Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Cafe Rocca, Via della Rotonda 25, Pantheon, Rome, Lazio, Italy
 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1953
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Romance
 
Keyword(s)
starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati, Hartley Power, Laura Solari, directed by William Wyler, written by Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton, comedy, romance, box office success, budget, reviewed by Milton Luban, Peter Bradshaw, David Jenkins, James Berardinelli, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, David Nusair, Matt Brunson, Frank J Avella, Allison Rose, Mike Massie, Clyde Gilmour, Audrey Hepburn’s American debut, European princess, American reporter, exclusive interview, romantic comedy, Rome, Italy, postwar Europe, William Wyler as producer, Paramount Pictures as distributor, Mono sound mix, 97% Tomatometer, 93% audience score
 

Cast & Crew

Gregory Peck

Audrey Hepburn

Eddie Albert

Tullio Carminati

Hartley Power

Joe Bradley

Princess Ann

Irving Radovich

Gen. Provno

Mr. Hennessy

Gregory Peck – Joe Bradley
Audrey Hepburn – Princess Ann
Eddie Albert – Irving Radovich
Tullio Carminati – Gen. Provno
Hartley Power – Mr. Hennessy
Laura Solari – Secretary

 

William Wyler

Dalton Trumbo

William Wyler

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
William Wyler
 
Writer(s)
Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton
 
Producer(s)
William Wyler

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
11 wins & 17 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Milton Luban

Peter Bradshaw

David Jenkins

James Berardinelli

Variety Staff

Hollywood Reporter

Guardian

Little White Lies

ReelViews

Variety

ROMAN HOLIDAY
  All Critics (60) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (2)
  With Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn turning in superb performances, Roman Holiday is 118 minutes of sheer entertainment.
 
  August 30, 2019
 
  Milton Luban
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  A lovely film.
 
  July 18, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Hepburn represents all western cinema, finally allowed out to play on the cobbled streets of postwar Europe.
 
  July 18, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
 
  David Jenkins
  Little White Lies
  TOP CRITIC
  For lovers of romantic comedies through the ages, Roman Holiday remains a favorite.
 
  April 1, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  James Berardinelli
  ReelViews
  TOP CRITIC
  [Wyler] times the chuckles with a never-flagging pace, puts heart into the laughs, endows the footage with some boff bits of business and points up some tender, poignant scenes in using the smart script and the cast to the utmost advantage.
 
  August 13, 2007
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Wyler lays out all the elements with care and precision, but the romantic comedy never comes together — it’s charm by computer.
 
  August 13, 2007
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  …a somewhat overlong and exceedingly deliberate endeavor that undeniably grows more and more absorbing as it unfolds…
 
  February 15, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  David Nusair
  Reel Film Reviews
  An utterly disarming romantic comedy. The “Mouth of Truth” scene is a genuine classic, but the film is packed with equally delightful interludes.
 
  September 19, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  Hepburn is a marvel, mixing deep pathos with a restless yearning. She also proves to be a gifted comic. I cannot praise her performance effusively enough.
 
  September 15, 2020 | Rating: A+
 
  Frank J. Avella
  Edge Media Network
  The marrying of a classic movie with the most up to date technology makes this release a must-have.
 
  September 15, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Allison Rose
  FlickDirect
  None of the events are terribly thrilling or romantic, and the unhurried casualness with which they’re all approached borders on boring.
 
  August 23, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  William Wyler, an expert at heavy drama, here proves equally adroit in handling a gay romantic comedy.
 
  November 14, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine…

 

Plot
Joe Bradley is a reporter for the American News Service in Rome, a job he doesn’t much like as he would rather work for what he considers a real news agency back in the States. He is on the verge of getting fired when he, sleeping in and getting caught in a lie by his boss Hennessy, misses an interview with HRH Princess Ann, who is on a goodwill tour of Europe, Rome only her latest stop. However, he thinks he may have stumbled upon a huge scoop. Princess Ann has officially called off all her Rome engagements due to illness. In reality, he recognizes the photograph of her as being the young well but simply dressed drunk woman he rescued off the street last night (as he didn’t want to turn her into the police for being a vagrant), and who is still in his small studio apartment sleeping off her hangover. What Joe doesn’t know is that she is really sleeping off the effects of a sedative given to her by her doctor to calm her down after an anxiety attack, that anxiety because she hates her regimented life where she has no freedom and must always do and say the politically correct things, not what is truly on her mind or in her heart. In wanting just a little freedom, she seized upon a chance opportunity to escape from the royal palace where she was staying, albeit with no money in her pockets. Joe believes he can get an exclusive interview with her without she even knowing that he’s a reporter or that he’s interviewing her. As Joe accompanies “Anya Smith” – her name as she tells him in trying to hide her true identity – around Rome on her incognito day of freedom somewhat unaware that the secret service is searching for her, along for the ride is Joe’s photographer friend, Irving Radovich, who Joe has tasked with clandestinely taking photographs of her, those photos to accompany the story. As the day progresses, Joe and Ann slowly start to fall for each other. Their feelings for each other affect what both decide to do, Ann with regard to her royal duties, Joe with regard to the story, and both with regard to if there is a future for them together.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found on Fresh Kernels about the film Roman Holiday.
 

