1952: A Viewer's Guide
by millsy | created - 13 Feb 2012 | updated - 1 month ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Ikiru (1952)
Not Rated | 143 min | Drama
A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori, Haruo Tanaka
Votes: 87,513 | Gross: $0.06M
2. Forbidden Games (1952)
Not Rated | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, War
A young French girl orphaned in a German air attack is befriended by the son of a poor farmer, and together they try to come to terms with the realities of death.
Director: René Clément | Stars: Georges Poujouly, Brigitte Fossey, Amédée, Laurence Badie
Votes: 13,097 | Gross: $0.01M
3. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Passed | 118 min | Drama, Romance
An unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell
Votes: 16,449
4. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,572 | Gross: $8.82M
5. The Life of Oharu (1952)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Follows a woman's fight and survival amid the vicissitudes of life and the cruelty of society.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirô Sugai, Toshirô Mifune
Votes: 7,643
6. Othello (1951)
Approved | 90 min | Drama, Romance
The Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier
Votes: 9,451
7. Umberto D. (1952)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama
An elderly man and his dog struggle to survive on his government pension in Rome.
Director: Vittorio De Sica | Stars: Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Ileana Simova
Votes: 28,171 | Gross: $0.07M
8. The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
When Algernon discovers that his friend, Ernest, has created a fictional brother for whenever he needs a reason to escape dull country life, Algernon poses as the brother, resulting in ever increasing confusion.
Director: Anthony Asquith | Stars: Michael Redgrave, Richard Wattis, Michael Denison, Walter Hudd
Votes: 6,364
9. 5 Fingers (1952)
Approved | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
During WWII the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie, Walter Hampden
Votes: 5,467
10. High Noon (1952)
PG | 85 min | Drama, Thriller, Western
A town Marshal, despite the disagreements of his newlywed bride and the townspeople around him, must face a gang of deadly killers alone at "high noon" when the gang leader, an outlaw he "sent up" years ago, arrives on the noon train.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges
Votes: 110,140 | Gross: $9.45M
11. The Quiet Man (1952)
Passed | 129 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A retired American boxer returns to the village of his birth in 1920s Ireland, where he falls for a spirited redhead whose brother is contemptuous of their union.
Director: John Ford | Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond
Votes: 42,389 | Gross: $10.55M
12. Scaramouche (1952)
Approved | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In France during the late 18th Century, a man sets out to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of a master swordsman.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, Eleanor Parker, Mel Ferrer
Votes: 6,364
13. The White Sheik (1952)
Not Rated | 83 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
During a day of their honeymoon, newlyweds are separated by the city's lust and the desires it produces.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Alberto Sordi, Giulietta Masina, Brunella Bovo, Leopoldo Trieste
Votes: 6,915
14. Le Plaisir (1952)
Not Rated | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three separate stories about the same thing: le plaisir (pleasure).
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, Simone Simon, Claude Dauphin
Votes: 5,376
15. Casque d'Or (1952)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Three gangsters and an ex-con carpenter all fall for the same beautiful golden-haired woman in Belle Époque France.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Claude Dauphin, Raymond Bussières
Votes: 6,216
16. The Marrying Kind (1952)
92 min | Comedy, Drama
Florence and Chet Keefer have had a troublesome marriage. Whilst in the middle of a divorce hearing, the judge encourages them to remember the good times they have had, hoping that the ... See full summary »
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Judy Holliday, Aldo Ray, Madge Kennedy, Sheila Bond
Votes: 1,639
17. The Lusty Men (1952)
Passed | 113 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against the wishes of Merritt's wife who fears the dangers of this rough sport.
Directors: Nicholas Ray, Robert Parrish | Stars: Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy, Arthur Hunnicutt
Votes: 3,655
18. Clash by Night (1952)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
Mae Doyle comes back to her hometown a cynical woman. Her brother Joe fears that his love, fish cannery worker Peggy, may wind up like Mae. Mae marries Jerry and has a baby; she is happy but restless, drawn to Jerry's friend Earl.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe
Votes: 7,354
19. Monkey Business (1952)
Approved | 97 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
A chemist finds his personal and professional life turned upside down when one of his chimpanzees finds the fountain of youth.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn
Votes: 15,570
20. The Sniper (1952)
Approved | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A sniper kills young brunettes as the police attempt to grapple with the psychology of the unknown assailant.
Director: Edward Dmytryk | Stars: Arthur Franz, Adolphe Menjou, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor
Votes: 3,740
21. Androcles and the Lion (1952)
Approved | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Story of a Christian in ancient Rome who befriends a lion.
