There is a reason that the 2001 Moulin Rouge exists, and it’s because this one from 1952 wasn’t good enough to make the subject closed. Is there anything more egregious than a boring movie about Belle Époque Paris and its artists?
Year Eligible: 1952 (Nominated)
Additional audio from Moulin Rouge (1952)
(Explicit language, as always)
The 1938 Robin Hood did all of this better.
Year Eligible: 1952 (Nominated)
Additional audio from Ivanhoe (1952)
(Explicit language, as always)
Suzan is in heaven this week, because Hollywood has finally figured out how to make a good Western, and even David enjoyed High Noon. Gary Cooper stars as a deputy literally an hour from retirement who is called by a sense of duty to protect the town he’s about to leave, anyway, from a gang he put away before who are headed back to town on the 12:00 train. Cooper is a surprising choice for a Western (and was the fifth choice for the role), but he once you see it, you can’t imagine High Noon with anyone else.
Year Eligible: 1952 (Nominated)
Additional audio from High Noon (1952)
(Explicit language, as always)
The Quiet Man represents a profound shift in Best Picture nominees, but it’s not necessarily a positive one. As Hollywood gets better at film making, stories with pretty abhorrent morals are more easily nestled in well directed, beautifully shot movies… which isn’t a good thing.
Year Eligible: 1952 (Nominated)
Additional audio from The Quiet Man (1952)
(Explicit language, as always)
There is no question that Cecil B. DeMille was one of the greatest directors of all time, but giving him a pity Oscar for this nonsensical, barely acted, overstuffed story about a love triangle on the flying trapeze was not the best way to honor the guy.
Year Eligible: 1952 (Won)
Additional audio from The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
(Explicit language, as always)