by Allan Fish
Tennessee Williams vs Robert Bresson vs a mouthful of ‘humbug”…
Best Picture The Diary of a Country Priest, France (7 votes)
Best Director Robert Bresson, The Diary of a Country Priest (7 votes)
Best Short Gerald McBoing Boing, Robert Cannon, US & Rabbit Fire, Chuck Jones, US (4 votes each, TIE)
Best Actor Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire (9 votes)
Best Actress Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire (17 votes)
Best Supp Actor Karl Malden, A Streetcar Named Desire (12 votes)
Best Supp Actress Kim Hunter, A Streetcar Named Desire (18 votes)
Best Cinematography Claude Renoir, The River (12 votes)
Best Score Alex North, A Streetcar Named Desire (6 votes)
—
and my choices…
1951
Best Picture ACE IN THE HOLE, US
Best Short GERALD McBOING BOING, US, Robert Cannon
Best Director Billy Wilder, Ace in the Hole
Best Actor Kirk Douglas, Ace in the Hole
Best Actress Anita Björk, Miss Julie
Best Supporting Actor Leo Genn, Quo Vadis?
Best Supporting Actress Mildred Dunnock, Death of a Salesman
Best Cinematography Claude Renoir, The River
Best Musical Score Richard Addinsell, Scrooge
…
onwards and upwards…
—
1952
—
Best Picture/Director
—
Aan (India…Mehboob Khan)
Adieu Paris (France…Claude Heymann)
Angel Face (US…Otto Preminger)
The Bad and the Beautiful (US…Vincente Minnelli)
Les Belles de Nuit (France…René Clair)
Bend of the River (US…Anthony Mann)
The Big Sky (US…Howard Hawks)
The Brute (Mexico…Luis Buñuel)
Carrie (US…William Wyler)
Casque d’Or (France…Jacques Becker)
Children of Hiroshima (Japan…Kaneto Shindo)
Clash by Night (US…Fritz Lang)
Come Back, Little Sheba (US…Daniel Mann)
The Crimson Curtain (France…Alexandre Astruc)
The Dividing Wall (Hong Kong…Zhu Shilin)
The Emperor’s Baker – The Baker’s Emperor (Czechoslovakia…Martin Fric)
Father’s Dilemma (Italy…Alessandro Blasetti)
La Fête à Henriette (France…Julien Duvivier)
The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice (Japan…Yasujiro Ozu)
Forbidden Fruit (France…Henri Verneuil)
The Four Poster (US…Irving Reis)
The Golden Coach (France…Jean Renoir)
The Greatest Show on Earth (US…Cecil B.de Mille)
The Happy Time (US…Richard Fleischer)
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (US…Douglas Sirk)
High Noon (US…Fred Zinnemann)
Hôtel des Invalides (France…Georges Franju)
Ikiru (Japan…Akira Kurosawa)
The Importance of Being Earnest (UK…Anthony Asquith)
La Jeune Folle (France…Yves Allégret)
Jeux Interdits (France…René Clément)
The Life of Oharu (Japan…Kenji Mizoguchi)
Lightning (Japan…Mikio Naruse)
Limelight (UK…Charles Chaplin)
The Living Desert (US…James Algar)
The Lusty Men (US…Nicholas Ray)
Mademoiselle Gobette (Italy…Pietro Germi)
Mandy (UK…Alexander Mackendrick)
Monkey Business (US…Howard Hawks)
Mother (Japan…Mikio Naruse)
Nagarik (India…Ritwik Ghatak)
The Narrow Margin (US…Richard Fleischer)
Nous sommes tout des assassins (France…André Cayatte)
On Dangerous Ground (US…Nicholas Ray)
Othello (US/Italy…Orson Welles)
The Overcoat (Italy…Alberto Lattuada)
Park Row (US…Samuel Fuller)
Park Window (Argentina…Hugo del Carrill)
The Pickwick Papers (UK…Noel Langley)
Le Plaisir (France…Max Ophuls)
The Proud Princess (Czechoslovakia…Borivoj Zeman)
The Quiet Man (US…John Ford)
