Best Movies of 1952
Here are the best movies of 1952 (in order).
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- DirectorStanley DonenGene KellyStarsGene KellyDonald O'ConnorDebbie ReynoldsA 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.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsLana TurnerKirk DouglasWalter PidgeonAn unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsGary CooperGrace KellyThomas MitchellA 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.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneMaureen O'HaraBarry FitzgeraldA 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.
- DirectorDaniel MannStarsBurt LancasterShirley BoothTerry MooreAn emotionally remote recovering alcoholic and his dowdy, unambitious wife face a personal crisis when they take in an attractive lodger.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsJames MasonDanielle DarrieuxMichael RennieDuring WWII the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonStarsAlec GuinnessStanley HollowaySidney JamesA meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.
- DirectorRené ClémentStarsGeorges PoujoulyBrigitte FosseyAmédéeA 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.
- DirectorRichard FleischerWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsCharles McGrawMarie WindsorJacqueline WhiteA woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
- DirectorDavid MillerStarsJoan CrawfordJack PalanceGloria GrahameAfter 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.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoJean PetersAnthony QuinnThe story of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of President Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsLaurence OlivierJennifer JonesMiriam HopkinsA young girl from a provincial town learns the bitter reality of a big city and great love.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsAlec GuinnessJoan GreenwoodCecil ParkerAn altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
- DirectorStuart HeislerStarsBette DavisSterling HaydenNatalie WoodA washed-up movie queen finds romance, but still desires a comeback.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsJosé FerrerZsa Zsa GaborSuzanne FlonFictional account of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsOlivia de HavillandRichard BurtonAudrey DaltonA 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.
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsAlec GuinnessGlynis JohnsValerie HobsonEdward 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.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKirk DouglasDewey MartinElizabeth ThreattThe success of the journey focuses on keeping the Indian girl alive as well as themselves to complete trade with the Blackfeet.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEthel WatersJulie HarrisBrandon De WildeHer older brother's wedding forces preteen tomboy Frankie to face her own immaturity.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsArthur FranzAdolphe MenjouGerald MohrA sniper kills young brunettes as the police attempt to grapple with the psychology of the unknown assailant.
- DirectorWalter LangStarsSusan HaywardRory CalhounDavid WayneA talented singer's musical career begins to soar.
- DirectorGian Carlo MenottiStarsMarie PowersLeopoldo SavonaBelva KiblerMadame Flora is terrified when she perceives a supernatural presence during one of her fraudulent séances. Menotti's first international success, "The Medium" is a tragedy in two acts for five singers, a dance-mime role, and a chamber opera for thirteen instruments and fourteen players: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, percussion, piano (4 hands), and string quintet. The music is dissonant, eerie, and morbid and includes melodies such as 'O, black swan.'
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsSpencer TracyKatharine HepburnAldo RayPat is a women's sports sensation unless her fiancé is around. Her new shady manager Mike keeps them apart and develops feelings for her.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsBob HopeJane RussellRoy RogersJunior Potter returns to claim his father's gold, which is nowhere to be found. "Mike" is the luscious head of a gang of thieves, and Roy Barton is the federal marshal hot on her trail.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsRalph RichardsonAnn ToddNigel PatrickFictionalized story of British aerospace engineers solving the problem of supersonic flight.
- DirectorCharles VidorStarsDanny KayeFarley GrangerZizi JeanmaireThe 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."
- DirectorJohn BrahmStarsGilbert RolandAngela ClarkeFrank SilveraIn this story based on true events of 1917, three Portuguese children share a miraculous, prophetic vision of the Virgin Mary.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsRobert TaylorElizabeth TaylorJoan FontaineA knight seeks to free the captive King Richard and put him back on the throne.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsJames StewartCharlton HestonBetty HuttonThe dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown, and an elephant trainer are told against a background of circus spectacle.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsRita HayworthGlenn FordAlexander ScourbyNightclub singer and her brother-in-law try to find her husband's killer.
- DirectorHarmon JonesStarsDan DaileyJoanne DruRichard HyltonThe story of Jerome "Dizzy" Dean, a major-league baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs in the 1930s and 1940s.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsEsther WilliamsVictor MatureWalter PidgeonBiopic of Australian swimming champ and entertainer Annette Kellerman. After overcoming polio, Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsSpencer TracyGene TierneyVan JohnsonTrials and tribulations beset the one hundred odd settlers that journey to Virginia in 1620 including unexpectedly arriving in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- DirectorLesley SelanderStarsSterling HaydenRichard CarlsonWilliam PhippsDuring the Korean War, aboard the U.S.S. Princeton, Navy Commander Dan Collier reminisces about his first assignment on the same aircraft carrier in the war against Japan.
- DirectorJerry HopperStarsGene BarryLydia ClarkeMichael MooreAn atomic scientist's son is kidnapped by enemy agents.
- DirectorHenry KingRoy Ward BakerStarsGregory PeckSusan HaywardAva GardnerWriter Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilamanjaro.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsMario LanzaDoretta MorrowJames WhitmoreA famous opera singer falls for his sergeant's sister at boot camp.
- DirectorElliott NugentStarsBing CrosbyJane WymanEthel BarrymoreJordan Blake (a widower) is a successful Broadway producer who has always been too busy for his children, Barbara and Jerry. His girlfriend Carolina, a musical comedy star, urges Jordan to take his kids on a vacation and get to know them before they are all grown up. Is Jordan already too late?
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsLana TurnerFernando LamasUna MerkelOperating under royal orders, a count must woo a young and wealthy widow in order to save a kingdom from bankruptcy.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsDanny ThomasPeggy LeeEduard FranzJerry dreams of becoming a famous jazz singer, but to accomplish that, he must defy his father, a Jewish Cantor who opposes such a dream as a future for a son of his.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsRobert WalkerHelen HayesVan HeflinThe Jeffersons are the ideal picture-perfect all-American family in a small town, but their eldest son John returns home after a long absence spouting views that cause them to worry he may be a Communist.