, and his beautiful, quick-witted socialite wife Nora, are spending Christmas away from their San Francisco home, in Nick’s former playground, New York. Their respective on-screen entrances are among the most memorable movie character introductions, perfectly setting the film’s madcap tone: we first see Nick in a classy drinking joint, teaching barmen and patrons how to shake a cocktail (“See the important thing is the rhythm… now a Manhattan you shake to a fox-trot time; a Bronx to a two-step time; a dry Martini you always shake to waltz time”).
Enter Nora Charles (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
A few minutes later we meet Nora, being dragged into the bar by Asta (the couple’s Wire Fox Terrier), landing on the floor on top of a mountain of gifts she just bought. She gracefully picks herself up, and instantly detects Nick’s jolly good (that is, semi-inebriated) mood; when she hears he’s had six drinks already, she asks the waiter: “Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them right up here”. Nora can hold her place opposite Nick’s shenanigans, and the couple’s marriage seems to be one of true partnership and love – for behind their playful banter and adorable bickering, those two are simply crazy for one another.
Nora’s Christmas spirit fading (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
As much as Nora can match Nick’s charm and wit, she simply cannot catch up with his drinking: next morning, her hangover casts a shadow upon her holiday spirit (“The next person who says Merry Christmas to me, I’ll kill him!”). However, her mood is significantly improved when she recognizes a chance to watch Nicky in full-detective mode, for the very first time since they got married: an old friend of his has disappeared, and his daughter begs the semi-retired P. I. to find him.
The Charleses’ Christmas Eve party (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
Although reluctant at first, Mr. Charles will find himself immersed in the case, especially after the Christmas Eve party the couple is hosting in their hotel suite; an array of Nick’s old cronies attend it, ranging from cops to small-time crooks, and from colorful eccentrics to full-fledged oddballs. When reporters arrive, along with the missing guy’s distressed daughter, Nick knows he simply has got to solve the case – if only to put an end to that frenzy.
Nick and Nora’s Christmas morning (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
The couple’s Christmas morning is appropriately unconventional. Nora is sporting her new watch and full-length fur coat (it’s stifling hot in their suite, but who cares?) gifted to her by Nick, patiently watching hubby play with his own present: a new air gun with which he shoots the ornaments off their Christmas tree (eventually breaking the window, too). Nora’s boredom dissipates when a chance for action appears: Nick is going to take her places – or so she thinks. To protect his wife, he sends her off sight-seeing against her will, while he proceeds with his investigation.
Revealing the murderer during dinner (screen captures from the Warner Home Video© DVD of The Thin Man)
But Nora is eager to see Nick in action; furthermore, she wants to go sleuthing along with him. She gradually realizes the dangers involved when they get threatened at gunpoint, Nick gets grazed by a bullet, and a few stiffs emerge along the way… Overall, Mrs. Charles remains a good sport, even hosting the (obligatory) dinner party during which Nick plans to reveal the culprit. There will be of course very little eating, a fair amount of drinking, and plenty of talking – plus the inevitable final scare. Nora has had her share of murder-solving fun, and hilariously expresses her relief for the end of this adventure: “Oh Nicky, I’m glad you’re not a detective!” (his reaction shot is precious!) The couple is ready to take the long train ride back to California, but make no mistake: Nora is by now addicted to this kind of excitement. Luckily for her, another case will be awaiting for them just in time for New Year’s. The sequel “After The Thin Man” (1936) picks up the story right after the couple returns to San Francisco – but that’s to be watched next week…
The remarkable Nick and Nora (digital effects by Despina Veneti, using a promotional photo for The Thin Man)
Wearing État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People while watching this classy, sassy movie is a match made in heaven: composed by Cécile Matton Polge under the creative direction of Étienne de Swardt, this effervescent, ebullient scent echoes the very spirit of the film. According to the brand, the fragrance was meant as an olfactory tribute to “the “un” people”, a salute to the “uncompromising, unexpected, unconventional, unpredictable” individuals – does that ring a bell already? All these epithets could very well describe the fabulous and eccentric, flamboyant and passionate Nick and Nora – they’re indeed that kind of remarkable people.
État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People (photo by Despina Veneti©)
État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People opens like a chilled glass of grapefruit mimosa, with the citrus’s bitterness balanced by the pink champagne’s tingling fruitiness. It feels like an infinitely elegant drink that Nick would serve to lady guests, but also stands for all the Charleses’ playfully acerbic exchanges that always end with a kiss. Cardamom offers its refined piquancy, while jasmine adds that romance-under-moonlight sensation, spiced up by stimulating black pepper and mild curry. The aromatic mix of Remarkable People is overall fruity/ambery-delicious without being sticky, and bubbly without feeling literally boozy. The Thin Man might be constantly featuring drinking (aperitifs, cocktails, dinner wine, nightcaps, pick-me-ups – you name it), however the silver screen magic has us absolutely convinced that Nick Charles & Co. can only smell divine (and certainly not like any mortal would after having gulped liters of alcohol). The restrained, polished champagne accord of État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People sustains this illusion, and that’s exactly what I want while watching this sparkling cinema gem. A fragrance that’s playful and flirty, festive and inviting, doused in that unmistakable “joie de vivre” feeling… this is the scent of “The Thin Man”, and its remarkable people. The scent of my Christmas this year. From all of us at Çafleurebon, a Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!
Notes: Grapefruit, Champagne, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Curry JE, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Labdanum, Lorenox.
Disclaimer: My thanks to Étienne de Swardt for my État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People bottle and candle. The opinions are my own.
Note: All screen captures were made from a legally purchased DVD copy of The Thin Man”released by Warner Home Video©, and are used for educational purposes in this article which is meant to celebrate the film. The Thin Man (1934) was directed by W.S. Van Dyke, scripted by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, and photographed by James Wong Howe.
In memory of my dad, Yiorgos Venetis (1950-2020), who loved Christmas time and good company, murder mysteries and hearty laughs, and above all his family.
– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor
Christmas ambiance with État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People (photo by Despina Veneti©)
Thanks to the generosity of Étienne de Swardt and État Libre d’Orange, we have a draw for an État Libre d’Orange Remarkable People 50ml bottle AND a 185gr candle for ONE registered reader in EU, UK, USA or Canada. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s Christmas piece, which film(s) will you be watching during this holiday season, and where you live. Draw closes 12/28/2020
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