It seems to be a universal experience to want to be able to leap out of our ordinary lives and instead pursue a supposedly more exciting existence, which plays into the idea that being entirely content with your life is very rare, and the majority of us have broader and more enthralling expectations or dreams, most of which we know will likely never be realised. If allowed to entirely overhaul our existence, I doubt many would be able to resist – and this is the exact premise of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a film by Norman Z. McLeod, who adapts the short story of the same title by James Thurber, and which follows the trials and tribulations of the titular character, a quiet young man who works for a publishing house, and frequently finds himself getting mercilessly lost in the stories that surround him, engaging in florid and elaborate daydreams that momentarily pluck him out of reality and place him right at the heart of some of the most exciting stories imaginable, with the eventual return to his humdrum routine being harrowing by comparison. A wonderfully funny comedic extravaganza that positions itself as a somewhat essential text in terms of this particular era of off-the-wall comedy that oscillates between satire and slapstick, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a terrific piece of filmmaking, and a tribute to a generation of people that were forced into lives that they knew was not for them, but which ultimately became their entire identity, secretly yearning for a better life on the other side of reality, something that this film addresses with poise and elegance throughout. McLeod is one of the rare directors-for-hire that became a minor household name as a result of working with several exceptional actors over the years, and while it may not be the definitive masterpiece we may expect, the film is still a delight that shows his aptitude for comedy and his ability to evoke some genuine hilarity from the most unexpected of moments, all of which is part of the immense appeal of this wonderfully irreverent film.

While it isn’t a direct adaptation of Thurber’s short story (instead functioning more as an active riff on its underlying themes), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is nonetheless a film that had the benefit of a very cinematic concept, one that could easily be reworked into a captivating film without too much effort. This is due to the structure, which places the audience as observers into the life of the titular character as he oscillates between his rapid-fire day-to-day life as a copywriter that is consistently overlooked, and the realm of fantasy in which he is a frequent pedestrian, where he can be absolutely anything he wants and be enormously successful, since there is seemingly no limit to what he can achieve when succumbing to his clearly endless imagination. This is a very simple concept, and one that is very easily cobbled into a genuinely captivating comedy with a slightly more sombre core, which feels even more intriguing considering the nature of how the film addresses certain ideas, elevating them to be more than just trivial additions to an already sprawling work. There’s something profoundly compelling about a story that follows a young man who has tried his best to leave his mark on the world, but finds himself constantly at odds with those who decide whether someone is worthy of being notable, or if they are just another forgettable drone in a world filled with unremarkable individuals, and where being a milquetoast is enough to have one consistently fail to be taken particularly seriously. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a terrific tribute to the dreamers and the underdogs, who very rarely can be appreciated as valuable members of society (since without them, we’d likely lose a lot of the most imaginative ideas known to us), and which would make our society considerably less exciting. It takes a while for these ideas to fully settle in, but once they appear, the film is a fast-paced, entertaining romp that is as narratively rich as it is profoundly engaging, something that can only come from the perfect marriage of concept and execution, both of which are exceptional in this instance.

Over the years, we’ve seen the ebb and flow of various acting archetypes, which come and go with the tide of public opinion and what they tend to gravitate towards, which is almost always a barometer for which actors will become popular and which are bound to fall into obscurity. One archetype we’ve mostly lost (except a few contemporary performers) is that of the old-fashioned showman, the actors who could sing and dance alongside their dramatic and comedic skills, and who were always popular based on their ability to do just about anything and make it look entirely seamless. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was designed as a vehicle for Danny Kaye, one of the most famous performers of the 1940s, and someone who audiences adored and the industry saw as extremely profitable, so much that they threw a seemingly unlimited sum towards McLeod to fashion a film that functions almost entirely as a showcase for his versatility, every one of his skills being highlighted throughout this film. At its core, the film finds Kaye mostly pandering to the comedic side of the material – his effervescent, eccentric personality is a perfect fit for the demure but quirky titular character, and he is such a magnetic screen presence that it’s not difficult to understand his popularity. However, it’s when he is asked to do more that his performance truly shines – there are some genuinely moving dramatic moments where he has to play either a dashing hero or a swoon-worthy romantic, and while no one would necessarily expect that from someone so comedic in his sensibility, Kaye nonetheless becomes entirely convincing. He does have a few moments where he sings and dances (including a centrepiece scene in which he performs at a fashion show), showcasing his full range of skills – and the fact that he does all of this while still maintaining a firm commitment to the character and what they represent only makes it a more interesting, compelling performance in both style and substance, something that is oddly quite a rare feat to accomplish from a modern perspective.

The reason The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has lingered so heavily in the culture, not only evading obscurity in the midst of many ambitious comedies at the time, but also coming to be seen as a landmark work in itself, is directly related to how McLeod handles many of the more unwieldy aspects of the film, primarily in coupling the story with a very particular set of tonal shifts. The film moves at a quickfire pace, and there isn’t much time for any dawdling, which requires the director to constantly be observing for ways to explore the world of this film without wasting time. He does this through making sure that absolutely every moment is justified by something in the narrative, and which serves a much broader purpose than we can see on the surface. The film exists at the perfect intersection of hilarious and heartfelt, and it never relies on one more than the other, and instead is formed from something much more realistic, which is a constant oscillation between them. Much like Kaye’s performance is designed as a showcase for his talents in multiple different character tropes, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a film that samples several genres, being essentially a compilation of vignettes in which we are launched into a different kind of environment, which is accompanied by all the expected genre conventions – the look and atmosphere are well-crafted and show the immense amount of effort that went into their creation, and the film constantly bounces around a very simple premise, one that is filled with exceptional technical mastery matched perfectly by the overall tone of the film, which moves between outrageously funny and genuinely quite moving, which is a definite surprise as far as executing these ideas goes. Ultimately, the film has both comedic and philosophical potential, and while these appear to be unconventional bedfellows, in the context of this film, they’re absolutely extraordinary and lead to something that is extremely earnest and heartfelt, even at the most inconsequential of moments, which leads to a story that is definitely much more engaging than we’d expect.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a slight oddity, since it is well-received and has stood the test of time relatively well, but also simultaneously feels slightly under-appreciated, with many modern viewers not being aware of its existence (and the presence of the excellent but wildly different version written and directed by Ben Stiller has meant that this film isn’t immediately recalled when the title is mentioned), and therefore not being witness to the technical and creative spectacle that is this film. It has an abundance of incredible ideas, carefully pieced together to create a vibrant and captivating comedy about the importance of following your dreams, regardless of their size or how much society says they are impossible to achieve. It is primarily a vehicle for Kaye and his incredible performance, which is such a technically proficient assemblage of talents; the fact that it seems so effortless is part of the charm, since he does exceptionally well to hide whatever seams exist beneath this performance. It’s certainly not difficult to understand why he is viewed as one of the biggest stars of the era, with his incredible, impeccably crafted approach to bringing his characters to life being extremely resonant and a clear sign of his talents. It is not a particularly serious film, and even its most detailed statements are quite obvious, which makes the film’s gradual descent into comedic chaos all the more enthralling on a fundamental level – and it has aged remarkably well, becoming a clear contender for one of the great comedies of its era, which was especially notable considering this was a film produced in the direct aftermath of the Second World War, so it functioned as more than just a comedic romp, but a meaningful balm to heal a broken country, which was aided immeasurably by the efforts of Kaye and his cohorts to enthrall and entertain with this delightfully charming, compelling little comedy.