Product Details

• Actors: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell
• Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Georgian
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: February 25, 2003
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000083C8K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,088 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Talk of the Town" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

TALK OF THE TOWN - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cary Grant AND Ronald Colman, March 6, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Talk of the Town [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Leopold Dilg (played by Cary Grant, but where did they get that name?), a small town malcontent and challenger to the status quo, is framed for arson. Seeking to hide out in the home of Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), he finds that he must hide from the new renter, Michael Lightcap (Ronald Colman). Luck seems to be on his side when it turns out that Lightcap is a famous legal scholar and Supreme Court nominee. However, Lightcap likes his law cold and academic. What will it take to both melt Lightcap and free Dilg? [Black and white, created in 1942, with a running time of 1 hour, 58 minutes.]

What a great movie! The cover for the tape looks like Mount Rushmore, and that is no exaggeration. Cary Grant AND Ronald Colman, who could ask for more? The story is humorous is a subtle way, and just as subtly romantic. This movie doesn't hit you over the head, but strongly looks at the use and abuse of the law in the United States. There is nothing objectionable in this movie, so you can watch it with small children, though it will probably prove too slow moving for them.

I recommend this movie absolutely!

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing transfer makes for a dismal film experience!, February 27, 2003

By 

Nix Pix (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Talk of the Town (DVD)

Columbia Pictures has regressed in their shoddy film transfers of catalogue titles with this DVD. The film, a great screwball adventure that pits a prison escapee (Cary Grant) against a stuffy law professor (Ronald Colman) is about as witty, charming and utterly engaging as one could hope for. Resident studio do-gooder, Jean Arthur is a treat as the woman whose love for the two men is brought to hilarious fruition. As a film, it's five stars all the way! But the DVD is a thoroughly miserable experience with excessive film grain, fine detail shimmering, aliasing problems and varying degrees of stock footage used in the transfer. The hi-def packaging is also deceptive. * Note: the phrasing "remastered in hi-def" means nothing unless the source elements have first been cleaned up. Let the buyer beware! Over all, a mediocre experience. Wait for Criterion to get their hands on it or Columbia to come to its senses and do a restoration.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good mix of a serious topic and comedy..., July 19, 2002

By 

ehakus (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talk of the Town [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Sometimes I am tempted to describe this movie as having split personality disorder. On one level, it seems to be a lighthearted comedy with a love triangle between Cary Grant, Ronald Coleman, and Jean Arthur. And on another level, it aims to deal with deeper issues like the role of the law in society, etc, etc. But, actually, I think a more accurate way to describe this movie would be as a late screwball comedy. During the WWII years, screwball comedy, which had been so carefree in the depression, began to take on more serious issues, leading to movies like this one - strange mixes of the screwball spirit and deeper concerns.

Regardless of its strange synthesis of screwball and serious issues, however, The Talk of the Town is a classic, and a great movie! Essentially, it is about a small town rebel (Cary Grant, in an uncharacteristic role) who escapes from prision after being wrongly accused of arson and murder. He comes across a former friend (Jean Arthur) and stays with her, posing as the gardener when a law professor (Ronald Coleman) comes to rent her house. There are many hilarious situations in the house, but the movie also discussed the role of the law in society and whether law should be interpreted coldly and to the letter or have a more personal application.

The acting is very good. Cary Grant, though in a strange role, proves his talent as a more dramatic actor (and also shows off his incredible comedic skills). Even though he was ignored by the Oscars for years, Grant really was a spectacular actor - he just wasn't given enough credit because he tended to make it all look so easy. Ronald Coleman is also good as his urbane, cold rival, and Jean Arthur is great - her reactions steal scene after scene!

Anyhow, this movie is very good. Although it is somewhat of a strange mix, it is quite enjoyable and typical of the semi-screwball comedies from the war years. Get this and enjoy!