The Talk of the Town (1942)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.8/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Escritores:

Sidney Harmon (story)
Dale Van Every (adaptation)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

20 agosto 1942 (USA)

Género:

Drama | Comedia | Romance | Suspenso

Frase comercial:

Screen comedy so gay... drama so thrilling... love so exciting, it will be the talk of YOUR town!

Plot:

An escaped political prisoner and a stuffy law professor vie for the hand of a spirited schoolteacher.

Plot Keywords:

Law | Gardener | Hide Out | Farmhouse | Political Activist

Premios:

Nominated for 7 Oscars.

Comentarios de los usuarios:

An uneven story salvaged by three resourceful actors

Reparto

Cary Grant	...	Leopold Dilg - Joseph
Jean Arthur	...	Miss Nora Shelley
Ronald Colman	...	Professor Michael Lightcap
Edgar Buchanan	...	Sam Yates
Glenda Farrell	...	Regina Bush
Charles Dingle	...	Andrew Holmes
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Shelley
Rex Ingram	...	Tilney
Leonid Kinskey	...	Jan Pulaski
Tom Tyler	...	Clyde Bracken
Don Beddoe	...	Police Chief

También conocida como:

George Stevens' The Talk of the Town (USA) (complete title)
Mister Twilight (USA) (working title)
The Gentleman Misbehaves (USA) (working title)
Three's a Crowd (USA) (working title)
El asunto del día (Spain) [es]

Duración:

118 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Clasificación:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved

Compañía:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivialidades:

Sound chief John P. Livadary was dissatisfied with the sound recorded for the rain scene, so he substituted it with the track used for the rain scene in Only Angels Have Wings (1939).

Citas:

Leopold Dilg: With these indoor habits of yours, you've got the complexion of a gravel pit.
Michael Lightcap: You know, Joseph, you're no oil painting yourself.

Conexiones de Película:

Apareció en The Lady with the Torch (1999)

An uneven story salvaged by three resourceful actors

Social commentary either elevates the value of a film or bogs it down, and with comedies it is generally the latter. "The Talk of the Town" is no exception; while it is a fun film that has much to admire, the pretensions of the film-makers often get in the way of what could have been a masterpiece of comic suspense. The tone becomes almost unbearably preachy at times, and some of the monologues on `justice' and the `pursuit of truth' are excruciating on the ears. Thankfully, the good people at Columbia hired just the right people to star.

The specific political stances of Leopold Dilg are never made clear; we're just supposed to accept the idea that he's a good guy who is put down by a corrupt system. Fortunately, Cary Grant uses his remarkable charm and talent to turn in a performance that allows us to sympathize with a character whose background is far too vague. Likewise, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman are able to invest interest in characters that might otherwise have come off two-dimensionally. The charisma of the three leads fuels a love triangle that does a far better job of moving the story forward than any "serious message" that the film-makers were trying to impart to the audience. Grant, Arthur, and Colman are rightfully remembered as three of cinema's finest actors, but they deserve special credit for adding some much-needed pizzazz to this movie.

All in all, "The Talk of the Town" is a rambling, misguided movie saved by smart casting and disciplined acting, not to mention more than a few laughs. It is a classic example of skilled performers triumphing over flawed material.