The Talk of the Town 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Talk of the Town 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 31, 2024

Not quite the comedy it's purported to be, not quite the sharp commentary it could be, not quite the fun I was hoping to have... what is The Talk of the Town then? A dated but occasionally delightful little would-be gem whose greatest vice is pacing and prattling from another era. Those who love a good ol' golden-age 1940s farce will find plenty to love, but those with more modern tastes and sensibilities will be left wondering what all the fuss is about. Fortunately, the film has an A-list cast (with Cary Grant and Jean Arthur leading the comical charge) and the Blu-ray makes the most of its 4K restoration and shiny new 4K release. Is it enough to resurrect a long-dead romantic comedy? Not quite, but it is enough to keep it breathing, ripe and ready for anyone willing to overlook its age and give it a go.

"Think of this country and of the law that makes it what it is. Think of a world crying for this very law! And maybe you'll understand why you ought to guard it. Why the law has got to be the personal concern of every citizen. To uphold it for your neighbor as well as yourself. Violence against it is one mistake. Another mistake is for any man to look upon the law as just a set of principles. And just so much language printed on fine, heavy paper. Something he recites and then leans back and takes it for granted that justice is automatically being done. Both kinds of men are equally wrong! The law must be engraved in our hearts and practiced every minute to the letter and spirit. It can't even exist unless we're willing to go down into the dust and blood and fight a battle every day of our lives to preserve it."

In the typically quiet little suburban town of Lochester, New England, Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant), wrongfully convicted of arson, manages a daring escape from prison. While on the lam, he finds sanctuary in the home of Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), an old friend from school for whom he harbors a secret affection. Nora believes in Dilg's innocence and lets him pose as her landscaper, much to his relief. However, there's a snag. There's always a snag, isn't there? It seems a sharp investigatory mind has also taken up residence in Nora's home; the mind belonging to Professor Lightcap (Ronald Colman), a legal expert, who rents one of her rooms. Lightcap, like Dilg, also has eyes for Nora (of course), leading to a series of romantic misadventures that will bring both men face to face, unsure of who is friend and who is foe. Directed by George Stevens (Giant, A Place in the Sun, Shane) and written by Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman, the film also stars Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell, Charles Dingle, Emma Dunn, Rex Ingram, Leonid Kinskey, Tom Tyler and Don Beddoe.

Chemistry is king in the best of pictures like The Talk of the Town, and I'm not really sure I buy the chemistry here; be it between Arthur and Grant or Arthur and Colman. It's not that the actors aren't doing a fine job with what they're given. They are. (Although I'm not very convinced that good ol' Cary G was born with the gift of gab, or comedy for that matter.) It's that the high-concept shenanigans aren't imbued with all that much high concept. Once the stage is set, there isn't much more in the way of surprise or unpredictability. The fact that Dilg isn't hiding throughout the film should be a stroke of comic genius -- posing as the gardener is a great pre-internet, pre-mass media gag -- but his not-so-showy showdowns with the law and especially with Lightcap aren't all that entertaining either. They actually grow a tad redundant, repetitive even, and simply re-spin the wheel rather than constantly reinventing it. I'm sure it was all hilarious in 1942, and probably remains that way with those whose funny bones are attuned to '40s comedy stylings. But I've rarely found mine tuned to such things, and had a hard time mustering much more than a chuckle.

Still, there's a quaint, sometimes effortless ease to the proceedings that help make it that much easier to swallow. In Stevens accomplished hands, laughs are prepped and dispensed rapidly and reliably (again, if you're dialed in properly), and there's even enough suspense and drama to warrant some nail-biting and seat-leaning. Grant could easily be from a different film altogether, one where the stakes are played for higher concern and the run-ins with Lightcap are thrilling. Fortunately, Stevens isn't going for much more than featherweight comedy and stands on the precipice of forging a truly multi-genre balance, which I suspect is exactly what he pulled off in 1942. Today, it's much too simple and straightforward to tease its audience along, and it's hard to transport oneself to a time when sensibilities and cinematic exposure were so dramatically different. You can, however, see the influence it would wield in the coming decades; a film that stands alongside other notable inspirations for future films that would take its baton and run with it. As a building block in this lovely tower we call Hollywood spectacle, it offers strong foundational support. There are even moments that you'll become aware of just how many filmmakers over the last fifty years have delivered unofficial or loose adaptations of its plot. There is real meat and value here beneath the surface. The entertainment up top is mere icing on the cake. Dated or no, there's enough here to enjoy and, again, for some, even love.

The Talk of the Town 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony has quickly become one of the most reliable studios when it comes to golden-age-of-Hollywood 4K UltraHD releases, and The Talk of the Town's 2160p restoration and subsequent presentation won't dent Sony's reputation in the slightest. Ted Tetzlaff's black and white photography may not be cutting edge for the period but it remains a technical marvel in 4K. Black levels are deep and inky without damaging delineation, brighter portions of the image pop, midtones are lovely, and contrast is dialed in to perfection. Detail is excellent too. Some optical softness is present but no matter; edges are clean and precisely defined, fine textures are relatively revealing and, as mentioned, shadow delineation still has a lot of subtleties to offer. Moreover, compression anomalies are non-existent so far as my eyes can tell, banding and blocking are nowhere to be found, and grain is pleasingly preserved, unobtrusive and above all consistent. There also isn't any significant print wear, nor any specks, scratches or obvious blemishes. Could The Talk of the Town look much better? Not by my estimation.

The Talk of the Town 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Talk of the Town features a two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix that doesn't disappoint. Dialogue is clean and clear, with only a minimal amount of exceedingly minor and infrequent hiss, sound effects are canned but buoyant, prioritization is solid, and music sounds quite good. There isn't much more to it than that, but as mono sound design goes, that's all that matters.

The Talk of the Town 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Marilyn Ann Moss offers an audio commentary. Author of "Giant: George Stevens, A Life on Film" and critic at The Hollywood Reporter from 1995 to 2009, she shows extensive knowledge and delivers an engaging track.

• Talking About The Talk of the Town (HD, 5 minutes) - A brief interview with filmmaker George Stevens Jr.

The Talk of the Town 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mileage will vary with The Talk of the Town, depending on your humor, good will and sensibilities. But it also has enough to offer to make it well worth watching, even if it struck me as more dated than better films of the era. Sony's 4K release is unmistakably terrific, though, with a striking video presentation, solid DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track, and a pair of worthwhile extras.