Unsere kleine Stadt

I haven't read or seen the play, so I'll leave that topic to a late night discussion group. Thanks to great production design (Menzies), cinematography (Glennon), and art direction (Rachmil), the movie raises small town conformity to near poetic level. Those majestic skyscapes hovering over the elegiac last third lift the narrative to a rare ethereal plateau. Such b&w effects are simply beyond the reach of modern coloration, and couch the film in an appropriate dream-like space.

Sure, nothing much happens in the story. But that's the point. It's the cycle of birth, love, work, death in an idealized small town that's celebrated. The wives agreeably clean and mother, the husbands agreeably earn and father, while the kids look forward to filling their slots. Do they lack imagination? Perhaps, but the overriding message is small town contentment. Happily, the results avoid the saccharine, largely because narrator Craven contrasts with what might become sticky. Thus we can concentrate on the banal events that make up a settled life, and maybe get a new appreciation of them. I can dig that even though I know early 19th century life in a factory or mining town would not yield the same harmonious results. Yes indeed, the rural Grovers Corner is an America that only exists in dreams of time past, and for folks who yearn for the "good ol' days". But the movie itself is none the worse for any of that.

OUR TOWN is a timeless classic, and this 1940 film version captures the major themes from Thornton Wilder's great play.

At once simple and profound, unsentimental and heart-breaking, the story of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, and its citizens is a time capsule of early 20th Century America. Two neighboring families are examined in their everyday lives, and we especially follow George Gibbs (William Holden) and Emily Webb (Martha Scott) as they grow up and marry.

A stage convention, the Stage Manager (Frank Craven), acts here as a tour guide and talks directly to the audience and tells them the history of the town and stories about the characters. Independent of time, the Stage Manager can also see into the future and matter-of-factly see the various deaths of several characters as well as their pasts.

The scene from the cemetery is chilling yet is quite wondrous as the characters there ponder the timelessness of the universe. Also great is Emily's visit back to her family on her birthday, where she finally understand that life is made up or so many small and insignificant details that we hardly notice as times flies by.

The film boasts a terrific cast with Fay Bainter and Beulah Bondi outstanding as the mothers , Thomas Mitchell and Guy Kibbee solid as the fathers. Also notable are Doro Merande as Mrs. Soames, Arthur Allen as the professor, Philip Wood as the organist, Spencer Charters as the constable, Stu Erwin as the milkman, and Ruth Tobey as Rebecca, who gets to tell the "mind of god" anecdote.

The ending is different from the play's but works well in this version.

This is a film that badly needs restoration

Why is this a film I dont wanna watch...because it moves me to uncontrollable tears everytime...It hits home...Thornton Wilder must have known my family ,understood my psyche..It hits home... Americana at the turn of the century.. my parents born... not in samll town america but Mid size city... still the thought the virtues the principals, the ideals were the same the happiness of a a home in America.. Mom & Dad providing a home, warm morning breakfasts on a cold winter day.. family members irrelevant yet unforgettable... the birthdays the graduations & the weddings the changes & the phases of life... and death are simply adequately & beautifully presented by Thornton Wilder & his play & screen play.. Emily portrayed by Marhta Scott is superb... if this doesnt bring a tear to your eye, you are not human... & George played by William Holden perfectly & the best supporting cast ever assembled.. Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchel, Guy Kibee,Dora Merande etc etc...non stop emotions.. non stop truth.. and the score ,all so memorable... i shouldnt watch this film..becsause its non stop tears everytime... but to me its an American Classic,,, maybe underrated...watch it absorb every line & cry your eyes out..

The film version of "Our Town" is a thoughtful look at everyday life, often slow-moving, but usually effective. Without any exciting or surprising events, it tells a worthwhile story and leaves an impression on the viewer.

Most of the story follows the Gibbs family and the Webb family, neighbors in a small New Hampshire town. We learn about their lives, loves, and concerns, told in part by a narrator many years after the fact. Most of the time, things move at a very leisurely pace, with details about the town itself often thrown in. It's worth watching because of the memorable and effective closing sequence, in which Emily Webb, who has married George Gibbs, finds her life in danger. The sequence is creatively done, and brings out the importance of the otherwise mundane events we have seen in the rest of the film.

The characters are all nicely defined, with most of the cast doing pretty well, especially the character acting in the background roles. The small-town atmosphere is also convincing. There's certainly nothing spectacular about the film, but if you are interested simple human drama of everyday life, you should enjoy "Our Town".

"Our Town" was like a dramatized sermon about the fleeting nature of life and the need to appreciate every moment to the fullest. It depicted life in a small town, relying heavily on narration. I was astonished, that such a flimsy (though charming) movie should boast a Thornton Wilder script and an Aaron Copland score. Despite its flimsiness, this movie is infinitely more lovable than similar movies, like "It's a Wonderful Life". It was blissfully devoid of drama, its mood was poetic, pleasing to the eye and ear, the dialogue fairly articulate and intelligent. The most poignant line was a girl saying to her mother: "Mom, am I pretty enough to Interest anyone?"