The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

(AS I RECALL, THIS IS A 1947 M0VIE.)Seemed to me while I was watching this EXCELLENT fantasy/farce it looked like it was FILMED [much] before then. Had a WWII-feel to it.None-the-less, it was wonderful to watch.HIGHLY recommended!

If you enjoy vintage movies, and vintage campy humor, you can't do better than this.Danny Kaye is wonderful as an innocent, accident prone milquetoast with a rich fantasy life. And the supporting cast is just, wow! The color and images are stunning.The script is brilliant...tongue-in-cheek and witty in the manner of some of the best writing from films in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Ever see The Women? Same kind of laugh until you drop writing. You often get the impression there are two meanings...the "obvious" meaning for the general public, and the inside double meaning for the script writers and their little inside circle.Some think Danny Kaye was gay and that his scripts have a gay double-entendre. The evidence for Kaye's queerness is much contested (lots of debate about his supposed affair with Olivier) but either way I think it's clear that screenwriters of the time were so comfortable in the invisibility of gay culture that they had fun dropping a lot of double meanings in that back then went mostly unnoticed and today are just hilarious.Too bad this is out of print. Maybe they'll remake it. I paid $140 to get it used and I don't regret it.

Although author James Thurber had serious misgivings about MGM's adaptation of his story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947) turned out to be undeniably terrific entertainment. The wonderful Danny Kaye is perfect as Thurber's hopelessly daydreaming character as his fantasies open up visually into amusing heroics (the "tipocketica" sound effect thematically running through each fantasy). Seemingly, the daydreams are the only way of escape from milquetoast Walter's oppressive life, complete with a domineering mother, demanding fiance, and redundant job (writing suspense stories). The fun really begins when a woman (blond bombshell Virginia Mayo) bursts into his life, and suddenly, poor Mitty is thrust in the middle of a very real espionage situation, frought with danger. It's then fun to watch wide-eyed Kaye get tugged & pulled between what is his normal, henpecked existence, and his wobbling chance to beat the odds and become a true hero.The supporting cast (including the sinister presence of Boris Karloff) is top notch, and the story (particularly the fantasy sequences) benefit from the bright sparkle of a glossy MGM production.Definitely a Kaye classic that should be included in any fan's collection!

Watched this movie when I was a kid and it was one of my favorites. When the new remake Secret Life Of Walter Mitty came out I bought this so I could have a good comparison between the two movies. Most movie remakes loose the spirit of original. This movie now is a bit outdated with the slapstick comedy but I would recommend watching this first and then watching the new version afterward. The story line is different but the spirit of the first movie comes through. Both would be good to have in your movie collection.

My daughter bought this for me, I love the movie. It arrived quickly with good packaging. No issues with the dvd not working.

I don't think anyone nowadays really thinks this film is a true blue 'Classic' (is it even considered a minor classic? Witness the lateness in showing up on DVD, showing up only on the Warner Archive Collection and even then only in full screen ratio.) Nevertheless it is a fine fantasy comedy which manages to bring in some hearty laughs.The structure it's built on would make for a typical Hitchcock suspense/adventure/romance, in fact, the inclusion of Dutch treasures could very well be a nod to Foreign Correspondent (1940), and the daydreams themselves are basically an opportunity to have Kaye 'do his stuff,' whether it's bits of funny business, (musical instrument) mimicry or songs. You could take out the daydream sequences and it would not affect the story itself one bit, even if later there is an instance of 'is it real or not,' which is a natural development that arises from them.As it is there are lots of elements used in the language of genre films, the use of Karloff, the 'drive the hero/heroine insane plot,' and the film uses the pulp magazine work setting cleverly, constantly alluding to pulp fantasies in the daydreams. The daydreams have some ties to one another (most all sharing the taccata, taccata rythm and narration,) using the actors from the 'real life' sequences in different parts, and are obviously inspired by what Mitty is doing or the situation in which he finds himself at the time.The (1947) too late-in-the-game pulp publisher offices are fantastic probably in their scale, a real life Astounding Stories office of the time would probably be a more humble affair, but it's fine as it is they do acknowledge the transition to pocket size publications (equivalent to paperback, I guess.)In the final scenes the 'let's permit the rescue' plan strains credibility, but allows also for actual funny bits (the hand helping the foot along up the tree,) and also becomes the nudge that inspires the worm to finally turn.The film has also been influential (though one might say that it's actually the Thurber source story that is so) probably inspiring the Ralph Phillips WB cartoons From A to Z-Z-Z (1953,) and then Boyhood Daze (1957,) these have a different tone, Mitty is always effortlessly successful whereas Ralph Philips is somewhat of a victim; possibly The Daydreamer (1966) and ultimately remade as a Ben Stiller vehicle.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) remake is not really a bad film, although it takes the story in absolutely a different directions (even if still publishing house related - LIFE is the magazine this time) but proved unpopular upon release - a shame really.Despite (very minor) stumbles it remains a funny Kaye vehicle and I give it a full hearted recommendation.

I've always enjoyed this film for years after seeing it on TV decades ago. A worthwhile story originally from James Thurber which director Norman McCleod cleverly gets good performances from Danny Kaye (probably his best film) in the dream sequences. Virginia Mayo looks delicious thanks to makeup artist Robert Stephanoff. Apart from the funny light-hearted plot I like the glimpses of Manhatten in the late forties, double-deck busses and loads of those garish red and yellow De Soto cabs.

Lack of subtitles 🥵

Très beaux films

Just what I had been waiting for as a present to my lady.

This movie is a classic as are all Danny Kaye movies. It is in color and in excellent video and audio condition. After seeing this movie, I wouldn't bother seeing the remake. Walter Mitty is a bored office worker who day dreams, until one dream comes true.This a great movie to watch with some of Danny Kaye's comedy during the movie when he dreams. This is a must see.