Rancho Notorious (US…Fritz Lang)
Rome, 11 O’Clock (Italy…Giuseppe de Santis)
Scaramouche (US…George Sidney)
Singin’ in the Rain (US…Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
Sisters of Nishijin (Japan…Kozaburo Yoshimura)
Son of Paleface (US…Frank Tashlin)
The Sound Barrier (UK…David Lean)
The Titfield Thunderbolt (UK…Charles Crichton)
Two Cents Worth of Hope (Italy…Renato Castellani)
Umberto D (Italy…Vittorio de Sica)
Viva Zapata! (US…Elia Kazan)
Waiting Women (Sweden…Ingmar Bergman)
The White Reindeer (Finland…Erik Blomberg)
The White Sheik (Italy…Federico Fellini)
Wienerinnen (Austria…Kurt Steinwendner)
The Witch (Finland…Roland af Hallström)
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Best Short
—
Barefaced Flatfoot (US…John Hubley)
Beep Beep (US…Chuck Jones)
Feed the Kitty (US…Chuck Jones)
Fuddy Duddy Buddy (US…John Hubley)
Johann Mouse (US…William Hanna, Joseph Barbera)
Magical Maestro (US…Tex Avery)
Neighbours (Canada…Norman McLaren)
Rabbit Seasoning (US…Chuck Jones)
Rooty Toot Toot (US…John Hubley)
The Stranger Left no Card (UK…Wendy Toye)
Water, Water Every Hare (US…Chuck Jones)
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Best Actor
—
Pedro Armendariz The Brute
Alan Badel The Stranger Left no Card
Carlo Battista Umberto D
Charles Boyer The Happy Time
Marlon Brando Viva Zapata
Charles Chaplin Limelight
Gary Cooper High Noon
Michael Denison The Importance of Being Earnest
Kirk Douglas The Bad and the Beautiful
Kirk Douglas The Big Sky
Paul Douglas Clash by Night
Fernandel Forbidden Fruit
José Ferrer Moulin Rouge
Alec Guinness The Card
Jack Hawkins Mandy
James Hayter The Pickwick Papers
Stanley Holloway The Titfield Thunderbolt
Gene Kelly Singin’ in the Rain
Charles McGraw The Narrow Margin
James Mason Five Fingers
Robert Mitchum Angel Face
Robert Mitchum The Lusty Men
Laurence Olivier Carrie
Gérard Philipe Les Belles de Nuit
Michael Redgrave The Importance of Being Earnest
Ralph Richardson The Sound Barrier
Robert Ryan On Dangerous Ground
Takashi Shimura Ikiru
Spencer Tracy Pat and Mike
John Wayne The Quiet Man
Orson Welles Othello
Alan Young Androcles and the Lion
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Best Actress
—
Anita Björk Waiting Women
Claire Bloom Limelight
Shirley Booth Come Back, Little Sheba
Joan Crawford Sudden Fear
Eva Dahlbeck Waiting Women
Bette Davis The Star
Julie Harris The Member of the Wedding
Susan Hayward With a Song in My Heart
Katharine Hepburn Pat and Mike
Judy Holliday The Marrying Kind
Katy Jurado The Brute
Michiyo Kogure Okuni and Gohei
Ida Lupino On Dangerous Ground
Anna Magnani The Golden Coach
Maureen O’Hara The Quiet Man
Nobuko Otowa Children of Hiroshima
Debbie Reynolds Singin’ in the Rain
Simone Signoret Casque d’Or
Jean Simmons Angel Face
Barbara Stanwyck Clash by Night
Hideko Takamine Lightning
Kinuyo Tanaka The Life of Oharu
Kinuyo Tanaka Mother
—
Best Supp Actor
—
Charles Coburn Monkey Business
Claude Dauphin Casque d’Or
James Donald The Pickwick Papers
Maurice Evans Androcles and the Lion
Barry Fitzgerald The Quiet Man
Douglas Fowley Singin’ in the Rain
Arthur Hunnicutt The Big Sky
Daisuke Kato Mother
Buster Keaton Limelight
Arthur Kennedy Bend on the River
