Our Town

A potent blend of nostalgia for life's joys and sorrows, Sam Wood's 1940 adaptation of Thornton Wilder's turn-of-the-century set Pulitzer Prize-winning play serves up a heartwarming vision of the small New England community of Grover's Corners, following--in particular--the maturation and growing attachment between George Gibbs (William Holden) and Emily Webb (Martha Scott), played out against the backdrop of small town life as revealed by the omniscient stage manager “narrator” (Frank Craven). Unlike the 1977 American Playhouse version with Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor or the 1989 Tony award-winning version with Eric Stoltz and Penelope Ann Miller, the leads here--Holden and Scott--are clearly too old for the roles, and the film suffers by comparison to the more recent efforts. Nominated for Best Picture, Actress (Scott), and Music, Our Town--being in the public domain--has been kicking around on DVD for a bit, although this is the best of the bunch. Still, this is a so-so digital transfer overall with somewhat muddy (though generally serviceable) sound and a handful of interesting extras: the nine-minute short film “The Wizard's Apprentice,” the 11-minute American propaganda piece “The Town” (director Josef von Sternberg's only short), and the Lux Radio Theater audio presentation of Our Town. Recommended, overall. (R. Pitman)