Directors: Chester Erskine, Nicholas Ray | Stars: Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Alan Young, Robert Newton
Votes: 1,062
22. Angel Face (1952)
Approved | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Ambulance driver Frank Jessup is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman, Herbert Marshall
Votes: 9,023
23. Bend of the River (1952)
Approved | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When a town boss confiscates homesteaders' supplies after gold is discovered nearby, a tough cowboy risks his life to try and get it to them.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams
Votes: 9,896
24. The Captive City (1952)
Approved | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A small town newspaperman's investigation into a local bookie operation turns up a web of organized crime.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: John Forsythe, Joan Camden, Harold J. Kennedy, Marjorie Crossland
Votes: 1,261
25. The Promoter (1952)
Approved | 85 min | Comedy
Edward Machin, an Edwardian-era young rogue of lowly origin, decides he must do what he can to raise his living standards in order to see the world and shape his own destiny.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns, Valerie Hobson, Petula Clark
Votes: 1,828
The Card
26. Carrie (1952)
Approved | 118 min | Drama, Romance
A young girl from a provincial town learns the bitter reality of a big city and great love.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins, Eddie Albert
Votes: 2,729
27. Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)
Approved | 99 min | Drama, Romance
An emotionally remote recovering alcoholic and his dowdy, unambitious wife face a personal crisis when they take in an attractive lodger.
Director: Daniel Mann | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Shirley Booth, Terry Moore, Richard Jaeckel
Votes: 5,385
28. The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Not Rated | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
During the 1700s, pirate Captain Vallo seizes a British warship and gets involved in various money-making schemes involving Caribbean rebels led by El Libre, British envoy Baron Jose Gruda, and a beautiful courtesan named Consuelo.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok, Torin Thatcher
Votes: 6,986
29. Deadline - U.S.A. (1952)
Passed | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
With his newspaper about to be sold, crusading editor Ed Hutcheson tries to complete an exposé on gangster Rienzi.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Barrymore, Kim Hunter, Ed Begley
Votes: 4,097
30. Denver & Rio Grande (1952)
Passed | 89 min | Drama, Western
A romanticized history of the building of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in the Colorado mountains.
Director: Byron Haskin | Stars: Edmond O'Brien, Sterling Hayden, Dean Jagger, Kasey Rogers
Votes: 617
31. Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
Passed | 76 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery
After being dumped by his girlfriend, an airline pilot pursues a babysitter in his hotel and gradually realizes she's dangerous.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft, Donna Corcoran
Votes: 8,489
32. Europe '51 (1952)
Not Rated | 118 min | Drama
A wealthy woman becomes obsessed with humanitarianism when her young son dies after committing suicide.
Director: Roberto Rossellini | Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Alexander Knox, Ettore Giannini, Giulietta Masina
Votes: 4,785
33. Fanfan la Tulipe (1952)
Not Rated | 102 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Swashbuckling adventures of young army recruit Fanfan la Tulipe during the reign of King Louis XV in 18th Century France.
Director: Christian-Jaque | Stars: Gérard Philipe, Gina Lollobrigida, Marcel Herrand, Olivier Hussenot
Votes: 3,433
34. Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
Passed | 112 min | Biography, Family, Musical
The opening scene of the movie describes it best: "Once upon a time there lived in Denmark a great storyteller named Hans Christian Andersen. This is not the story of his life, but a fairy tale about the great spinner of fairy tales."
Director: Charles Vidor | Stars: Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Zizi Jeanmaire, Joseph Walsh
Votes: 4,218
35. Ivanhoe (1952)
Approved | 106 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A knight seeks to free the captive King Richard and put him back on the throne.
Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
Votes: 10,221
36. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An ex-con trying to go straight is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to Mexico in order to unmask the real culprits.
Director: Phil Karlson | Stars: John Payne, Coleen Gray, Preston Foster, Neville Brand
Votes: 8,138
37. Moulin Rouge (1952)
Not Rated | 119 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Fictional account of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Director: John Huston | Stars: José Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Suzanne Flon, Claude Nollier
Votes: 6,519 | Gross: $11.81M
38. My Cousin Rachel (1952)
Approved | 98 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A young man plots revenge against the woman he believes murdered his cousin, but his plans are shaken when he comes face to face with the enigmatic beauty.
Director: Henry Koster | Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Richard Burton, Audrey Dalton, Ronald Squire
Votes: 3,394
39. The Narrow Margin (1952)
Approved | 71 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Directors: Richard Fleischer, William Cameron Menzies | Stars: Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White, Gordon Gebert
Votes: 8,653
40. Nobody's Children (1951)
102 min | Drama, Romance
The tragic love story between marble-quarry owner Mario and Luisa, daughter of one of his employees.
