#349 – Umberto D., 1952, Vittorio De Sica
When elderly pensioner Umberto Domenico Ferrari returns to his boarding house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his landlady demands her 15,000-lire rent by the end of the month or he and his small dog will be turned out onto the street. Unable to get the money in time, Umberto fakes illness to get sent to a hospital, giving his beloved dog to the landlady’s pregnant and abandoned maid for temporary safekeeping.
#430 – Casque d’Or, 1952, Jacques Becker
Ex-convict Georges Manda returns to the free world determined to go straight and takes a steady job as a carpenter. Unable to completely shake his connections with the underground, he meets with a former prison mate, older gangster Félix Leca, who introduces him to his mistress, the sweet but guarded Marie “Casque d’Or”. Marie and Georges fall into a passionate relationship, driving Félix to do everything in his power to ruin the couple.
#433 – The Life of Oharu, (西鶴一代女), 1952, Kenji Mizoguchi
Follows a woman’s fight and survival amid the vicissitudes of life and the cruelty of the society.
#585 – High Noon, 1952, Fred Zinnemann
Will Kane, the sheriff of a small town in New Mexico, learns a notorious outlaw he put in jail has been freed, and will be arriving on the noon train. Knowing the outlaw and his gang are coming to kill him, Kane is determined to stand his ground, so he gathers a posse from among the local townspeople.
#742 – Le Plaisir, 1952, Max Ophüls
Three stories about the pleasure. The first one is about a man hiding his age behind a mask to keep going to balls and fancying women – pleasure and youth. Then comes the long tale of Mme Tellier taking her girls (whores) to the country for attending her niece’s communion – pleasure and purity. And lastly, Jean the painter falling in love with his model – pleasure and death.
#747 – Lightning, (稲妻), 1952, Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse’s second adaptation of a novel by Fumiko Hayashi stars Hideko Takamine, the director’s frequent muse, as bus conductress Kiyoko Komori, the youngest daughter in a family of squabbling half-siblings. All the children are products of different fathers, though they share the same mother: a tragically weak-willed woman named Osei. The familial tension only increases when the husband of one daughter dies and leaves behind a substantial insurance policy, so Kiyoko abandons them to their quarrels and makes a go of it on her own, though she finds she can’t leave her mother behind so easily.
#814 – Forbidden Games, (Jeux interdits), 1952, René Clément
Orphaned after a Nazi air raid, Paulette, a young Parisian girl, runs into Michel, an older peasant boy, and the two quickly become close. Together, they try to make sense of the chaotic and crumbling world around them, attempting to cope with death as they create a burial ground for Paulette’s deceased pet dog. Eventually, however, Paulette’s stay with Michel’s family is threatened by the harsh realities of wartime.
#838 – The Quiet Man, 1952, John Ford
An Irish ex-boxer retires to Ireland and searches for the proper wife.
Jumbo Cactuar Film Index 