Michael MacLiammoir Othello
Miles Malleson The Importance of Being Earnest
Millard Mitchell My Six Convicts
Millard Mitchell Singin’ in the Rain
Stanislav Neumann The Proud Princess
Donald O’Connor Singin’ in the Rain
Jack Palance Sudden Fear
Nigel Patrick The Pickwick Papers
Dick Powell The Bad and the Beautiful
Anthony Quinn Viva Zapata
George Relph The Titfield Thunderbolt
Robert Ryan Clash by Night
Louis Seigner La Fête á Henriette
Frank Silvera Viva Zapata
Alberto Sordi The White Sheik
Emlyn Williams Ivanhoe
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Best Supp Actress
—
Françoise Arnoul Forbidden Fruit
Edith Evans The Importance of Being Earnest
Gloria Grahame The Bad and the Beautiful
Joan Greenwood The Importance of Being Earnest
Jean Hagen Singin’ in the Rain
Glynis Johns The Card
Katy Jurado High Noon
Kyoko Kagawa Mother
Madge Kennedy The Marrying Kind
Mandy Miller Mandy
Marilyn Monroe Clash by Night
Jean Simmons Androcles and the Lion
Simone Simon Le Plaisir
Ethel Waters The Member of the Wedding
Marie Windsor The Narrow Margin
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Best Cinematography
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G.R.Aldo, Anchise Brizzi, George Fanto, Obadan Troania, Alberto Roberto Fusi Othello
G.R.Aldo Umberto D
Henri Alekan Forbidden Fruit
Floyd Crosby High Noon
George A.Diskant On Dangerous Ground
Lee Garmes The Lusty Men
Russell Harlan The Big Sky
Winton H.Hoch The Quiet Man
Robert Juillard Jeux Interdits
Yoshimo Kono, Yoshimi Hirano The Life of Oharu
Robert le Fèbvre Casque d’Or
Otello Martelli Rome, 11 O’Clock
Cristian Matras, Philippe Agostini Le Plaisir
Victor Milner Carrie
Nicholas Musuraca Clash by Night
Asaichi Nakai Ikiru
Claude Renoir The Golden Coach
Harold Rosson Singin’ in the Rain
John L.Russell Park Row
Esko Töyri The Witch
Frederick A.Young Ivanhoe
—
Best Score
—
Hugo Alsven The Stranger Left no Card
Georges Auric The Titfield Thunderbolt
Charles Chaplin, Raymond Rasch, Larry Russell Limelight
Bernard Herrmann On Dangerous Ground
Joseph La Shelle My Cousin Rachel
Alex North Viva Zapata!
David Raksin The Bad and the Beautiful
Miklós Rózsa Ivanhoe
Max Steiner The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
Dimitri Tiomkin High Noon
Georges Van Parys Les Belles de Nuit
Georges Van Parys Casque d’Or
Victor Young The Greatest Show on Earth
Victor Young The Quiet Man
—
Score not the strongest year, but short is a really tough one.
I am thrilled at Diary of a Country Priest and Robert Bresson winning in the top two categories!
1952 brings on some remarkable ironic undercurrents for Yours Truly.
Whenever I ponder what may be my favorite western of all-time, I answer with either The Searchers or High Noon. The fact that the latter is a 1952 film should insure a placement here in a big-way, but oddly, it doesn’t win a single of the tabulated categories, though Film Editing and Song do go it’s way indeed. When someone asked me what my favorite film noir of all time is I answer with either Night and the City or On Dangerous Ground. The latter, a Nick Ray masterpiece, came very close here, but an iconic musical, a shattering Italian neo-realist masterpiece and a Kurosawa treasure are all in this mix.
