I’ve now watched 57 movies from 1952. Finishing off almost all of the available movies rated by IMDb users at over 7/10 plus a few more was enough for me this time around.
1952 is not necessarily known as a great year overall for movies but film makers in Europe and Japan went from strength to strength and ended up dominating my favorites list. Two of the films, both foreign, were new to me from this last round of viewing. You can find a complete list of the movies I watched here.
In further warfare against television and rival 3-D movies, Hollywood developed wide-screen processes such as 20th Century Fox’s anamorphic CinemaScope, first seen in Henry Koster’s Biblical sword-and-sandal epic The Robe.  Warner Bros’ first 3-D film, the horror classic House of Wax was the first full-length color 3-D film produced and released by a major US studio – it was also the first 3-D film with a stereo soundtrack.  The feature also launched the horror film career of Vincent Price with his first major starring horror role.
Otto Preminger’s The Moon Is Blue used the then-forbidden word “virgin” (and others such as “seduce” and “pregnant”).  This deliberately violated the Motion Picture Production Code and led to picket lines. It was the first studio-produced film from Hollywood that was released without an approved code seal from the Production Code Administration. It proved to be a major hit film despite its lack of a seal of approval.
The Academy Awards ceremony was televised for the first time.
First H-Bomb test
On January 7 President Harry S. Truman announced the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb. Â The Soviet Union announced it had the H-bomb on August 8.
Francis Crick and James Watson published “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid”, their description of the double helix structure of DNA. Jonas Salk announced his polio vaccine.
Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy magazine, selling for 50 cents. It featured emerging starlet Marilyn Monroe on the cover and as the first centerfold model (although her picture had been taken specifically for a calendar in 1949 and not for the magazine). Â Earl Warren was appointed Chief Justice of the United States by U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Pulitzer Prize for fiction went to The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and t
William Inge won the prize for Drama with his play Picnic. Â Once again, the number one song was an instrumental, “Theme from Moulin Rouge” by Percy Faith, which spent ten weeks on top of the charts.
Hillary and Tenzing
On May 29,  Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest just in time for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  Later in the year, sugar rationing ended in the UK.
The North Sea flood killed 1,836 people in the southwestern Netherlands, 307 in the United Kingdom and several hundred at sea. Â Joseph Stalin died on March 5. Â Marshal Josip Broz Tito became president of Yugoslavia. Ian Fleming published his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.Â
The Korean War ended with the Korean Armistice Agreement: United Nations Command (Korea) (United States), People’s Republic of China, North Korea sign an armistice agreement at Panmunjom, establishing the uneasy border between the communist north and the democratic south. Â The CIA helped to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran, and retain Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on the throne.
*****************************************
The 1953 movies I will select from are listed here. Â I have previously reviewed the following 1953 films on this blog: Â ; ; ; ; ; and .
With a Song in My Heart Directed by Walter Lang Written by Lamar Trotti 1952/USA Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Success in show business depends on your ability to make and keep friends. — Sophie Tucker [/box]
Susan Hayward is terrific in this otherwise standard biopic/musical.
This is the story of radio, stage, and television singer Jane Froman and Froman dubs all the many songs.
The film is narrated by Don Ross (David Wayne). The story begins when Froman comes in to audition for the radio. She walks in as the studio is still occupied by Ross who had just been rejected, together with his vaudeville partner who has now split up their act. Ross pretends to be a radio executive and gives Jane some pointers on her singing. She is hired and Don soon becomes her manager. They spend most of their time together and Don starts asking her to marry him. She’s reluctant but eventually gives in. Her career goes like gangbusters.
After the U.S. enters WWII, Jane volunteers to entertain the troops in Europe. The plane crashes on landing in Portugal. Jane has serious leg and back injuries and starts a protracted stay in a Lisbon hospital. She must undergo many painful surgeries and procedures. She is kept sane by her nurse Clancy (Thelma Ritter) and John Burn (Rory Calhoun), the pilot who is hospitalized with her. Burn eventually admits his love for her and Jane is torn between her love for him and her loyalty to Don for the rest of the film. Clancy returns to the States with Jane and becomes her lifelong companion. We follow along as Jane overcomes her disabilities to make a come-back. With Robert Wagner as a shell-shocked paratrooper.
I must say I don’t particularly care for Froman’s voice or singing style. The story is very predictable as well. I still enjoyed the movie, though, due to Hayward’s fine performance in a role far outside her normal range. Thelma Ritter is a kick as she always is.
Alfred Newman won an Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. The film was nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Actress; Best Supporting Actress (Ritter); Best Costume Design, Color; and Best Sound, Recording.
Bellisima Directed by Luchino Visconti Written by Suso Cecci D’Amico, Francesco Rosi, and Luchino Visconti; story by Cesare Zavattini 1952/Italy CEI Incom
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] It’s difficult being a child actor. I don’t think everything beautiful has to be exploited. Some things can be beautiful and left beautiful. — Rick Schroeder[/box]
This had some nice moments, especially near the end, but way too much yelling to be enjoyable for me.