 
William-Wyler.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Sarasota, Florida, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1952
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
 
Keyword(s)
starring Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, James Stewart, directed by Cecil B DeMille, written by Fredric M Frank, Theodore St John, Frank Cavett, Fredric M Frank, Barré Lyndon, Theodore St John, drama, romance, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Times (UK) Staff, Edwin Schallert, Bob Thomas, David Hanna, Herb Golden, James Wegg, P.S Harrison, MPAA rating, produced by Cecil B DeMille, Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus, life behind the scenes, love and jealousy, circus, train wreck, melodramatic, innocent charm, extravagant, three-ring circus, passionate scenes, spectacle, documentary footage, Hollyactors, involved plot, comic relief, Buttons the Clown, makeup
 

Cast & Crew

Betty Hutton

Charlton Heston

Cornel Wilde

Dorothy Lamour

Gloria Grahame

Holly

Marc Braden

The Great Sebastien

Phyllis

Angel

Betty Hutton – Holly
Charlton Heston – Marc Braden
Cornel Wilde – The Great Sebastien
Dorothy Lamour – Phyllis
Gloria Grahame – Angel
James Stewart – Buttons

 

Cecil B. DeMille

Fredric M Frank

Cecil B. DeMille

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Cecil B. DeMille
 
Writer(s)
Fredric M Frank, Theodore St. John, Frank Cavett, Fredric M Frank, Barré Lyndon, Theodore St. John
 
Producer(s)
Cecil B. DeMille

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Edwin Schallert

Bob Thomas

David Hanna

TIME Staff

Herb Golden

Times (UK)

Los Angeles Times

Associated Press

Hollywood Reporter

TIME Magazine

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
 All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (21)
 Curious it is that, in spite of all the scenes. blaringly, glaringly effective which belong specifically to the sawdust ring, both Mr. de Mille and The Greatest Show on Earth are most themselves in the scene of the railway disaster.
 
 April 1, 2021
 
 Times (UK) Staff
 Times (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 De Mille provides the maximum of entertainment in his production, not to speak of glamour, and above all the spirit that forever lurks under the big top.
 
 April 1, 2021
 
 Edwin Schallert
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 There is also a troupe of Hollyactors who act out an involved plot calculated to extend the long duration of the picture.
 
 February 19, 2019
 
 Bob Thomas
 Associated Press
 TOP CRITIC
 No merger in the theatrical world has ever come off more stunningly than this meeting of two giants of entertainment – the Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Circus and Cecil B. DeMille.
 
 January 11, 2019
 
 David Hanna
 Hollywood Reporter
 TOP CRITIC
 The movie’s plot does not quite hold all this pageantry together, but De Mille’s scripters and actors enter into the thing in the proper flamboyant spirit.
 
 February 18, 2009
 
 TIME Staff
 TIME Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 This is the circus with more entertainment, more thrills, more spangles and as much Big Top atmosphere as RB-B&B itself can offer. It’s a smash certainty for high-wire grosses.
 
 January 28, 2008
 
 Herb Golden
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 Most of the comic relief (so very Shakespeare without the telling lines) is Buttons the Clown, who never takes off his makeup… James Stewart has fun with the role.
 
 December 29, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 James Wegg
 JWR
 One of the greatest entertainment values to hit the screen in years.
 
 July 13, 2021
 
 Howard McClay
 Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)
 the subplots are regularly interrupted by DeMille’s extensive documentary footage of the circus, which would work much better if it were substantially shorter and therefore more clearly integrated into the drama
 
 June 17, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 James Kendrick
 Q Network Film Desk
 Did it deserve to win Best Picture? Absolutely not. Does it deserve the designation of worst Best Picture Oscar winner? Absolutely not.
 
 April 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 The Greatest Show on Earth is certainly one of DeMille’s grandest undertakings but dubbed one of the worst of all the Oscar Best Picture winners, it isn’t his best.
 
 April 2, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Allison Rose
 FlickDirect
 The Greatest Show on Earth, in Technicolor, is great, not only in name but also in fact; it is the best picture that Mr. DeMille has ever made and one of the few best in the history of the motion picture business.
 
 April 1, 2021
 
 P.S. Harrison
 Harrison’s Reports…

 

Plot
To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground. Subplots involve the secret past of Buttons the Clown and the efforts of racketeers to move in on the game concessions. Let the show begin!
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of The Greatest Show on Earth includes Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, and James Stewart in clown garb.
 

 
Cecil-B.-DeMille.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Liberty Films,
 
Distributor
United Artists
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Lake Albert, Uganda
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and smoking
 
Year of Release
1952
 

 
Genre(s)
Adventure
 
Keyword(s)
starring Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull, Theodore Bikel, Walter Gotell, directed by John Huston, written by C.S Forester, James Agee, John Collier, reviewed by Pauline Kael, Kevin Maher, Nell Minow, Peter Bradshaw, Tim Robey, Rachel Wagner, Jacques Demeure, Michel Subiela, Nell Dodson Russell, Mike Massie, Clyde Gilmour, Sean Axmaker, Adventure, PG, box office performance, budget, produced by S.P Spiegel, United Artists, missionary, WWI Africa, steamer captain, German gunboat, love story, comedy, Technicolor, location shooting, Oscar winner, chemistry, romance, underwritten, likable, on-location shots, well-edited sequences, entertainment, personal adventure, charming, smartly written, beautifully filmed, thrilling, funny, effortlessly absorbing, creative DNA
 

Cast & Crew

Humphrey Bogart

Katharine Hepburn

Robert Morley

Peter Bull

Theodore Bikel

Charlie Allnut

Rose Sayer

Reverend Samuel Sayer

Captain of Louisa

First Officer

Humphrey Bogart – Charlie Allnut
Katharine Hepburn – Rose Sayer
Robert Morley – Reverend Samuel Sayer
Peter Bull – Captain of Louisa
Theodore Bikel – First Officer
Walter Gotell – Second Officer

 

John Huston

C.S. Forester

S.P. Spiegel

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Huston
 
Writer(s)
C.S. Forester, James Agee, John Huston, John Collier
 
Producer(s)
S.P. Spiegel

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
5 wins & 8 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Pauline Kael

Kevin Maher

THR Staff

Nell Minow

Peter Bradshaw

New Yorker

Times (UK)

Hollywood Reporter

Movie Mom

Guardian

THE AFRICAN QUEEN
  All Critics (49) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (2)
  This is a comedy, a love story, and a tale of adventure, and it is one of the most charming and entertaining movies ever made.
 