A number of others would be in the running too: Casque d’Or, The Flavor of Green Rice Over Tea, Life of Oharu, Mother, Limelight, The White Shiek, Othello, The Overcoat, The Quiet Man, Jeux Interdits and and The Proud Princess especially.
Best Picture: Singin in the Rain
Best Director: Vittorio De Sica (Umberto D)
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Best Actress: Simone Signoret (Casque d’Or)
Best Supporting Actor: Donald O’Connor (Singin in the Rain)
Best Supporting Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin in the Rain)
Best Short: Beep Beep (Chuck Jones)
Best Cinematography: George A. Diskant (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Score: Bernard Herrmann (On Dangerous Ground)
Bernard Herrmann’s sublime score is often the answer from when I am asked what the greatest score ever written for a film is. I feel it’s Herrmann’s all-time masterpiece, hence one of the finest scores of all-time.
beyond….
Best Editing: Elmo Williams and Harry W. Gerstad (High Noon)
Best Original Screenplay: Shinobu Hashimoto and Akira Kurosawa (Ikiru)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Carl Foreman (High Noon)
Best Ensemble Acting: Singin in the Rain
Best Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons (Singin in the Rain)
Best Costumes: Walter Plunkett (Singin in the Rain)
Special award goes to the dog “Flike” from Umberto D.
I think Herrmann did better work in Vertigo and Hangover Square personally. On Dangerous Ground and those first two Welles’ are also brilliant….
In this I agree, I’d have Vertigo, Hangover Square, Psycho and Kane over On Dangerous Ground scorewise.
First off, not that it means a heck of a lot, but Herrmann himself through his career in interviews stated that ON DANGEROUS GROUND was the favorite of all his scores, and the one he thought was his greatest accomplishment. It seems so easy and so pat to assert that VERTIGO is his best. Lyricism and tension have never been wed so well as they are in ON DANGEROUS GROUND, and no less authorites than FILM SCORE MONTHLY and SCREEN ARCHIVES ENTERTAINMENT who specialize in CD scores and who provide extraordinary in depth analysis for all their releases by the best scholarly writers in the business, have fallen on the side of the score as well:
“Bernard Herrmann’s career has no shortage of landmarks: Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Vertigo, Psycho, Taxi Driver—plus music for concert, television and radio. One of his greatest achievements is On Dangerous Ground (1952), a film noir produced by John Houseman and directed by Nicholas Ray, for which Herrmann wrote perhaps his quintessential score: furious chase music on the one hand, and heartfelt warmth on the other.”
It all comes down to personal taste as always (the great equalizer) but I just thought I’d qualify my position as nothing out of the ordinary. Allan has admitted numerous times that he is no great fan of Ray’s film, so I wouldn’t expect any strong regard from him for the score.
All that’s fair enough, old boy. But crap film doesn’t mean crap score and Herrmann’s is a very good one. So many crap films have great scores – Franco’s Justine, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1492, TV’s AD Anno Domini, all among the very greatest.
Yes I am aware of that (a textbook example would be Miklos Rosza’s stupendous score for a noble failure called DIANE).
Tough year. Lots to choose from.
Best Picture: Singin’ in the Rain
(Runners-up: 2. High Noon 3. Umberto D 4. Le Plaisir 5. Ikiru)
Best Director: Zinnemann, High Noon
(Runners-up: 2. de Sica 3. Kelly/Donen 4. Ophuls 5. Kurosawa)
Best Actor: Shimura, Ikiru
(Runners-up: 2.Battista 3. Cooper 4. Kelly 5. Brando)
Best Actress: Simmons, Angel Face
(No runners-up; the above aren’t exactly women’s pictures)
Supporting Actor: O’Connor, SIngin’ in the Rain
Supporting Actress: Hagen, Singin’ in the Rain (Runner-up: Simon)
Cinematography: Aldo, Umberto D
Score: Tiomkin, High Noon.