Maddelena Cecconi (Anna Magnani) lives with her blue-collar worker husband and their only child, Maria. She contributes to the household income by giving injections to diabetics and to people looking to build up their strength. When Maddelena hears that a director at Cinecitta is holding an open audition for a little girl to appear in his next film, she is right there with Maria.
Maddelena isn’t too smart but she is absolutely determined. She soon finds herself surrounded by vultures who are offering their services to improve Maria’s chances in her call-back. One of these manages to get hold of the money that the family had saved to buy a house. Maddelena is also blind to Maria’s lack of enthusiasm for the entire project.
I like Anna Magnani as an actress but she shouted continuously during this movie – even when she was not necessarily angry. I think it’s an accurate presentation of a certain type of Italian woman but it still got on my nerves. She has some nice moments at the end (see clip). My favorite character was her husband. This is a highly rated movie and other viewers might love it.
Clip – no subtitles but will be a spoiler if you understand
My Cousin Rachel Directed by Henry Koster Written by Nunnally Johnson from the novel by Daphne Du Maurier 1952/USA Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] “The point is, life has to be endured, and lived. But how to live it is the problem.” ― Daphne Du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel[/box]
There was nothing wrong with this as a movie per se but I just couldn’t get behind the story.
Philip Ashley (Richard Burton) was brought up by his adored uncle Ambrose. When Philip is grown, Ambrose travels to Italy for his health, leaving his nephew behind to watch over the estate. While in Florence, Ambrose falls in love with and marries the Countess Rachel Sangaletti, a widow. Then Philip starts getting letters. His uncle’s handwriting has deteriorated and it is evident that he has grown afraid of his wife. The last letter begs Philip to come to him. The family lawyer reminds Philip that Ambrose’s father died of a brain tumor and that such things could be hereditary and thus account for his uncle’s state of mind.
Philip arrives in Florence to find his uncle already dead. He meets with his uncle’s Italian solicitor Guido Rinaldi who tells him that he died after a long illness. Uncle Ambrose left Philip his entire estate. The widow has already left Florence. Rinaldi tells Philip that his uncle was raving mad during the last part of the illness and very paranoid. Philip isn’t having any of this and vows revenge on the widow.
After Philip returns home, Rachel arrives to return the uncles possessions to him. He is amazed to see that the widow is a relatively young, sweet woman. It doesn’t take long until Philip is head over heels in love with her. He is so in love in fact that he gives Rachel a handsome allowance and a treasured family necklace, which the lawyer takes back because Philip has not yet come of age. Rachel is observed to have transferred most of the money out of the country. This may have been to satisfy some large debts. On his birthday, Philip announces that he is deeding the entire estate over to Rachel. She happily accepts but when Philip also announces their engagement she balks.
This is a handsome movie with good acting. I had a real problem with the plot because most of Philip’s actions seemed totally inexplicable to me. Also, the ending, which I will not reveal, was unsatisfactory not because things were left open but because it seemed abundantly clear what had been going on. I also did not understand why Philip was to blame for what happened. If someone has seen this, I would appreciate any insight that could be given.
My Cousin Rachel was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Supporting Actor (Burton); Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White; and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.
Breaking the Sound Barrier Directed by David Lean Written by Terrence Rattigan 1952/UK London Film Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.– Chuck Yeager [/box]
Not what one might expect from the creative talent involved but still a solid picture about the development of supersonic flight.
The movie begins in the midst of World War II. Tony Garthwaite (Nigel Patrick) is a pilot in the RAF. Susan Ridgefield (Ann Todd) serves in one of the women’s services. Her father John Ridgefield (Ralph Richardson) owns one of Britain’s premier aviation companies. Tony and Susan marry. When she takes him home the two men in her life get along like gangbusters and John offers Tony a job as a test pilot after the war. He gladly accepts.
The introduction of Tony into the family is a comfort to John, who despairs of his son Chris (Denholm Elliot) who is trying to get into the RAF. Chris hates flying and eventually crashes on his first solo flight, made to please his father. Susan can’t forgive her father for this and also believes he has never forgiven her for not being a boy.
Most of the film deals with Ridgeway’s development of a supersonic jet and the very scary test flights that are required to prove the technology. John Ridgeway is obsessed with his project and takes a very detached attitude to the risks run by his pilots. Susan can hardly stand to sit by during these flights but Tony’s life is flying and it is something he has got to do.
I was kind of disappointed with this. The whole thing is workmanlike but I thought it dragged quite a bit for something that is about half nail-biting flight sequences. Richardson is as usual outstanding but could have used a script with more for him to sink his teeth into. Aviation enthusiasts might enjoy this more than I did.