  July 6, 2022
 
  Pauline Kael
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  The action scenes are expertly handled, the film was a hit and Hollywood liked it so much that it remade it in 1975 as Rooster Cogburn, with John Wayne opposite Hepburn.
 
  November 25, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kevin Maher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  The African Queen is top flight entertainment, delightful, different, always interesting.
 
  February 20, 2017
 
  THR Staff
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  February 14, 2012 | Rating: A+
 
  Nell Minow
  Movie Mom
  TOP CRITIC
  A ripping, gripping yarn, a surprisingly erotic love story and, as it happens, a premonition of Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo.
 
  March 3, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  [A] grand, propulsive and plumly-restored slice of Technicolor derring-do.
 
  March 3, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Tim Robey
  Daily Telegraph (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Terrific chemistry in this classic adventure
 
  April 7, 2022
 
  Rachel Wagner
  Hallmarkies Podcast
  Thus out of something that could have turned into a saga of patriotism, Huston has made a personal adventure… At the end of this absurd odyssey, it is easy to imagine Sisyphus in domestic bliss.
 
  April 4, 2022
 
  Jacques Demeure and Michel Subiela
  Positif
  If you go to see African Queen expecting heavyweight drama, you’re In for a disappointment.
 
  January 15, 2022
 
  Nell Dodson Russell
  Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  A film that can be watched again and again for its lighthearted characters, abundant humor, and magical chemistry.
 
  August 15, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  The result, although considerably more melodramatic in spots than C. S. Forester’s novel, is a vastly enjoyable movie directed by John Huston. It was filmed, of course, right in Africa.
 
  October 24, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine
  A classic journey adventure, with a series of obstacles that they meet with resilience and resourcefulness, but the story is how they move from “Mr. Allnut” and “Miss” to Charlie and Rosie, opposites who find strength, support and unexpected love…
 
  November 3, 2018
 
  Sean Axmaker
  Stream on Demand…

 

Plot
September 1914, news reaches the colony German Eastern Africa that Germany is at war, so Reverend Samuel Sayer became a hostile foreigner. German imperial troops burn down his mission; he is beaten and dies of fever. His well-educated, snobbish sister Rose Sayer buries him and leaves by the only available transport, the dilapidated river steamboat ‘African Queen’ of grumpy Charlie Allnut. As if a long difficult journey without any comfort weren’t bad enough for such odd companions, she is determined to find a way to do their bit for the British war effort (and avenge her brother) and aims high, as God is obviously on their side: construct their own equipment, a torpedo and the converted steamboat, to take out a huge German warship, the Louisa, which is hard to find on the giant lake and first of all to reach, in fact as daunting an expedition as anyone attempted since the late adventurous explorer John Speakes, but she presses till Charlie accepts to steam up the Ulana, about to brave a German fort, raging rapids, very bloodthirsty parasites and the endlessly branching stream which seems to go nowhere but impenetrable swamps… Despite fierce rows and moral antagonism between a bossy devout abstentionist and a free-spirited libertine drunk loner, the two grow closer to each-other as their quest drags on…
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Humphrey Bogart’s performance in The African Queen earned him his only Oscar.
 

 
John-Huston.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Decla-Bioscop AG,
 
Distributor
Republic Pictures, United Artists, Criterion Collection
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some western violence, and smoking
 
Year of Release
1952
 

 
Genre(s)
Western
 
Keyword(s)
starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Otto Kruger, directed by Fred Zinnemann, written by John W Cunningham, Carl Foreman, Western, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ed Potton, David Parkinson, Nell Minow, William Brogdon, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Derek Adams, Don Shanahan, Manny Farber, Matt Neal, Mike Massie, Tom Beasley, Clyde Gilmour, PG rating, Stanley Kramer produced, former marshal, revenge, showdown, real time, moral dilemmas, relationships, heroine, individualism, duty, pessimistic setting, realism, suspenseful moments, Oscar-winning performance, deconstruction, genre tropes
 

Cast & Crew

Gary Cooper

Grace Kelly

Katy Jurado

Thomas Mitchell

Lloyd Bridges

Marshal Will Kane

Amy Fowler Kane

Helen Ramirez

Mayor Jonas Henderson

Deputy Sheriff Harvey Pell

Gary Cooper – Marshal Will Kane
Grace Kelly – Amy Fowler Kane
Katy Jurado – Helen Ramirez
Thomas Mitchell – Mayor Jonas Henderson
Lloyd Bridges – Deputy Sheriff Harvey Pell
Otto Kruger – Judge Percy Mettrick

 

Fred Zinnemann

John W. Cunningham

Stanley Kramer

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Fred Zinnemann
 
Writer(s)
John W. Cunningham, Carl Foreman
 
Producer(s)
Stanley Kramer

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
17 wins & 11 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Ed Potton

David Parkinson

Nell Minow

William Brogdon

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Times

Empire Magazine

Common Sense Media

Variety

Chicago Reader

HIGH NOON
  All Critics (60) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (3)
  Few westerns have conveyed fear so potently as Kane tries to persuade the townsfolk to stand against Miller and his gang, while the clock runs down in real time.
 
  September 20, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Ed Potton
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Deserving of its label as a true classic, and essential viewing.
 
  July 26, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Tense 1950s Western is still a cinema classic.
 
  December 24, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  Zinnemann carefully and deliberately makes the most of the mood cast by the threat of impending violence.
 
