The Talk of the Town 4K 1942 Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
In suburban Lochester, New England, three people end up living together in high-school teacher Nora Shelley's rental house. The first is her new tenant, renowned Harvard law professor Michael Lightcap, who has rented the house for the summer while he writes his new book. The second is Nora herself. After an auspicious first meeting, Lightcap hires Nora to be his live-in cook and secretary for a week until his manservant Tilney arrives. The third is Joseph, the property's gardener, who is currently laid up with a sprained ankle. In reality, Joseph is Nora's childhood friend Leopold Dilg, who has just escaped from prison. Leopold was being tried for the arson of the factory where he worked, and for murder for the death of the factory foreman Clyde Bracken, whose body was never recovered but who is assumed to have died in the fire. Despite the danger to herself, Nora hides Leopold since she believes his story that although he, as an activist, did speak out about the dangerous conditions at the factory, he did not set the fire, which he assumes was done by the factory's owner, Andrew Holmes, to collect the insurance money, while having Leopold as a scapegoat. Nora campaigned to get the job with Lightcap to be able to better hide Leopold in the house. Leopold escaped because he knew he would not get a fair trial because of the rabble-rousing Holmes conducted against him. Lightcap and who he knows as Joseph end up getting along famously, although activist Leopold believes Lightcap's view of the law is too clinical for him to truly be a great lawyer or great judge. Nora and Leopold learn clandestinely that Lightcap is being appointed to the Supreme Court. Nora, Leopold, and Sam Yates, Leopold's lawyer, try to get Lightcap involved in helping Leopold by showing him that Leopold indeed will not get a fair trial. In the process, Lightcap might show Leopold and Nora that his current way of thinking has much merit.

User Review
The far-fetched plot is offset by one of the finest acting ensembles in movie history. Cary Grant, Gene Arthur and Ronald Colman played with rare enthusiasm.

Michael Lightcap (Colman), a respected law professor awaiting an appointment to the Supreme Court, wants to spend the summer working on his writings in a quiet, secluded place. He settles into the home of Nora Shelley (Arthur), a schoolteacher. But the quiet retreat doesn't work out.

Leopold Dilg (Grant), who has escaped from prison, where he was convicted of setting fire to a factory, also chooses this house as a refuge. The teacher tells the bearded professor that Leopold works for her as a gardener, but he soon learns the real reason for his stay in the house. It turns out that Leopold was framed for a crime by corrupt local authorities. The Brigadier, who was thought to have been burned in the flames, survived. The professor and the fugitive show more and more interest in the pretty teacher. Both men are eager to get their hands on Nora, but Michael doesn't let his feelings get in the way of justice....

Stevens' direction is characterized by grace and excellent style. He shot two versions of the ending: in one Nora (Arthur) goes to Michael (Colman), in the other to Leopold (Grant). Both versions were shown at previews, and the audience decided how the picture should end. This was Colman's first movie with Columbia since Lost Horizon in 1937. At the time, the actor was losing popularity, and the release of the picture gave his career the boost it needed.

Oscar nominations for Best Black and White Artwork (Lionel Banks, Rudolph Sternad, Faye Babcock), Best Black and White Cinematography (Ted Tetzlaff), Best Editing (Otto Meyer), best musical accompaniment to a drama or comedy (Frederick Hollander, Morris Stoloff), best film (George Stevens), best original story (Sidney Harmon), best original screenplay (Irwin Shaw, Sidney Buchanan).

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (64.9 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 2.0
#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
#French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
#Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Info Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish.