PodBill Just what I expected

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

SimonJack I agree with those reviewers who thought it was a wonder this film was ever made. And, I can see why its release wasn't highly acclaimed or received by audiences. Others describe the plot in detail, but for those who may not want to know the story line in advance, I'll just address these first two points to whet your appetite. First, why was it not highly popular on its release? Most likely because Cary Grant was out of character. Oh, sure, he had done some serious films – dramas and mysteries, but the public had gotten used to the witty Cary Grant of fast-paced comedy romances of the 1930s and 1940s. But, in "People Will Talk," they saw a considerably different Grant – one with wit and charm but also with serious compassion in a slower, deliberate role with a nice dose of mystery about him. And that leads to the second point – a wonder that this film was made at all. "People Will Talk" is a satire and critique of medicine, doctors and nurses, and medical schools and teachers. It also takes some jabs at the Western justice system – the courts and law enforcement. And, it has strong moral overtones. It looks at envy, jealousy and hypocrisy. The subtle theme that moves throughout the story is characterized by Dr. Noah Praetorius, played by Cary Grant. That is the importance of life and people for themselves, not for what they may or may not accomplish. So, this is indeed a mixed bag of a film – morality play, satire, witty comedy, drama, and an intriguing bit of mystery. It clearly is "sophisticated and sparkling," as billed by 20th Century Fox. A sub-theme in the film is the lead role's holistic approach to medicine. That was way ahead of its time. While holistic medicine became controversial in later years, medicine began to move in that direction a decade into the 21st century. All the cast give top performances in this film. The direction is excellent, and the film shines in all technical production areas. Following are some of my favorite witty exchanges and other lines from "People Will Talk."Prof. Elwell, played by Hume Cronyn, to Dr. Praetorius (Grant): "Do you deny that at that time your patients were under the impression you were a butcher and not a doctor?" Praetorius: "Do you prefer the impression given to their patients by so many of our colleagues that they are doctors and not butchers?"Prof. Elwell, to Miss Pickett, played by Margaret Hamilton: "I have conducted my affairs behind closed doors for 20 years." Miss Pickett: "Not with me." Prof. Elwell: "You overestimate both of us."Prof. Barker, played by Walter Slezak: "Dr. Praetorius, has it ever occurred to you, aside from certain medical considerations, that most of this is none of your business?" Praetorius: "No? What is my business?" Barker: "To diagnose the physical ailments of human beings and to cure them." Praetorius: "Wrong! My business is to make sick people well. There's a vast difference between curing an ailment and making a sick person well." Praetorius, eating at his kitchen table with Barker: "Sauerkraut belongs in a barrel, not in a can. Our American mania for sterile packages has removed the flavor from most of our foods. Butter is no longer sold out of wooden tubs. And a whole generation thinks butter tastes like paper. There was never a perfume like an old-time grocery story. Now they smell like drugstores, which don't even smell like drugstores anymore."Praetorius, at a faculty hearing: "And as to the willingness of those so-called ignorant and backward people to rely upon the curative powers of faith and possibly miracles too, I consider faith properly engendered into a patient as effective in maintaining life as alternatives. And a belief in miracles has been the difference between living and dying as often as any surgeon's scalpel." Prof. Elwell: "That is not the issue under discussion." Praetorius: "It is precisely the issue. Whether the practice of medicine should become more and more intimately involved with the human beings it treats, or whether it's to go on in this present way of becoming more and more a thing of pills, serums and knives, until eventually we shall undoubtedly evolve an electronic doctor."Mr. Shunderson, played by Finlay Currie: "Prof. Elwell, you're a little man. It's not that you're short. You're little in the mind and in the heart. Tonight you tried to make a man little whose boots you couldn't touch if you stood on tiptoe on top of the highest mountain in the world. And as it turned out, you're even littler than you were before."

Catharina_Sweden When I read the short description of this movie here, I got the impression it was going to be a nice, light, romantic comedy - as so many movies with Cary Grant in them. But I was terribly disappointed. This strange movie was not romantic at all, and not a bit fun either, but rather depressing and strange. Odd characters who are doing odd things out of odd motives, and having odd relationships with each other. The title "People will talk" is also misleading.I think Cary Grant, forever charming and incredibly handsome, was a waste in this one. I think he ought not to have lent himself to it - after-all, he was not exactly hard up for money at that point... Moreover, I think that Debra, his love interest in this movie, is an unpleasant character, both in looks and personality. Do not watch this movie - it is a waste of time and the opposite of feel good.

