Review of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) by Troy F — 27 Dec 2013

This first film adaptation of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is entertaining and Danny Kaye is fun to watch, being known later for his comedy and musical talents in White Christmas. However, the original story was altered greatly to work with the actor's talents, and believe it or not, its pretty evident even if you watch the film without that fact in mind. Don't get me wrong, there was rarely a dull moment in this film and Kaye's musical numbers and silly personality do make for a lot of good laughs, but they also distract from the storyline at times and it sometimes becomes a bit of excess that really isn't necessary. I think Danny Kaye's silly awkwardness was already fine for the role, I certainly thought turning it into a story of running gags and music numbers was unnecessary, though they show the actor's talent are still entertaining.

It's honestly up to how you want to watch the film. As a Danny Kaye film, its a great one and I really recommend it. As far as story-oriented goes, it works, but gets sidetracked which annoyed me at times.

It is a satisfying piece of entertainment overall though. Point is, this film is not what it could've been (it had potential to be something better), but what we got was still a lot of fun and the best version of the story.