What were they thinking of? You see some films and you think "went on a bit long" but nothing with the chutzpah of this film, which overstays its welcome by at least an hour. And the viewer is fishing around a lot to find much of a point to many of the scenes. Yet the vagueness, slowness and pointless detail of this film gives it a certain realism. I have rarely had such a sense of living in the 1950s (actually I did live through the 50s but you know what I mean). I definitely buy the plausibility of returned soldiers having troubling memories of the war, but Gregory Peck for all his agreeable presence doesn't deliver this theme with much conviction, as he is cool, calm and confident. Even less conviction is conveyed by grandma's white elephant house, which is clearly a multi-millionaire's mansion. Despite my concerns about authenticity I sat through the film with good humour, partly because I had no real idea where it was heading. I can't in all honesty award it more than 6 out of 10 though. The script needed slashing, the scenarios needed more genuine drama, and the messages needed more conviction. A piece of cinematic overindulgence which traded on star actors for acceptability, both then and now.
Review of The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