  October 18, 2008
 
  William Brogdon
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Some of the results ring false, but the memorable theme song and some equally memorable character acting (by Thomas Mitchell and Lon Chaney Jr. more than Lloyd Bridges and Katy Jurado) help things along.
 
  September 4, 2007
 
  Jonathan Rosenbaum
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  High Noon won a fistful of Oscars, but in these days of pasteboard screen machismo, it’s worth seeing simply as the anatomy of what it took to make a man before the myth turned sour.
 
  February 9, 2006
 
  Derek Adams
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Still powerful and influential after all these years and political waves.
 
  October 31, 2021
 
  Don Shanahan
  Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast
  A movie which does take you into every part of the town and features features Cooper’s beautiful rolling gait, but which reveals that someone spent too much time over the drawing board conceiving dramatic camera shots to cover up the lack of story.
 
  September 15, 2021
 
  Manny Farber
  The Nation
  The film’s assessments of violence and responsibility continue to see High Noon so deliciously open to discussion almost 70 years on.
 
  September 26, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Matt Neal
  ABC Radio (Australia)
  An unforgettable, powerful Western of unequaled quality that boasts one of the greatest of all movie endings.
 
  August 22, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  It’s the epitome of an underdog hero fighting back against the odds.
 
  August 16, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Tom Beasley
  VultureHound
  …something fresh and mature and honest by dint of superior treatment all along the line.
 
  October 7, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine…

 

Plot
On the day he gets married and hangs up his badge, Marshal Will Kane is told that a man he sent to prison years before, Frank Miller, is returning on the noon train to exact his revenge. Having initially decided to leave with his new spouse, Will decides he must go back and face Miller. However, when he seeks the help of the townspeople he has protected for so long, they turn their backs on him. It seems Kane may have to face Miller alone, as well as the rest of Miller’s gang, who are waiting for him at the station.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Gary Cooper won an Oscar for his performance in High Noon.
 

 
Fred-Zinnemann.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
New Regency Productions, The Wolper Organization Warner Bros.,
 
Distributor
Republic Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Cong, County Mayo, Ireland
 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1952
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, Mildred Natwick, Arthur Shields, directed by John Ford, written by Frank S Nugent, Maurice Walsh, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bob Thomas, Richard Brody, Nell Minow, Variety Staff, David Parkinson, Don Druker, Richard Propes, Yasser Medina, Mike Massie, Rachel Wagner, Loren King, James Kendrick, MPAA rating, Merian C Cooper, John Ford produced
 

Cast & Crew

John Wayne

Maureen O’Hara

Barry Fitzgerald

Victor McLaglen

Mildred Natwick

Sean Thornton

Mary Kate Danaher

Michaleen Flynn

Red Will Danaher

Squire Danaher

John Wayne – Sean Thornton
Maureen O’Hara – Mary Kate Danaher
Barry Fitzgerald – Michaleen Flynn
Victor McLaglen – Red Will Danaher, Squire Danaher
Mildred Natwick – The Widow Sarah Tillane
Arthur Shields – Reverend Cyril ‘Snuffy’ Playfair

 

John Ford

Frank S. Nugent

Merian C. Cooper

John Ford

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Ford
 
Writer(s)
Frank S. Nugent, Maurice Walsh
 
Producer(s)
Merian C. Cooper, John Ford

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
11 wins & 8 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Bob Thomas

Richard Brody

Nell Minow

Variety Staff

David Parkinson

Associated Press

New Yorker

Common Sense Media

Variety

Empire Magazine

THE QUIET MAN
  All Critics (45) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (4)
  The Quiet Man is John Ford’s best picture since The Informer, but much, much funnier.
 
  July 24, 2019
 
  Bob Thomas
  Associated Press
  TOP CRITIC
  As much an anthropological adventure as a romantic rhapsody.
 
  December 5, 2016
 
  Richard Brody
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  Old-fashioned charmer for the family.
 
  December 28, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  This is a robust romantic drama of a native-born’s return to Ireland. Director John Ford took cast and cameras to Ireland to tell the story [by Maurice Walsh] against actual backgrounds.
 
  March 11, 2008
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Ideal Sunday afternoon fare.
 
  March 11, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
 
  David Parkinson
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  John Ford’s 1952 Oscar winner is a tribute to an Ireland that exists only in the imaginations of songwriters and poets like Ford.
 
  March 11, 2008
 
  Don Druker
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Ford early on captures the film’s more dramatic moments before giving way to its lightly romantic humor.
 
  September 20, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
  Richard Propes
  TheIndependentCritic.com
  A lovely film. A bucolic romance with a western soul. [Full review in Spanish]
 
  September 14, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
  Yasser Medina
  Cinemaficionados
  It may not be a Western, but it’s one of director John Ford’s finest collaborations with John Wayne.
 
  August 23, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Incredible chemistry and one of the most epic kisses in all of movies make it a fun watch for me
 
  May 8, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
 
  Rachel Wagner
  Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
  Credit must go to O’Hara, who is at her most magnetic in this film, and is central to what makes “The Quiet Man” so enjoyable and so memorable.
 
  March 15, 2019
 
  Loren King
  Newport This Week (RI)
  The film’s saucy mix of comedy and melodrama is one of its greatest charms, although it can give you whiplash from time to time, especially if you’re not used to Ford’s brand of broad, back-slapping comedy
 
  October 27, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  James Kendrick
  Q Network Film Desk…

 

Plot
Sean Thornton has returned from America to reclaim his homestead and escape his past. Sean’s eye is caught by Mary Kate Danaher, a beautiful but poor maiden, and younger sister of ill-tempered “Red” Will Danaher. The riotous relationship that forms between Sean and Mary Kate, punctuated by Will’s pugnacious attempts to keep them apart, form the main plot, with Sean’s past as the dark undercurrent.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Maureen O’Hara’s performance in The Quiet Man is considered one of her most iconic roles.
 

 
John-Ford.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
DNA Films & TV, Ensemble, Hello Sunshine, Searchlight Pictures
 
Distributor
Paramount
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Stockholm, Sweden; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; London, England, United Kingdom
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
1951
 

 
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
 
Keyword(s)
starring Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen, Larry Keating, John Hoyt, Rachel Ames, directed by Rudolph Maté, written by Edwin Balmer, Philip Wylie, Sydney Boehm, sci-fi, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bob Thomas, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Variety Staff, Bosley Crowther, Christopher Lloyd, Matt Brunson, Yasser Medina, Rob Humanick, Dennis Schwartz, Fernando F Croce, Mark Bourne, MPAA rating G, produced by George Pal, Paramount, Zyra, Bellus, Dr Bronson, Dr Hendron, Joyce Hendron, David Randall, Dr Tony Drake, Sydney Stanton, Julie Cummings, special effects, apocalypse, astronomy, relocation, impending mass destruction
 

Cast & Crew

Richard Derr

David Randall

Barbara Rush

Joyce Hendron

Peter Hansen

David Randall

Joyce Hendron

Dr. Tony Drake

Dr. Cole Hendron

Sydney Stanton

Richard Derr – David Randall
Barbara Rush – Joyce Hendron
Peter Hansen – Dr. Tony Drake
Larry Keating – Dr. Cole Hendron
John Hoyt – Sydney Stanton
Rachel Ames – Julie Cummings
Director – Rudolph Maté
Producer – George Pal
Writers – Edwin Balmer, Philip Wylie, Sydney Boehm

 

Rudolph Maté

Edwin Balmer

George Pal

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Rudolph Maté
 
Writer(s)
Edwin Balmer, Philip Wylie, Sydney Boehm
 
Producer(s)
George Pal

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Bob Thomas

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Variety Staff

Bosley Crowther

Christopher Lloyd

Associated Press

Chicago Reader

Variety

New York Times

The Film Yap

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
 All Critics (26) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (5)
 When Worlds Collide continues the current rage for science fiction movies and it is one of our better ones.
 
 August 5, 2019
 
 Bob Thomas
 Associated Press
 TOP CRITIC
 This probably looks about as stodgy now as it did back then.
 
 June 7, 2007
 
 Jonathan Rosenbaum
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Top honors for this inter-planetary fantasy rest with the cameramen and special effects technicians rather than with performances of the non-name cast.
 
 June 7, 2007
 
 Variety Staff
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 Mr. Pal barely gets us out there, but this time he doesn’t bring us back.
 
 March 25, 2006 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Bosley Crowther
 New York Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Though it’s a tad hokey and the special effects are embarrassingly dated, this sci-fi disaster flick is more contemplative about the nature of mankind than you’d expect.
 
 January 9, 2023 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Christopher Lloyd
 The Film Yap
 An example of superior sci-fi cinema.
 
 October 1, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 A science fiction film that, even with its narrative inconsistencies, seems quite entertaining to me when it offers its show about the catastrophe of the end of the world. Full review in Spanish
 
 March 28, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Yasser Medina
 Cinemaficionados
 Too bad the finale plays like a greeting card you wish someone had just given you the money for instead.
 
 October 9, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Rob Humanick
 Suite101.com
 Best appreciated for its apocalyptic special effects.
 
 November 11, 2010 | Rating: B-
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
 Cinema’s most neurasthenic version of the apocalypse
 
 October 21, 2010
 
 Fernando F. Croce
 CinePassion
 Never mind plot logic, don’t think too hard about the ‘sci’ component of the sci-fi, and certainly keep the unsubtle sociology and Pal’s typical Bible-based gloss in perspective. When Worlds Collide remains entertaining and satisfying….
 
 April 5, 2006
 
 Mark Bourne
 DVDJournal.com
 September 8, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Michael Szymanski
 Zap2it.com…

 

Plot
A group of people must relocate to a new planet to avoid the impending mass destruction caused by a star crashing into Earth in When Worlds Collide.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t have anything goofy or funny or odd to say about the film Signed in.
 

 
Rudolph-Maté.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Das Films, David Sonenberg Production Polygram Filmed Entertainment,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
 
Year of Release
1951
 

 
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
 
Keyword(s)
starring Robert Cornthwaite, Kenneth Tobey, James Arness, Margaret Sheridan, Douglas Spencer, Dewey Martin, directed by Christian Nyby, written by Charles Lederer, sci-fi, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Mildred Martin, Helen Bower, Mae Tinee, Wanda Hale, Myles Standish, Philip K Scheuer, Alan Ng, Jane Corby, Phyllis Wilson, Frank Morriss, M Oakley Christoph, producer Howard Hawks, MPAA rating, frozen creature, North Pole research base, Air Force, UFO, wrecked spaceship, humanoid creature, well-drawn characters, concise, tense plotting, Jules Verne type of thrill fiction
 

Cast & Crew

Margaret Sheridan

Kenneth Tobey

James Arness

Robert Cornthwaite

Douglas Spencer

Margaret Sheridan

Kenneth Tobey

James Arness

Robert Cornthwaite

Douglas Spencer

Margaret Sheridan – Nikki
Kenneth Tobey – Captain Patrick Hendry
James Arness – Lt. Eddie Dykes
Robert Cornthwaite – Dr. Arthur Carrington
Douglas Spencer – Scotty
Dewey Martin – Crew Chief Bob

 

Christian Nyby

Charles Lederer

Howard Hawks

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Christian Nyby
 
Writer(s)
Charles Lederer
 
Producer(s)
Howard Hawks

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Mildred Martin

Helen Bower

Mae Tinee

Wanda Hale

Myles Standish

Philadelphia Inquirer

Detroit Free Press

Chicago Tribune

New York Daily News

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

THE THING
 All Critics (66) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (9)
 Scenarist Charles Lederer has maintained an amazingly even keel, loading the dialogue with scientific jargon which sounded all right to these unscientific ears keeping it surprisingly natural under highly unnatural circumstances.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Mildred Martin
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 On the whole the movie is far and away the most original and ingenious in this new category of pseudo-scientific entertainment.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Helen Bower
 Detroit Free Press
 TOP CRITIC
 Most of the principal roles are well handled, and the script is brightened by occasional bits of rather humorous banter. If you have a taste for this sort of pseudo-scientific stuff, this film is a fair sample.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Mae Tinee
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 You had better see it soon, right away, before you hear too much about it from those who have had the pleasure. And the thrills and chills.
 
