The Talk of the Town, 1942.
Directed by George Stevens.
Starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman.
SYNOPSIS:
The Talk of the Town, hailing from 1942, arrives on 4K Ultra HD sporting excellent image quality but middling bonus features. To be fair, that should probably be expected, given its minor status in the careers of director George Stevens and stars Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman.
The Talk of the Town may have been released in 1942, but it features an age-old question that resonates today: Where does the letter of the law end and the spirit of the law begin?
This film embodies that question in two men: Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant), a mill worker charged with arson and murder amid murky circumstances, and law professor Michael Lightcap (Ronald Colman), whose view of justice is one strictly informed by the letter of the law.
Leopold escapes from jail during his trial and hides in a rental home owned by Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), a local woman he has known for many years, just before professor Lightcap arrives to take up residence for the summer. Leopold injured his ankle while escaping and Nora takes pity on him, trying to hide him from the professor and the authorities who are conducting a manhunt.
The first part of the story has many moments that have a sitcom feel to them, especially when Leopold makes his way downstairs to get something to eat while Nora is outside taking dictation from the professor. Viewed through the lens of decades of sitcom watching, those moments feel a bit cliche now, but I imagine they felt fresher in 1942.
Leopold soon makes himself known to the professor, and Nora passes him off as a gardener named Joseph. The professor is of the high-minded, stuffy variety, but he doesn’t mind debating “Joseph” on matters of the law when it comes to the case of Leopold Dilg, who, of course, he would turn over to the police immediately, if he came across him.
Leopold is set on clearing his name, with Nora’s help, and when the professor discovers who he really is, the story kicks into high gear as the pair try to dissuade Lightcap from upholding the letter of the law. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything when I say that Leopold turns out to have a reason for wanting to clear his name, and Lightcap eventually learns that it’s not necessary to always uphold the strict letter of the law.
Of course, the enjoyment of watching a 1942 movie like The Talk of the Town in 2025 is the appreciation of three actors who do a wonderful job of embodying their characters. The film feels like a stage play at times, which isn’t a surprise considering Grant and Colman’s theatrical backgrounds. I don’t know if it’s ever been adapted for the stage, but it certainly could be.
This new 4K Ultra HD presentation of the film serves up solid picture quality for this black-and-white story, with grain that feels natural for a movie of this vintage. The image has some softness here and there, but I assume that’s a result of what was captured during filming, as opposed to a flaw in the remastering process.
In terms of bonus features, you’ll only find two of them here. The first one is a commentary track with Marilyn Ann Moss, a long-time Hollywood Reporter critic and author of a biography about director George Stevens. She falls into the trap of simply describing what’s onscreen more often than she should, but there’s still some good info to be had here.
The other extra is a five-minute interview with the director’s son, George Stevens Jr., titled Talking About The Talk of the Town. As with the commentary track, I was left with the impression that more could have been said, but I suppose it’s better than nothing for a movie that’s a minor work in the careers of its participants.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