According to Wikipedia: Contrary to what is depicted in the film, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier was the rocket-powered Bell X-1 flown by Chuck Yeager of the United States Air Force in 1947. Yeager, who was present at the U.S. premiere, later said The Sound Barrier was entertaining, but not that realistic – and any pilot who attempted to break the sound barrier in the manner portrayed in the film would have been killed. Nevertheless, because the 1947 Bell X-1 flight had not been widely publicized, many who had seen The Sound Barrier thought it was a true story in which the first supersonic flight is made by British pilots.
Breaking the Sound Barrier won an Oscar for Best Sound, Recording. It was nominated for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
Othello Directed by Orson Welles Written by William Shakespeare 1952/USA/Italy/Morocco/France Mercury Prodcutions/Les Films Marceau
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Iago: Oh beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.[/box]
The music and sound quality of the version I watched really got in the way of this movie for me.
Probably all my readers know the plot of Shakespeare’s Othello. Othello (Orson Welles) is a black Moor who is a general in the Venetian army. He secretly marries the beautiful Desdemona (Suzanne Cloutier) against her father’s wishes. Iago (Michaél MacLiammóir), an ensign, is consumed with jealousy of Othello not only for his conquest of Desdemona but for promoting the younger Cassio above him. Iago tries to get Othello executed for “using witchcraft” to seduce Desdemona but Othello is saved by his convincing story and by the fact he is needed to lead troops agains the Turks on the island of Cyprus.
Iago vows to destroy his rival and concludes the best way is though the general’s love for his wife. By various stratagems, he convinces Othello that Desdemona has been having an affair with Cassio. The play ends in tragedy.
The last time I saw this film I rated it highly but this time the music ruined it for me. Add to that the very murky post-synched dialogue track and I was unable to get lost in the film. As could be expected from Welles, he did make it look great on a shoestring budget. I saw some kind of a cheapo public domain version. I see there is a restoration and seeing that might have aided my appreciation.
Orson Welles won the Grand Prize at Cannes for this film.
Decision Before Dawn Directed by Anatole Litvak Written by Peter Viertel from the novel “Call It Treason” by George Howe 1951/USA Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Bavaria Fild
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Lt. Dick Rennick: [Intro narration] Of all the questions left unanswered by the last war, and probably any war, one comes back constantly to my mind. Why does a spy risk his life… for what possible reason? If the spy wins, he’s ignored. If he loses, he’s shot.[/box]
This “now-it-can-be-told” WWII war movie is a bit heavy on the propaganda. It’s not bad though.
Col. Devil (Gary Merrill) finally gets permission to recruit German POWs for voluntary espionage work behind enemy lines. New unit radioman Lt. Rick Devlin (Richard Basehart) is sceptical that Nazi soldiers can be trusted. Among the first Germans to be recruited are “Tiger” a cynical ex-con and “Happy” (Oskar Werner), an idealistic medic. Ironically, Devlin is assigned to accompany them as communicator.
The story primarily follows Happy’s adventures. He is saddened by the cynicism and lingering fascism among his people and conflicted about providing information that could endanger his doctor father in a bombing raid. Nevertheless, he changes Devlin’s mind about Germans. With Hildegard Knef as a kind of double agent lush.
I couldn’t get too excited about this movie but Werner is very good in his Hollywood debut and the action sequences are convincing. The movie makers aim of rehabilitating the image of Germans is not well concealed and there is a bit of speechifying as well. The movie was shot on location in Germany and shows the devastation still evident five years after the war was over.
Decision Before Dawn was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Film Editing.
We were fated not to travel on the Viking Star (below). The brand new ship broke down during the previous cruise to ours in Tallinn. Those passengers were stuck for several days. The cruise line said they would put up all 1000 passengers on our cruise in hotel rooms in Bergen for two days and then fly us all to Copenhagen where we would catch up with the ship two days late and miss the first two ports of call while we got to Lisbon. It all sounded like a logistical nightmare so when they offered to refund our money we grabbed it.
We did have a lovely time in Stockholm seeing relatives. We even stumbled on this street near the national theater.
2015 will go down as my year of overseas travel. My husband and I are starting off for Europe on August 1. We will start out with sort of a family reunion (his) in Stockholm for a week and then continue on for a cruise from Bergen to Barcelona. I will return to reviewing 1951 movies shortly after our return on August 25.
I’ve been a classic movie fan for many years. My original mission was to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. I have completed that mission.
I then carried on with my chronological journey and and stopped midway through 1978. You can find my reviews of 1934-1978 films and “Top 10” lists for the 1929-1936 and 1944-77 films I saw here. For the past several months I have circled back to view the pre-Code films that were never reviewed here.
I’m a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Indio, California. When I’m not watching movies, I’m probably traveling, watching birds, knitting, or reading.
Photographs and videos found in this blog, unless indicated, are not owned by me and are here only for the purpose of education and discussion. Media found here are not intended for any commercial purpose. Copyright infringement is not intended.
Written material belongs to me and is copyrighted by flickersintime.com