 September 21, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Wanda Hale
 New York Daily News
 TOP CRITIC
 It should scare the shirt off anybody who gets caught in its spell, and delight connoisseurs of the Jules Verne type of thrill fiction.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Myles Standish
 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 TOP CRITIC
 While the Thing is encased In ice, the picture has a disturbing quality that is heightened by the objective, documentary treatment of the camera — a real, ominous “What is it?” feeling.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Philip K. Scheuer
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 If anything, Nyby and Hawks’ film will appeal to cinephiles or at least make for a few good mocking laughs.
 
 November 30, 2021 | Rating: 6/10
 
 Alan Ng
 Film Threat
 This reviewer actually jumped twice while watching The Thing. That’s how tense and tingling and unexpected Howard Hawks has made this fascinating picture.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Jane Corby
 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
 For a quick cool-off on a hot afternoon there’s nothing like a few chills up and down the spine — all supplied In this latest piece of science fiction.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Phyllis Wilson
 Ottawa Citizen
 The grim winter background of the story serves to emphasize the stark character of the plot and the number of scenes which have the authentic away-from-the-studio touch also highlight the eerie nature of the whole film.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 Frank Morriss
 Winnipeg Free Press
 Spoil the story for those who pay their money? Nope. It is a virile story with action and suspense. Conflict and argument. The suspense angle is, of course, what keeps it going.
 
 September 21, 2021
 
 M. Oakley Christoph
 Hartford Courant
 Far-fetched in theme, it is nevertheless so well directed, produced, written and acted, one becomes completely lost in the vampirish goings-on.
 
 September 21, 2021 | Rating: 2/3
 
 Sara Hamilton
 Photoplay…

 

Plot
Scientists at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. All hell breaks loose when they take him back to their station and he is accidentally thawed out!
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t provide any goofy or funny comments about The Thing, but they do mention the well-handled principal roles and brightened script with occasional humorous banter.
 

 
Christian-Nyby.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Charles K. Feldman Group Warner Bros.,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
M/PG
 
Year of Release
1951
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, Rudy Bond, Nick Dennis, directed by Elia Kazan, written by Tennessee Williams, Oscar Saul, produced by Charles K Feldman, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ed Potton, Bob Thomas, Pauline Kael, Kim Newman, James Christopher, Peter Bradshaw, André Bazin, Matt Neal, Manny Farber, Alasdair Bayman, Clyde Gilmour, PG, small-town Mississippi, New Orleans, Southern-belle, volatile relationship, abusive, troubled, former schoolteacher, flirtatious, heart-rending, searing direction, sterling ensemble, intense, intimate, dialogue-driven, feminist themes, sex symbol, abusive nature, flawed men, vulnerability, power, passion
 

Cast & Crew

Marlon Brando

Vivien Leigh

Kim Hunter

Karl Malden

Rudy Bond

Stanley Kowalski

Blanche DuBois

Stella Kowalski

Mitch

Steve

Marlon Brando – Stanley Kowalski
Vivien Leigh – Blanche DuBois
Kim Hunter – Stella Kowalski
Karl Malden – Mitch
Rudy Bond – Steve
Nick Dennis – Pablo Gonzales

 

Elia Kazan

Oscar Saul

Charles K. Feldman

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Elia Kazan
 
Writer(s)
Oscar Saul, Tennessee Williams, Tennessee Williams
 
Producer(s)
Charles K. Feldman

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
17 wins & 15 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Ed Potton

Bob Thomas

Pauline Kael

Kim Newman

James Christopher

Times

Associated Press

New Yorker

Empire Magazine

Guardian

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
  All Critics (62) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (2)
  Elia Kazan’s claustrophobic close-ups do a fine job of recreating the intensity of the stage.
 
  February 10, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ed Potton
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  Some movie goers will be bored by its unlovely subject and wealth of talk, but others will admire it as an excursion into art.
 
  August 7, 2019
 
  Bob Thomas
  Associated Press
  TOP CRITIC
  Vivien Leigh gives one of those rare performances that can truly be said to evoke pity and terror.
 
  January 3, 2018
 
  Pauline Kael
  New Yorker
  TOP CRITIC
  Epic performances in a movie that seethes with atmosphere.
 
  February 10, 2012 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Kim Newman
  Empire Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  The blistering sexual repression is the entire point of the 1950s. Quite simply, fabulous.
 
  November 14, 2008
 
  James Christopher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  The film is perhaps best regarded as an intelligent and engaged recreation of the original Broadway experience, in which Jessica Tandy first played the role. There’s no denying the awful horror and pity of the final scene.
 
  November 14, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Its international success doubtless arises mostly from its relative boldness as well as its eroticism. But this work is not without theatrical qualities: authentically dramatic, it also develops a certain poetic atmosphere.
 
  January 5, 2022
 
  André Bazin
  Cahiers du Cinéma
  The emotions are dialled up to 11 by the sweltering New Orleans heat and Marlon Brando’s physique, which is matched by his titanic performance.
 