Short: Water Water Every Hare
Best Picture: Singin’ in the Rain
Best Director: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Actor: Gary Cooper (High Noon)
Best Actress: Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Ryan (Clash by Night)
Best Supporting Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Score: Bernard Herrmann (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Cinematography: Harold Rossen (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Short: Feed the Kitty
Yay for Rabbit Fire getting a short film nod for 1951.
I vote “Ikiru” for best film of 1952.
I vote Akira Kurosawa for best director (“Ikiru”) for 1952.
I vote “Rabbit Seasoning” for best short in 1952.
I vote Charles Chaplin for best actor in “Limelight” in 1952.
I vote Claire Bloom for best actress in “Limelight” in 1952.
I vote Buster Keaton for best supporting actor in “Limelight” in 1952.
I vote “Ikiru” for best cinematography in 1952.
I vote “Limelight” for best score in 1952.
Hard year to decide…
Best Picture: Casque D’ Or
Best Director: Jacques Becker (Casque D’ Or)
Best Actor: (((tie))) Carlo Battisti (Umberto D) and Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Best Actress: Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Supp Actor: Claude Dauphin (Casque D’ Or)
Best Supp Actress: Maria-Pia Casilio (Umberto D)
Top Five: 1. Casque D’ Or 2. Umberto D 3. On Dangerous Ground 4. Ikiru 5. The Lusty Men
We really need to warm your heart a bit Maurizio. Sam and I discussed this a few seconds ago and he and I will be hosting a showing of SINGIN IN THE RAIN on his 50 inch plasma with a live accompaniment acted out by me (playing Gene Kelly’s role) and Sam (playing everyone else. His imitation of Debbie Reynolds and Cyd Charisse is uncanny).
I’ve said it a million times. Call it great cinema or fluff…
You could have the worst day of your life: Dog was run over, house burnt down, wife left you for another woman (wait, that would be kinda hot), kids disowned you, Mom and Dad divorce after fifty years of marriage, you had a limb amputated and the guy at the Chinese restaurant didn’t put any Duck Sauce in the bag…
And, still, a viewing of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN would make me smile…
Sugar and candy coated fluff won’t warm my heart… just give me diabetes.
In truth, Singin In The Rain is a very good movie overall. I would certainly place it in the next wave of films for this year with Oharu, Othello, and Invalides IMO.
You must have a horn for Lupino, Roca! Ha.
Picture: Singin’ in the Rain
Director: Vittorio de Sica, Umberto D
Actor: Takashi Shimura, Ikiru
Actress: Simone Signoret, Casque d’Or
Sup. Actor: Jack Palance, Sudden Fear
Sup. Actress: Jean Hagen, Singin’ in the Rain
Cinematography: Harold Rosson, Singin’ in the Rain
Too easy for me to choose as some of my absolute faves come from this year.
BEST PICTURE: SINGIN IN THE RAIN
SHORT: MAGICAL MAESTRO
DIRECTOR: Vittoro DeSica (UMBERTO D)
LEAD ACTOR: Takashi Shimura (IKIRU)P
LEAD ACTRESS: Shirley Boothe (COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA)
SUPP. ACTOR: Donald O’Connor (SINGIN IN THE RAIN)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Jean Hagen (SINGIN IN THE RAIN)
PHOTO: Harold Rosson (SINGIN IN THE RAIN)
MUSIC: Bernard Herrmann (ON DANGEROUS GROUND)
Tough year to make choices – lots of good films to choose from, which I suppose makes the choice a bit arbitrary – but that seems to work out…
PICTURE: Mother – …since it means I can get a Naruse film on the top of the list!
DIRECTOR: Welles, Othello
LEAD ACTOR: Takashi Shimura, Ikiru
LEAD ACTRESS: Kinoyu Tanaka, um – pick em. Say Life of Oharu, for balance’s sake.
