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Rating:
The Whole Town's Talking is an exciting and electrifying comedy from 1935 that the New York Times called “the best of the year”; directed and produced by the master of (western) cinema John Ford, who at that time was entering the most successful phase of his career. The film balances elements of crime and gangster movie, and features as its protagonist a star of the genre, Romanian-born actor Edward G. Robinson, who in 1931 had eternally linked his image to that of the gangster Rico Bandello, known as Little Caesar; it also utilizes the timeless comedic theme of the double, which generates endless misunderstandings.
The protagonist Arthur Ferguson Jones, Jonzie, a bachelor, who is attentive to his animals and a tireless worker, respectful, timid, and almost submissive to authority, harbors a secret love for Miss Clark, an ironic and witty colleague, confident, wonderfully straightforward, and deceitful, portrayed by the blonde and perfectly cast Jean Arthur.
This balance in the lives of the two employees is disrupted by the escape from prison of the dangerous gangster Mannion, a man incredibly similar to Jonzie, but with an opposite character. Suddenly Jones, who no one had noticed before, begins to exist in the eyes of others, of his beloved, and of himself. Beautiful at this moment are the scenes where Jones compares his reflection in various mirrors and surfaces with the Lombrosian identikit of the gangster and in a certain sense begins to transform.
Highlighted by a breathtaking montage, the false identification of Jones mistakenly as Mannion, the interrogation at the police station for him and Miss Clark, who is confused for the gangster’s supposed woman, and finally the recognition of the mistake, their release, and the media’s interest in their story, unfold and intertwine. Brilliant in this part is the acting of all the supporting cast, but particularly that of Jean Arthur, in the scene where Miss Clark is arrested and interrogated by detectives Boyle and Howe, a pair of police officers seeking fame, with a comic physical portrayal reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy.
The acceleration of the pace with which the interrogations and the excitement of the press alternate, as well as the informer’s greed, is masterful. Ford finds from the outset, indeed especially at the beginning, multiple shooting and editing solutions to characterize the characters, and to speed up and slow down the story’s rhythm.
After Jones’ release and the issuance of a passport to ensure he isn’t mistaken for the gangster again, it is Mannion who gives the narrative new momentum. Indeed, awaiting Jones in his small apartment is the gangster Mannion himself, intending to exploit this extraordinary resemblance to move freely and take revenge on “Slugs” Martin, the rival gangster who betrayed him after falling into the hands of the police…
The tension is thus maintained, and the narrative proceeds captivatingly exploiting a well-measured number of misunderstandings. From this point of view, the film is excellently written by screenwriters Jo Swerling and Robert Riskin.
The Whole Town's Talking is a film worth revisiting, and behind it are some beautiful and dramatic stories, like those concerning the lives of the two lead actors. The screenplay of the film would later be used for the writing of Fracchia, la belva umana, which would transform this balanced comedy into a caricatural and madcap film.
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