Our Town (1940)

American Classic.....Lousy DVD

Our Town is one of the classics of the American stage, dutifully done though without the emotional impact in this film. This DVD copy brings neither to the table. The print is dark, the edges of some scenes are nearly blotted out and the sound is full of so many cracks and whistles, it makes you wish for sub titles. I am surprised no group has taken the time to clean this print up (although I am lead to believe that this was not a favorite of Wilder). December 16, 2007

Small Town

For anyone out there that loves nostalgia, then this is for you.
The depictions of small town Canada/America couldn't be better. I had
seen this movie many years ago and had waited, in vain, for a rerun
on TV that I could tape. Thank goodness for Amazon. Whenever I feel
the need to re live those wonderful bygone times, I now have the means.
I highly recommend it. September 12, 2007

Nobody has mentioned the music!

I first saw the film version of "Our Town" on television when I was a child. Something about it appealed to me; perhaps a desire to return to an idealized time. In high school, I read the play and was devistated by Emily's death, which was changed in the film, giving it a happy ending. Throughout the years and varias versions that I've seen , I have never been able to figure out what it exactly is , that the dead people were preparing FOR in the cemetary. But, my reason for writing this is because of the one thing that is never mentioned in any of these reviews : the beautiful musical score by Aaron Copeland. I'm am over 50 years old and just listening to Mr. Copeland's score starts my tears flowing. It is truely exquisite! I count myself lucky to have had the oppertunity of meeting him briefly in 1972, and meeting Martha Scott app. 10 years later. August 23, 2007

Passe

Boring. Stilted. Smug. Unfaithful to the source material. Desperately needs to be updated for modern values. Otherwise Our Town (play & movie) will be seen as quaint museum pieces showcasing early 20th century small town provincialism. Then again, the whole point of Wilder's play was to portray small town people in a warts and all manner. Perhaps the dialogue and setting could be updated to show the lives and mindsets of today's flyover state sheeple. December 3, 2006

American Theatre Classic goes Hollywood

Our Town was adapted from Thorton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning play. It has three acts, each about a different aspect of life in Grovers Corner, New Hampshire as seen through the life of two neighbors, the Gibbs and the Webbs. On stage, there were virtually no sets. The film had full sets. The one truly theatrical feature the film retained was Stage Manager, who narrates the film. The film version featured some early performances from future Oscar winners.

The first act is A Day in the Life (June 7, 1901). We get to see a day in the life of the two families. The Gibbs are Julia (Fay Bainter), Dr. Frank (Thomas Mitchell), George (William Holden) and Rebecca. The Webbs are Myrtle (Beulah Bondi), Editor Charles (Guy Kibbee), Emily (Martha Scott) and Wally. This is the ordinary life of ordinary families. George and Emily are the same age and they have a crush on each other but they are too shy to express it. Most of the act revolves around this.

The second act is Love and Marriage (three years later). George and Emily are about to be married and each has their own pre-wedding jitters. But before the wedding we see a flashback on the day that George and Emily finally admitted their feelings for each other.

The third act is Death (nine years later). Emily has complications with child birth and dies. The souls of those who passed converse. Emily finds out that she go back and relive a day. Which makes her realize how much we take for granted. The one change that the film makes is here. In the film, Emily does not actually die but comes back to life to be with George and the baby.

This change in the ending actually lessens the film. But what is even worse is the cinematography. In the cemetery scene, Emily's head is often out of frame. And as she about half the lines, its very disconcerting. This framing error happens often throughout the film. Also the contrast of black, white and grey is often murky. You might say that it is the transfer for the DVD but I also have a copy of the film from Turner Classics and it is as murky and poorly framed. Therefore, it was probably the original print.

This is a wonderful play and it's interesting to see a very young William Holden. The best filmed version of this was the NBC production in 1978 with Sada Thompson and Barbara Bel Geddes but this is not available. So if you want Our Town, it's either this one or the Showtime production with Paul Newman.

DVD EXTRAS: None
January 20, 2006

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