Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. People grow up, get married, live, and die. Milk and the newspaper get delivered every morning, and nobody locks... See full summary »
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Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. People grow up, get married, live, and die. Milk and the newspaper get delivered every morning, and nobody locks their front doors. Written by
John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 6, 1940 with William Holden and Martha Scott reprising their film roles. See more »
Goofs
The beginning of the movie takes place on June 7, 1901. That night everyone comments on how beautiful the moon is and we later learn it is 8:30pm. The moon did not rise until midnight on that date. In fact the sun did not set until 8:30pm. Additionally, crickets can be heard loudly chirping throughout these scenes. This would be very unusual for early June, but common in late August. See more »
Quotes
Mrs. Julia Hersey Gibbs:
It seems to me, once in your life, before you die, you ought to see a country where they don't speak any English and they don't even want to.
See more »
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".
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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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".