  October 26, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Matt Neal
  ABC Radio (Australia)
  The story proceeds as Tennessee Williams first wrote it, except that all the frankest — and most crucial — dialogue has been excised and the last scene has been churned disastrously to satisfy the Johnson office but confound the spectator.
 
  September 15, 2021
 
  Manny Farber
  The Nation
  By the end of this Elia Kazan production, the revelations aren’t shocking or memorable or morbidly palatable; in many ways, they’re just depressing.
 
  August 23, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Even taking this performance alone, Brando’s work deserves to be known as an abiding cinematic performance. Amongst cowardly and callous acts, there still rests a level of pathos to the character.
 
  February 6, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Alasdair Bayman
  CineVue
  Vivien Leigh’s virtuoso portrayal was the year’s finest acting…in the same picture Marlon Brando gives a brilliant and appalling performance as a primeval brute.
 
  November 26, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine…

 

Plot
Blanche DuBois, a high school English teacher with an aristocratic background from Auriol, Mississippi, decides to move to live with her sister and brother-in-law, Stella and Stanley Kowalski, in New Orleans after creditors take over the family property, Belle Reve. Blanche has also decided to take a break from teaching as she states the situation has frayed her nerves. Knowing nothing about Stanley or the Kowalskis’ lives, Blanche is shocked to find that they live in a cramped and run down ground floor apartment – which she proceeds to beautify by putting shades over the open light bulbs to soften the lighting – and that Stanley is not the gentleman that she is used to in men. As such, Blanche and Stanley have an antagonistic relationship from the start. Blanche finds that Stanley’s hyper-masculinity, which often displays itself in physical outbursts, is common, coarse and vulgar, being common which in turn is what attracted Stella to him. Beyond finding Blanche’s delicate hoidy-toidy act as putting on airs, Stanley, a plant worker, believes she may really have sold Belle Reve and is withholding Stella’s fair share of the proceeds from them. What further affects the relationship between the three is that Stella is in the early stage of pregnancy with her and Stanley’s first child. Soon after her arrival at the Kowalskis, Blanche starts to date Mitch, one of Stanley’s friends and coworkers who is a little softer around the edges than most of Stanley’s friends. Mitch does not hide the fact that he is looking in general to get married because of a personal issue, he wanting Blanche ultimately to be his wife. Mitch is somewhat unaware that Blanche has somewhat controlled their courtship to put herself in the best possible light, both figuratively and literally. But in Stanley’s quest to find out the truth about Belle Reve and Blanche’s life in Auriol, the interrelationships between Stanley, Blanche, Stella and Mitch may be irrevocably affected, with any revelation about that life which may further destroy what’s left of Blanche’s already damaged mental state.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Marlon Brando’s performance as Stanley Kowalski is considered one of the greatest in film history.
 

 
Elia-Kazan.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Apatow Productions, Film Nation Entertainment, Story Ink
 
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Paris, France
 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1951
 

 
Genre(s)
Musical/Romance
 
Keyword(s)
starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Nina Foch, Eugene Borden, directed by Vincente Minnelli, written by Alan Jay Lerner, musical, romance, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Helen Bower, Mae Tinee, Marjory Adams, Mildred Martin, Jim Lindstrom, Guardian Staff, Courier Mail Staff, Hortense Morton, Jane Corby, Sara Hamilton, Lillian Blackstone, Gene Kelly’s star power, Leslie Caron’s gamine charms, Gershwins’ classic songs, colorful direction, Parisian atmosphere, ballet sequence, George Gershwin score, snappy lyrics, jazzy tunes, showy musical numbers, tap dancing, singing, artistry, celebration of life, pursuit of love, pursuit of art, Parisian setting, American ex-GI, painter, rich American heiress, love triangle, pursuit of happiness, pursuit of success, pursuit of dreams, pursuit of passion, pursuit of identity, pursuit of belonging, pursuit of freedom, pursuit of self-expression, pursuit of creativity, pursuit of inspiration, pursuit of joy
 

Cast & Crew

Gene Kelly

Jerry Mulligan

Leslie Caron

Lise Bouvier

Oscar Levant

Jerry Mulligan

Lise Bouvier

Adam Cook

Henri Baurel

Milo Roberts

Gene Kelly – Jerry Mulligan
Leslie Caron – Lise Bouvier
Oscar Levant – Adam Cook
Georges Guétary – Henri Baurel
Nina Foch – Milo Roberts
Eugene Borden – Georges Matthieu (uncredited)

 

Vincente Minnelli

Alan Jay Lerner

Arthur Freed

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Vincente Minnelli
 
Writer(s)
Alan Jay Lerner
 
Producer(s)
Arthur Freed

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 6 Oscars
10 wins & 7 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Helen Bower

