Review of People Will Talk (1951) by Cody F — 16 May 2009

Don't be fooled by the title,this is not a romantic comedy. I was surprised at how serious and enjoyable this film was. I love Cary Grant and was really surprised how original and against type his performance was.

He is flawless in this and it's probably one of his best roles. The screenplay is one of Mankiewicz best and I was shocked that the subject matter was produced in 1951. It is about a genius doctor who meets,falls in love and marries a suicidal woman who is pregnant from another man.

At the same time Grant in being investigated by the university for a secret past and mystery man who doesn't leave his side(played by perfection by Finley Currie). The performances are A+ and the script is something I have never seen before.

Grant and Crain fall in love a little too easily, but it is still believable and they are great together. Hume Cronyn is great as a jealous weaselly bad guy, and after watching Brute Force you really see what a great actor he was.

This film should be shown in every screen writing class, it is filled with unorthodoxed scenes, original characters, and some of the best dialogue in a film from that era. A must see and possibly a 5 star film if the love didn't happen too quickly,followed by conventional courtroom scenes at the end.