Robert J. Maxwell Well, Cary Grant will never be anything but elegant and Joseph L. Mankievicz will never be anything but literate, yet this mostly fails as comedy, romance, and drama. Maybe Goetz's play had something to do with it.Cary Grant is Dr. Praetorius, a name to be conjured with ever since "The Bride of Frankenstein." Cary Grant knows his way around the human body, having been a doctor at least once before, in "Crisis," in which he was pretty good. Here, as a professor, humanitarian healer, conductor of the university orchestra, owner of his own obstetrical clinic, a man who can help a dying patient by describing death as a trip on a magic carpet, a man with a mysterious past, he should be every woman's dream. But he's either miscast or he doesn't play it well. He comes up with all these pseudo-philosophical apothegms but he does it with a knowing smirk, as if the person he's talking to is a complete dolt and Grant, the Great Physician, is holding back ninety percent of what he knows. It's a little embarrassing to watch.The dialog, by Mankiewicz from Goetz's play, is often embarrassing too. It strains to be elegant and lyrical -- it creaks at the JOINTS -- but it doesn't quite catch the bar. Contractions are avoided. "I will not do it." "You are a well-known person." "One's commitment to a profession should be complete." People speak lines that sound as if they were formal notes that had just been discovered in an attic trunk that hadn't been opened since 1918. The romance is incredible. I think Grant meets the pregnant heroine, Jeanne Crain, about three times before deciding to marry her. She's confessed her love for him during meeting number two. Crain's family, such as it is, looks prosperous enough. Her father is a failed poet. Both the father and Crain herself are dependent on Crain's uncle, an old skinflint whose English isn't up to Goetz and Mankiewicz standards. Grant dislikes him at once, and the withered old skinflint would dislike Grant if he bothered to give him any thought. But Grant gets to make an interesting point. The old fraud is cheating on his income tax, claiming all kinds of "depletions and depreciations." Grant makes some comment about it and adds that people like country doctors and teachers can't claim depreciation because when they get run down all they own is talent and they can't claim depreciation of value on their income tax. The scofflaw at least has a maid. Her name is Bella. Or maybe it's a cook named Bela. They're a great convenience. I have a charwoman come in once a month myself because of my lumbago, an old war wound received in a small scrap with some Amish terrorists. Her name is Martha and she doesn't speak English. My command of Spanish has deteriorated into a kind of influence over it, so I have to search for every request in a Spanish-English dictionary. My mattress has a habit of migrating to the foot of the bed and I wanted her to straighten it up, so I looked up each word separately, disregarding such niceties as gender and number, and jammed all the pieces together into a sentence. I gave her my request which, in English, looked like, "I am profoundly concerned about the disposition of today's mattresses; please arrest the motion." It certainly showed her who was boss around here because she began to tremble and turn pale. I had to help her to a chair.Where was I? Yes. Thank you. The climax -- you won't believe this -- is about a shady character who Grant always claims is a "friend." Everywhere Grant goes, Shunderson goes with him. I began to wonder if this was only a daring treatment of pre-marital pregnancy. Was there more to it than meets the eye? Were Praetorius and Shunderson a couple? (No.) The climax is a hearing presided over by the evil Dr. Malware (Cronyn) or whatever his name is. It's such a poignant tale of mistreatment that it's almost funny. "People Will Talk" isn't very often thought of or mentioned when buffs consider Cary Grant's career and in truth it doesn't deserve too much attention. But given the right role, nobody could do it like Cary Grant, except maybe Tony Curtis.

pontifikator This 1951 film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz has more promise than it fulfilled. The problem is the character of Noah Praetorius, too good to believable. The movie stars Cary Grant as the noble Noah, Jeanne Crain as his love interest, and it has able performances by Finlay Currie, Walter Slezak, and Hume Cronyn.The gist of the plot is that Professor Elwell (Cronyn) is investigating fellow teacher Dr. Praetorius for reasons that I am unclear about. Elwll is really digging up dirt, however. Noah ignores Elwell for as long as he can, concentrating on his personal clinic where he preaches and practices treating patients as human beings, not as their maladies. Noah also conducts the student symphony orchestra, and all his female patients fall in love with him, including Deborah Higgins (Crain).Boy meets girl, boy marries girl, they have a spat, boy has a hearing to determine his fitness as a doctor, boy wins trial, boy conducts symphony orchestra.There are several problems with the movie. Elwell is never given a motive for his investigation of Noah; we have no clue if it's professional jealousy or whether there's some reasonable basis for looking into Noah's fitness to continue as an instructor at the college where both teach. Second, Noah is just too good to be true. He's so good the character lacks credibility. I laughed out loud at several scenes not because they were funny but because the situations were laughably ridiculous. Hagiography comes to mind.The movie had promise that it failed. The movie was released in 1951 at the beginning of the McCarthy era, so my wild guess is that the investigation of Noah Praetorius is somewhat related to the witch hunt for commie spies. It may also be that Mankiewicz is skewering doctors - Noah gets off several zingers, including a comparison of the professions of butchers and doctors. But nothing really is made of the hypocrisy of the investigation. Another serious issue is that Deborah Higgins is pregnant and unmarried when Noah meets her. Noah nobly marries her and will be the father to her child because he really loves her. The issues of unwed motherhood and abortion rear their heads but are swept under the carpet of witty dialogue.The movie succeeds on its supporting cast. Cronyn is good in his role as inquisitor. Slezak is warm and fuzzy as Noah's good friend. But Finlay Currie stole the movie, in my humble opinion. His Shunderson is a mystery in much of the film, a mystery about which we learn all we need to know during the hearing on Noah's fitness to continue as a professor. Currie gives Shunderson gravitas and dignity, while playing the character with little shown emotion. I liked the way the script dealt with Shunderson and Praetorius. Although Shunderson is shown as a silent hulking man, he's actually an astute observer of the human condition, and Shunderson gives Noah good advice, which by the way is readily accepted. Although Shunderson appears to be a servant of Praetorius, the two are equals. Shunderson's story is absorbing when we finally get to it.Shunderson's analysis of Elwell is where the movie should have ended. Pithy and dead center. It fully applies to McCarthy. Maybe it applies to someone today ... who can tell?