Director: Raffaello Matarazzo | Stars: Yvonne Sanson, Amedeo Nazzari, Françoise Rosay, Folco Lulli
Votes: 415
41. Park Row (1952)
Approved | 83 min | Drama, Thriller
The Globe is a small, but visionary newspaper started by Phineas Mitchell, an editor recently fired by The Star. The two newspapers become enemies, and the Star's ruthless heiress Charity Hackett decides to eliminate the competition.
Director: Samuel Fuller | Stars: Bela Kovacs, Herbert Heyes, Tina Pine, George O'Hanlon
Votes: 2,012
42. Pat and Mike (1952)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
Pat is a women's sports sensation unless her fiancé is around. Her new shady manager Mike keeps them apart and develops feelings for her.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching
Votes: 6,150
43. Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
105 min | Drama, Film-Noir
While awaiting a delayed flight, a lawyer who has left his unfaithful wife, befriends three fellow passengers. After the plane crashes and he is among the few to survive, he feels compelled to contact the families of his dead friends.
Director: Jean Negulesco | Stars: Bette Davis, Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill, Michael Rennie
Votes: 3,004
44. Rancho Notorious (1952)
Approved | 89 min | Western
After the murder of his fiancée, a Wyoming ranch hand sets out to find her killer.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy, Mel Ferrer, Gloria Henry
Votes: 5,528
45. Scandal Sheet (1952)
Passed | 82 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
The editor of an exploitation newspaper commits a murder and assigns his protégé to investigate hoping to divert attention away from himself.
Director: Phil Karlson | Stars: John Derek, Donna Reed, Broderick Crawford, Rosemary DeCamp
Votes: 3,476
46. Something to Live For (1952)
Approved | 89 min | Drama
An actress becomes an alcoholic after being jilted. She is aided by an Alcoholics Anonymous member with whom she has an affair; however, he is married.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Joan Fontaine, Ray Milland, Teresa Wright, Richard Derr
Votes: 431
47. Sudden Fear (1952)
Approved | 110 min | Film-Noir, Thriller
After an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.
Director: David Miller | Stars: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett
Votes: 7,336
48. With a Song in My Heart (1952)
Approved | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A talented singer's musical career begins to soar.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 1,506
49. Horizons West (1952)
Approved | 81 min | Western
Two brothers end up on opposite sides of the law in post-Civil War Texas.
Director: Budd Boetticher | Stars: Robert Ryan, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson, Judith Braun
Votes: 1,169
pending
50. Mexican Bus Ride (1952)
74 min | Comedy
A newly-wed country boy receives the terrible news that his mother is dying, and takes a long and dangerous bus trip to the city to contact a notary for her last will and testament. Will he resist temptation and do the right thing?
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Lilia Prado, Carmelita González, Esteban Mayo, Luis Aceves Castañeda
Votes: 1,452
pending
51. The Stranger in Between (1952)
Approved | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A violent fugitive and a mistreated small boy team up to flee from authority.
Director: Charles Crichton | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Jon Whiteley, Elizabeth Sellars, Kay Walsh
Votes: 1,419
pending
52. Boots Malone (1952)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, Sport
Rich kid ducks school and goes to the racetrack to learn how to be a jockey.
Director: William Dieterle | Stars: William Holden, Stanley Clements, Basil Ruysdael, Carl Benton Reid
Votes: 463
53. The World in His Arms (1952)
Approved | 104 min | Action, Adventure, History
In 1850 San Francisco, a Russian Countess runs away from an arranged marriage to a Russian Prince and falls into the arms of an American sea captain who occasionally poaches seals in Russian Alaska.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth, Anthony Quinn, John McIntire
Votes: 2,333 | Gross: $3.00M
54. O. Henry's Full House (1952)
Approved | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
John Steinbeck introduces a quintet of five of O. Henry's most celebrated stories from his New York Period (1902-1910) in this anthology film.
Directors: Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King, Henry Koster, Jean Negulesco | Stars: Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain, Farley Granger
Votes: 3,063
55. Holiday for Henrietta (1952)
118 min | Comedy
After the rejection of their latest--preposterous--scenario, two scriptwriters get back to basics to prepare a new movie. The new scenario centers on Henriette, a pretty, lively Parisian, ... See full summary »
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Dany Robin, Michel Auclair, Hildegard Knef, Louis Seigner
Votes: 397
56. Macao (1952)
Passed | 81 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Nick Cochran, an American in exile in Macao, has a chance to restore his name by helping capture an international crime lord. Undercover, can he mislead the bad guys and still woo the attractive singer/petty crook, Julie Benson?
Directors: Josef von Sternberg, Mel Ferrer, Nicholas Ray, Robert Stevenson | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix, Thomas Gomez
Votes: 3,801
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