SUPPORTING ACTOR: this is harder than it look – Michael MacLiammoir is superb, but I think I have to go with Arthur Kennedy in Bend on the River…
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Gloria Grahame, Bad and the Beautiful
SHORT: Water, Water Every Hare
SCORE: Tiomkin, High Noon
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Othello
Plus bonus picks::
Script: Ikiru
Music: another case of the music in a musical being more memorable and important than any real score – Singin’ in the Rain…
Weeping Sam— I must agree with you that Tanaka is magnificent. She is also Allan’s #1 choice in this category.
Actually she’s isn’t, Sam, she’s my 2nd choice. Your lists are way out of date. No 1 is Signoret in Casque d’Or.
I wanted to spread the love around with my choices…. Signoret got left out. I think she’s a very strong pick for this year.
Allan, you once had her at #1 then according to the original year-by-year picks. You have since changed to Signoret. Fair enough.
Yes, you have the list from a couple of years ago, but the nominations and winners are out of date. Tanaka is still a superb choice.
Maurizio talk about timing, but the ‘Old French Wave’ Festival launches on Friday at Film Forum with all-day screenings of CASQUE and the exquisite Ms. Signoret. We will be there:
http://www.filmforum.org/movies/more/casque_dor
I think the first time I ever voted a tie; but my fingers (and certainly my heart) did not appear to permit me to do otherwise.
Best Pic: Ikiru
Runners-up: Oharu, Umberto D, Casque D’Or, On Dang Ground.
Best Dir: DeSica-Umberto D
Best Actors: TIE: Shimura-Ikiru / Signoret- Casque D’Or ; Ryan & Lupino-Dang Ground
Best Scr: Shinobu Hashimoto and Akira Kurosawa (Ikiru)
Best Supp Actors: O’Connor-Singin’ i/t Rain / Waters-Member o/t Wedding
Best Ph: Harold Rossen-Singin’ i/t Rain
Best Mus: Tiomkin-High Noon
Picture – The Big Sky
Director – Sam Fuller (Park Row)
Actor – Charles McGraw (The Narrow Margin)
Actress – Hideko Takamine (Lightning)
Supporting Actor – Anthony Quinn (Viva Zapata!)
Supporting Actress – Simone Simon (Le Plaisir)
Cinematography – Agostini/Matras (Le Plaisir)
Tough tough tough year, so many favorites. It’s such a shame that THE BIG SKY hasn’t gotten any kind of proper Region 1 release to date, it’s as beautiful and quintessentially Hawksian as anything the man did.
Drew, I was lucky enough to see THE BIG SKY at the Film Forum, and can certainly attest to it’s photographic beauty.
First things first I highly encourage Allan to add Hallucinations and Bells of Atlantis to the nominees, two hypnotic experimental shorts and also encourage him to glean the film list of the late Amos Vogel’s Film as a Subversive Art for future ballots, as there’s hundreds of excellent shorts included which could flesh out this category in coming years when cartoons and comedy shorts become less frequent; the link is included in the intro to the piece I link to below).
I covered these 2 movies for the site last year along with embedded You Tube videos, so anyone who wants to see these disturbing and visionary works for themselves can click below:
http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/film-as-a-subversive-art-•-fixing-a-hole-avant-garde-month/
As for last week, glad to see Brando squeaked by though bummed to see he got less votes than the other Streetcar actors. Granted, he had some strong competition but really to me there’s no question that his role is the most iconic, important, and captivating. I can’t help feel like he’s become a bit taken for granted now. Anyway, on with ’52:
Feature: Singing’ in the Rain
Short: Hallucinations
Director: Nicolas Ray (On Dangerous Ground)
Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Actress: Eva Dahlbeck (Waiting Women)
Supp. Actor: Donald O’Conner (Singing’ in the Rain)
Supp. Actress: Jean Hagen (Singing’ in the Rain)
Cinematography: The Quiet Man
Score: The Bad and the Beautiful
Screenplay: The Bad and the Beautiful (though that other film-about-film comes close)
Editing: Singing’ in the Rain
honorable mention: Bells of Atlantis
No no no I meant to type the following:
Score: On Dangerous Ground
Thank goodness Joel!! LOL!!
