This article needs a plot summary. (November 2016) |
Our Town is a 1940 American drama romance film adaptation of the 1938 play of the same name by Thornton Wilder, starring Martha Scott as Emily Webb, and William Holden as George Gibbs. The cast also included Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchell, Guy Kibbee and Frank Craven. It was adapted by Harry Chandlee, Craven and Wilder, and directed by Sam Wood.
| Our Town | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Sam Wood |
| Screenplay by | Harry Chandlee Frank Craven Thornton Wilder |
| Based on | Our Town (1938 play) by Thornton Wilder |
| Produced by | Sol Lesser |
| Starring | William Holden Martha Scott Fay Bainter |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Edited by | Sherman Todd |
| Music by | Aaron Copland |
Production company | Sol Lesser Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million (approx)[1] |
The film was a faithful reproduction of the play except for two significant changes: the film used scenery, whereas the play had not; the events of the third act, which in the play revolve around the death of one of the main characters, were turned into a dream from which she awakens, allowing her to resume a normal life. Producer Sol Lesser worked with Wilder in creating these changes. Wilder wrote Lesser that "Emily should live.... In a movie you see the people so close to that a distant relation is established. In the theater they are halfway abstractions in an allegory; in the movie they are very concrete.... [I]t’s even disproportionately cruel that she die. Let her live...."[2]
A radio adaptation of the film on Lux Radio Theater on May 6, 1940, used the altered film ending.
The U.S. copyright of the film was not renewed after its first term expired in 1968.[citation needed]
Plot
editThe residents of the small town of Grover's Corners in New Hampshire live peacefully and in harmony. Dr. Gibbs, his wife Julie, and their two children George and Rebecca are the neighbors of the Webbs, who have a lovely daughter, Emily, and a younger son, Wally. George and Emily fall in love, and after three years of courting they get married. Time goes by and Emily becomes very sick after the birth of her second child. While she is dying, she meets all the people who have left this world in the years before. Emily, who remains in a kind of in-between world, remembers her previous life, but, in the end, she decides to live, and she wakes up from her dream.
Cast
edit- William Holden as George Gibbs
- Martha Scott as Emily Webb
- Fay Bainter as Mrs. Julia Gibbs
- Tim Davis as Joe Crowell Jr.
- Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Myrtle Webb
- Thomas Mitchell as Dr. Frank F. Gibbs
- Guy Kibbee as Mr. Charles Webb
- Dix Davis as Si Crowell[3][4]
- Stuart Erwin as Howie Newsome
- Frank Craven as Stage Manager
- Doro Merande as Mrs. Louella Soames
- Philip Wood as Simon Stimson
- Ruth Tobey as Rebecca Gibbs (as Ruth Toby)
- Douglas Gardiner as Wally Webb
- Arthur B. Allen as Prof. Willard (as Arthur Allen)
- Charles Trowbridge as Rev. Dr. Ferguson
- Spencer Charters as Const. Bill Warren
Score
editAaron Copland accepted the invitation to compose the musical score for the screen version of life in the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. He explained, "For the film version, they were counting on the music to translate the transcendental aspects of the story. I tried for clean and clear sounds and in general used straight-forward harmonies and rhythms that would project the serenity and sense of security of the story." Copland arranged about ten minutes from the film score for a suite. It is dedicated to Leonard Bernstein.[5]
Awards
edit| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[6] | Outstanding Production | Sol Lesser | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Martha Scott | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Aaron Copland | Nominated | |
| Best Scoring | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Recording | Thomas T. Moulton | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction, Black-and-White | Lewis J. Rachmil | Nominated | |
| National Board of Review Awards[7] | Top Ten Films | 4th Place | |
References
edit- ^ "Lesser, Poe Distrib Setup for Vidpix". Variety. 28 May 1952. p. 28.
- ^ Harrison, Gilbert A. (1983). The Enthusiast: A Life of Thornton Wilder. New Haven and New York: Ticknor & Fields. p. 203. ISBN 0-89919-197-5.
- ^ "Casts of Current Pictures". Photoplay. July 1940. p. 80. Retrieved February 11, 2024. See also:
- Cameron, Kate (June 14, 1940). "Music Hall Presents Fine American Film". New York Daily News. p. M48.
- Tinee, Mae (July 28, 1940). "'Our Town' Is Delightful Film of Small Town". Chicago Trinune. p. 28.
- "'Our Town' Is Novel Film". Harrisburg Telegraph. July 26, 1940. p. 8.*
- United Artists (1940). Our Town (United Artists Press Book). p. 15.
- ^ Artflix - Movie Classics (November 13, 2022). "Our Town (1940): 30-second conversation between Howie Newsome & Si Crowell". YouTube. Retrieved February 11, 2024. See also:
- "Barbour Kids". The Fresno Bee. May 11, 1941. p. 2-B.
- "What a Family!". The Honolulu Advertiser. August 22, 1943. Sec. 2, p. 16.
- ^ "Copland, Aaron Our Town (1940) Music from the film score". Boosey.com. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
- ^ "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ "1940 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
External links
edit- Our Town at IMDb
- Our Town at AllMovie
- Our Town at the TCM Movie Database
- Our Town at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Our Town at Rotten Tomatoes
- Our Town is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive