jhkp I have to give People Will Talk a mixed review, even though I've seen it many times and I like it. On the plus side, Cary Grant was never bad, except perhaps in his earliest films, and he's very good here, though (and I'm not sure who's to blame) he gets overly smug in his perfect-doctor guise. Many in the cast are good, including Sidney Blackmer, Walter Slezak, and the wonderful Finlay Currie as the mysterious Mr Shunderson. Others are pretty good, too, like Jeanne Crain and Hume Cronyn. Hard not to like Crain, but she has a complicated role here. Not over her head, but...well, I don't know. Cronyn is a bit too overdone as the baddie of the piece, Professor Elwell. I think if the part of the small-minded prof had been played with less bluster or fussiness, if it were not very nearly a caricature of pettiness, it may have been more effective. The story carries one along, and entertains, and in this way, it's well done, and I recommend the film for that feature alone. Personally, I couldn't buy some of its premises. I found things like not letting a pregnant girl know she's pregnant untenable. Mankiewicz asks us to accept that a doctor (albeit a "very special" one) should have these kinds of rights, because he knows best. And then Mankiewicz demonstrates that, over and over again, this superior human being does know best. And he should therefore have the right to be a kind of puppet master over the lives of the less brilliant and wise. In a way, this view is not surprising coming from a film director. Besides, Mankiewicz in particular was a producer-director whose affairs with younger actresses like Judy Garland and Linda Darnell often saw him assume the role of confessor, savior, and father figure.Cary Grant, a great actor, plays this Mankiewicz surrogate (and that's what he is) a bit smug. It's hard not to, given the lines and situations. Perhaps Mankiewicz should have given the character a few Cary Grant-ish personality flaws like vanity or peevishness, so effective in making us like Cary in other roles. Cary as a saintly figure (see also Crisis, and The Bishop's Wife) seems always a bit too willing to assume the mantle. The pluses of the film are in the better performances, in Mankiewicz's ability to tell a story with intelligence and wit, in the fact that the film covers subjects rarely if ever covered in any film before or since (which makes it seem fresh). You will likely never forget Mr Shunderson's monologue once you have heard it, and if you like classical music there's a lot of it to enjoy on the soundtrack.

joedorchack-71590 Sparkling wit, sprinkled with genuine humanity make this simply a GREAT motion picture! We've all been treated by doctors at one time or another in our lives. Would that we had all been treated by Doctor Noah Pretorius. His whole approach is wonderfully refreshing, namely that the needs of the patient come first. An often overlooked performance in this film is that of Walter Slezak. He ranges from charming to oblivious, but above all he demonstrates just what a good friend ought to be. Finley Currie is excellent as Mr. Shunderson, especially when you consider that he manages to sound "Canadian" even though he has a thick Scottish brogue. And Jeanne Crain is both beautiful and a delight. Invest the time to take in this film, you won't be disappointed!

gavin6942 Dr. Noah Praetorius (Cary Grant) falls in love with Deborah (Jeanne Crain), a student who finds out that she is pregnant by her old boyfriend.The film's investigative trial has parallels to the congressional hearings by anti-communist crusaders. And just as some refused to name names in such hearings, the lead character, played by Cary Grant, declines to clear his own name by revealing the private business of another person, in this case a convicted murderer.The film runs a bit long, and I could do without the musical parts. But this is a good character for Grant: pompous, but also very witty and quite principled. He is romantic in the sense that he is willing to stand up for others when they are at their lowest.

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.