Still, David Raskin’s score to BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL is a gem too.
Tough call this year for me between Othello and Casque d’Or. When I did my own annual countdown a few years ago, I went with Casque d’Or and I still love it and consider it a masterpiece. But I really have come to love Welles’ version of Othello and think I have to go with it.
Best Picture: Othello (Orson Welles)
Best Director: Orson Welles (Othello)
Best Actor: Gene Kelley (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Actress: Simone Sigornet (Casque d’Or)
Best Supporting Actor: Claude Dauphin (Casque d’Or)
Best Supporting Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Score: Bernard Hermann (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Cinematography: G.R.Aldo, Anchise Brizzi, George Fanto, Obadan Troania, Alberto Roberto Fusi (Othello)
This one made me realize what a fantastic year this really was. It didn’t immediately stick out in my mind as such a strong year, but it is.
Might be the best year of the 50s, not by the number of great films, but by the high quality of the five at the top of the list.
PICTURE: Ikiru (followed by Umberto D, Singin’ in the Rain, High Noon, The Quiet Man, Limelight, Bend of the River, Clash by Night, On Dangerous Ground, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Sniper, Othello)
DIRECTOR: Vittorio De Sica, Umberto D (2nd: Akira Kurosawa, Ikiru)
ACTOR: Takashi Shimura, Ikiru (2nd: Carlo Batista, Umberto D)
ACTRESS: Julie Harris, A Member of the Wedding (2nd: Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Donald O’Connor, Singin’ in the Rain (2nd: Victor McClagen, The Quiet Man)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jean Hagen, Singin’ in the Rain (2nd: Ethel Waters, A Member of the Wedding)
ORIGINAL SCORE: Dimitri Tiomkin, High Noon (2nd: Victor Young, The Quiet Man)
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Winton Hoch and Archie Stout, The Quiet Man (2nd (color): Harold Rosson, Singin’ in the Rain)
SHORT: Neighbours (2nd: Feed the Kitty)
FURTHER:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni, Ikiru (2nd: Casare Zavattini, Umberto D.)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Carl Foreman, High Noon (2nd: Adolph Green and Betty Comden, Singin’ in the Rain)
B&W CINEMATOGRAPHY: Asaichi Nakai, Ikiru (2nd: G.R.Aldo, Anchise Brizzi, George Fanto, Obadan Troania, Alberto Roberto Fusi, Othello)
B&W ART DIRECTION: The Bad and the Beautiful
COLOR ART DIRECTION: The Quiet Man
B&W COSTUME DESIGN: The Bad and the Beautiful
COLOR COSTUME DESIGN: The Quiet Man
FILM EDITING: High Noon
SOUND: Singin’ in the Rain
SCORING OF A MUSICAL: Singin’ in the Rain
ORIGINAL SONG: “Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin,” High Noon (2nd: “Inchworm,” Hans Christien Andersen
Pic- Singin’ in the Rain
Dir- Donnen and Kelly
Actor- Takashi Shimura- Ikiru
Actress- Ida Lupino – On Dangerous Ground
Supp. Actor- Donald O’Connor – Singin’ in the Rain
Supp Actress- Katy Jurado – High Noon
Score- Tiomkin – High Noon
Cinematography- Agostini/Matras – Le Plaisir
Ikiru makes a near clean-sweep for me, as IMO no other film even comes close to this Kurosawa masterpiece this year. Unfortunately High Noon leaves with just 1 prize (joint winner for Score) despite being a fabulous film.