Mae Tinee

Marjory Adams

Mildred Martin

Jim Lindstrom

Detroit Free Press

Chicago Tribune

Boston Globe

Philadelphia Inquirer

Guardian

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
 All Critics (93) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (4)
 Gene Kelly — star and choreographer — never lets the jig-time slacken. The picture runs up the stairs and dances down the street. It never rests.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Helen Bower
 Detroit Free Press
 TOP CRITIC
 A fluid, beautifully picturesque affair, this elaborate development of the boy-meets-girl theme is as lavish and handsome an offering as any entertainment seeker ever found for the price.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Mae Tinee
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 An American in Paris offers wit, beauty, charm, smart dancing, happy music, melodious singing, and originality. There’s nostalgia, as well, for those who have known and loved Paris.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Marjory Adams
 Boston Globe
 TOP CRITIC
 Against the pretty-as-a-picture background of this fabulous dream city, then, the cast scampers through the motions of a plot that requires only slight concentration on acting, but plenty in the way of personal appeal.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Mildred Martin
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 [An American in Paris] climaxes with a brilliant 17-minute ballet whose only movie competition is the ballet of The Red Shoes.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Jim Lindstrom
 Arizona Republic
 TOP CRITIC
 An American in Paris is about a town which most Americans know only as tourists — and this film too looks like a tourist: a talented tourist, no doubt but still a noisy and awkward one.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Guardian Staff
 Guardian
 TOP CRITIC
 The George Gershwin score is enough in itself to make the film a hit. With Gene Kelly tapping out captivating routines, and wry-faced Oscar Levant banging the piano it has added appeal.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Courier Mail Staff
 Courier Mail (Australia)
 Our beret is off to Kelly, the spritely spirit of the movie, not only for his acting and dancing but for the sensational dance numbers.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)
 San Francisco Examiner
 An American In Paris has raised the standard of film musicals by several notches. Here’s a musical that won’t be surpassed in many a year.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Jane Corby
 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
 The music of Gershwin is a perfect background for the bright spontaneity of a movie we so happily recommend.
 
 April 13, 2021 | Rating: 3/3
 
 Sara Hamilton
 Photoplay
 No, the plot isn’t new, but steeped in a Parisian atmosphere, with oo la la and all that, the story is very, very gay and enjoyable.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Lillian Blackstone
 Tampa Bay Times
 It’s such a superlative movie that it seems better the second time you see it.
 
 April 13, 2021
 
 Frank Morriss
 Winnipeg Free Press…

 

Plot
Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris, is “discovered” by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry’s art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise, a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The review highlights Gene Kelly’s star power and Leslie Caron’s “gamine charms.”
 

 
Vincente-Minnelli.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
 
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Rowland V. Lee Ranch – Fallbrook Avenue, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some violence and tension
 
Year of Release
1951
 

 
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Cook

Detective Hennessy

Cook – Dr. Robert Brooks

CAST & CREW
Robert Walker – Bruno Anthony
Farley Granger – Guy Haines
Ruth Roman – Anne Morton
Leo G. Carroll – Sen. Morton
Patricia Hitchcock – Barbara Morton
Marion Lorne – Mrs. Anthony
Alfred Hitchcock – Producer/Director
Whitfield

 

Alfred Hitchcock

Whitfield Cook

Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Alfred Hitchcock
 
Writer(s)
Whitfield Cook, Patricia Highsmith, Czenzi Ormonde
 
Producer(s)
Alfred Hitchcock

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 2 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Jake Wilson

THR Staff

Dave Kehr

Eric Henderson

Roger Ebert

The Age

Hollywood Reporter

Chicago Reader

Slant Magazine

Chicago Sun-Times

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
  All Critics (52) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (1)
  The upshot is a perfect Alfred Hitchcock thriller…with a ingenious plot taken from a Patricia Highsmith novel and a memorably seductive villain.
 
  November 2, 2018
 
  Jake Wilson
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  Strangers on a Train is an admirable demonstration of Alfred Hitchcock’s virtuosity in the area of suspense dramas.
 
  June 30, 2017
 
  THR Staff
  Hollywood Reporter
  TOP CRITIC
  Perhaps Strangers on a Train still hasn’t yielded all its secrets.
 
  February 4, 2008
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  To ignore the subtext during the runaway carousel climax is to be absolutely blind.
 
  September 6, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Eric Henderson
  Slant Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Hitchcock was above all the master of great visual set pieces, and there are several famous sequences in Strangers on a Train.
 
  January 15, 2004 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Roger Ebert
  Chicago Sun-Times
  TOP CRITIC
  November 13, 2003 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Movie Mom
  TOP CRITIC
  I know no other recent film, in fact, which better conveys the condition of modern man, who must escape his fate without the help of the gods.
 
  September 1, 2021
 
  Jean-Luc Godard
  Cahiers du Cinéma
  All this is quite incredible, but it is not lacking in excitement at any time.
 
  August 20, 2021
 
  Jay Carmody
  Washington Star
  Showcases the technical prowess and brilliant editing that are among the hallmarks of Hitchcock’s work.
 
  May 11, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
 
  Dean Lamanna
  Film Threat
  It’s the kind of crime setup that is unable to face scrutiny by even slightly more modern detective practices – and, by extension, modern audiences.
 
  August 23, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  Strangers on a Train (1951) was director Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful, noirish black and white thriller about two train passengers: tennis pro Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and psychopathic dandy Bruno Antony (Robert Walker)…
 
  September 29, 2019 | Rating: A+
 
  Tim Dirks
  Filmsite
  …a solid premise that’s employed to consistently captivating effect by Alfred Hitchock…
 
  August 20, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  David Nusair
  Reel Film Reviews…

 

Plot
Bruno Antony thinks he has the perfect plot to rid himself of his hated father, and when he meets tennis player Guy Haines on a train he thinks he’s found the partner he needs to pull it off. His plan is relatively simple: Two strangers each agree to kill someone the other person wants gone. For example, Guy could kill his father and he could get rid of Guy’s wife Miriam, freeing him to marry Anne Morton, the beautiful daughter of a U.S. Senator. Guy dismisses it all out of hand, but Bruno goes ahead with his half of the “bargain” and disposes of Miriam. When Guy balks, Bruno makes it clear that he will plant evidence to implicate Guy in her murder if he doesn’t get rid of his father. Guy had also made some unfortunate statements about Miriam after she had refused to divorce him. It all leads the police to believe Guy is responsible for the murder, forcing him to deal with Bruno’s mad ravings.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Robert Walker’s performance as the sociopathic Bruno Anthony is “memorably seductive.”
 

 
Alfred-Hitchcock.jpg