Anyway, here are my choices for 1952:
Best Picture: Ikiru
Best Director: Akira Kurosawa (Ikiru)
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru) [One of the greatest performances in the history of the medium. Consequently, Gary Cooper & Charlier Chaplin miss out]
Best Actress: Claire Bloom (Limelight)
Best Supporting Actor: Buster Keaton (Limelight)
Best Supporting Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Cinematography: Asakazu Nakai (Ikiru)
Best Score: Fumio Hayasaka (Ikiru) & Dimitri Tiomkin (High Noon)
Top 5:
1. Ikiru
2. High Noon
3. Singin’ in the Rain
4. Limelight
5. The Quiet Man
I love High Noon, Ikiru and Umberto D but Singin’ in the Rain is a movie landmark, arguably the greatest musical ever made, and a certain inclusion on desert island cinema lists.
Best Picture: Singin in the Rain
Best Director: Fred Zinemann (High Noon)
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Best Actress: Julie Harris (A Member of the Wedding)
Best Supp. Actor: Robert Ryan (Clash By Night)
Best Supp. Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Cinematography: A. Nakai (Ikiru)
Best Score: Bernard Herrmann (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Short: Water Water Everywhere
I would also make special mention to Flike.
Best Picture: Singin’ in the Rain
Best Director: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, Singin’ in the Rain
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura, Ikiru
Best Actress: Ida Lupino, On Dangerous Ground
Best Supporting Actor: Arthur Kennedy, Bend of the River
Best Supporting Actress: Jean Hagen, Singin’ in the Rain
Best Cinematography: Winton Hoch, The Quiet Man
Best Score: Bernard Herrmann, On Dangerous Ground
Best Film: High Noon
Best Director: V. DeSica (Umberto D.)
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Best Actress: S. Signoret (Casque d’Or)
Best Sup. Actor: Anthony Quinn (Viva Zapata!)
Best Sup. Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Musical Score: Bernard Herrmann (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Cinematography: Floyd Crosby (High Noon)
So many great films this year, but one appears to stand tallest……..
Film: Singin’ in the Rain
Director(s): Kelly and Donen
Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiri would be my #2 film)
Actress: Barbara Stanwyck
Sup. Actor: Robert Ryan
Sup. Actress: Jean Hagen
Cinematography: Singin’ in the Rain
Score: On Dangerous Ground
Short: Water Water Every Hare
I’m going Hollywood chauvinistic this year.
Film: ‘High Noon’
Director: Fred Zinneman (‘High Noon’)
Actor: Gary Cooper (‘High Noon’)
Actress: Simone Signoret (‘Casque d’Dor’)
S. Actor: Robert Ryan (‘Clash By Night’)
S. Actress: Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain’)
Photography: Russ Harlan (‘The Big Sky’)
“Ikiru’ and Umbert D’ are beyond praise, but I’m going for Zinneman and Cooper’s he-man heroics, benighted sucker that I am.
Only one choice for me as this is one of my top ten all-time favorite films.
Best Picture: Singin’ in the Rain
Best Director: Nicholas Ray (On Dangerous Ground)
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Best Actress: Simone Signoret (Casque d’Or)
Best Supporting Actor: Donald O’Connor (Singin’ in the Rain)
Best Supporting Actress: Gloria Grahame (The Bad and the Beautiful)
Best Cinematography: Philippi Agostini & Christian Matras (Le Plaisir)
Best Score: Bernard Herrmann (On Dangerous Ground)
ok I’ll give it a shot….
Film: High Noon
Director: Akira Kurosawa (Ikiru)
Short: Magical Maestro
Actor: Takashi Shimura (Ikiru)
Actress: Simone Signoret (Casque d’Or)
Supporting Actor: Arthur Kennedy (Bend of the River)
Supporting Actress: Joan Greenwood (Importance of Being Earnest)
Score: Victor Young (The Quiet Man)
Photography: Cristian Matras (Le Plasir)
Picture – High Noon (US…Fred Zinnemann)
Director – High Noon (US…Fred Zinnemann)
Short – Rabbit Seasoning (US…Chuck Jones)
Actor – Charles Chaplin Limelight
Actress – Kinuyo Tanaka The Life of Oharu
Sup Actor – Donald O’Connor Singin’ in the Rain
Sup Actress – Kyoko Kagawa Mother