1953 in film

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The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.

Events

• February 5 — Walt Disney's production of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, starring Bobby Driscoll and Kathryn Beaumont, premieres to astounding acclaim from critics and audiences and quickly becomes one of the most beloved Disney films as well as the most definitive Peter Pan film adaptation ever. It was an impressive achievement by Disney's animation department after the financial and critical disappointment of Alice in Wonderland.
• July 1 — Stalag 17, directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden, premieres and is considered by the critics and audiences to be one of the greatest WWII Prisoner of War films ever made.
• August 5 — Fred Zinnemann's romantic and war masterpiece From Here to Eternity, starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed, premieres.
• August 27 — William Wyler's immortal romantic tale of Roman Holiday, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, premieres and it propelled Hepburn to super stardom.
• September 16 — Religious epic The Robe, starring Richard Burton and Jean Simmons, debuts as the first widescreen anamorphic film in cinema history, filmed in CinemaScope.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)^[1]

Rank	Title	Studio	Director(s)	Actors	Gross
1.	The Robe	Twentieth Century Fox	Henry Koster	Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie, Jay Robinson, Dean Jagger	$17,500,000
2.	From Here to Eternity	Columbia Pictures	Fred Zinneman	Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Philip Ober, Jack Warden, George Reeves	$12,500,000
3.	Shane	Paramount Pictures	George Stevens	Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan	$8,000,000
4.	How to Marry a Millionaire	Twentieth Century Fox	Jean Negulesco	Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, William Powell, Cameron Mitchell, Rory Calhoun	$7,500,000
5.	Peter Pan	RKO / Walt Disney Productions / Walt Disney Feature Animation	Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske	Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Paul Collins, Tommy Luske, Heather Angel, Bill Thompson, Margaret Kerry, Corinne Orr, Robert Ellis, Jeffery Silver, Johnny McGovern, Stuffy Singer, Tony Butala	$7,000,000
6.	Hans Christian Andersen	RKO Radio Pictures	Charles Vidor	Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Zizi Jeanmaire	$6,000,000
7.	House of Wax	Warner Bros.	André de Toth	Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Frank Lovejoy, Carolyn Jones, Phyllis Kirk	$5,500,000
8.	Mogambo	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	John Ford	Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Donald Sinden	$5,200,000
9.	Gentlemen Prefer Blondes	Twentieth Century Fox	Howard Hawks	Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn, Elliot Reed, Tommy Noonan	$5,100,000
10.	Salome	Columbia Pictures	William Dieterle	Rita Hayworth, Stewart Granger, Charles Laughton, Judith Anderson, Sir Cedric Hardwicke	$4,750,000

Awards

Academy Awards:

Best Picture: From Here to Eternity - Columbia Pictures

Best Director: Fred Zinnemann - From Here to Eternity

Best Actor: William Holden - Stalag 17

Best Actress: Audrey Hepburn - Roman Holiday

Best Supporting Actor: Frank Sinatra - From Here to Eternity

Best Supporting Actress: Donna Reed - From Here to Eternity

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: The Robe

Best Actor: Spencer Tracy - The Actress

Best Actress: Audrey Hepburn - Roman Holiday

Musical or comedy:

Best Picture: No award

Best Actor: David Niven - The Moon Is Blue

Best Actress: Ethel Merman - Call Me Madam

Other

Best Director: Fred Zinnemann - From Here to Eternity

Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival):

The Wages of Fear (Le salaire de la peur), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, France / Italy

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival): Not awarded

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

The Wages of Fear (Le salaire de la peur), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, France / Italy

Notable films released in 1953

U.S.A. unless stated

#

• 99 River Street, starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes
• The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, starring Tommy Rettig, screenplay by Dr. Seuss

A

• Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Act of Love (Un acte d'amour), starring Kirk Douglas - (U.S.A./France)
• The Actress, starring Spencer Tracy and Jean Simmons
• Albert R.N., directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Anthony Steel, Jack Warner, Robert Beatty, William Sylvester - (GB)
• The All-American, starring Tony Curtis
• All I Desire, starring Barbara Stanwyck
• All the Brothers Were Valiant, starring Ann Blyth
• Anarkali - (India)
• Appointment in Honduras, directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Ann Sheridan and Glenn Ford
• Arrowhead, starring Charlton Heston and Jack Palance

B

• Baaz, directed by and starring Guru Dutt - (India)
• The Band Wagon, starring Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant
• The Bandit of Brazil (O Cangaceiro) - (Brazil)
• Barabbas, directed by Alf Sjöberg - (Sweden)
• The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, starring Paula Raymond and Cecil Kellaway
• Beat the Devil, directed by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida - (Italy/GB/U.S.A.)
• The Beggar's Opera, starring Laurence Olivier and Dorothy Tutin - (GB)
• Belinsky - (U.S.S.R.)
• Ben and Me, featuring the voices of Sterling Holloway and Charles Ruggles
• Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, starring Robert Wagner
• Bienvenido Mr. Marshall, directed by Luis García Berlanga, starring Fernando Rey - (Spain)
• The Big Heat, directed by Fritz Lang, starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Lee Marvin
• Big Leaguer, starring Edward G. Robinson
• The Bigamist, directed by and starring Ida Lupino, with Joan Fontaine, Edmond O'Brien
• Black Ermine - (Argentina)
• Blowing Wild, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck
• The Blue Gardenia, starring Anne Baxter and Raymond Burr
• A Blueprint for Murder, starring Joseph Cotten and Jean Peters
• Bread, Love and Dreams (Pane, amore e fantasia), starring Vittorio De Sica and Gina Lollobrigida - (Italy)
• The Brute (El Bruto), directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Pedro Armendáriz and Katy Jurado - (Mexico)
• By the Light of the Silvery Moon, starring Doris Day and Gordon MacRae

C

• The Caddy, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• Calamity Jane, starring Doris Day
• Call Me Madam, starring Ethel Merman
• The Captain's Paradise, starring Alec Guinness - (GB)
• Cease Fire
• City Beneath the Sea, starring Robert Ryan, Anthony Quinn, Mala Powers
• City That Never Sleeps, starring Gig Young, William Talman, Paula Raymond, Mala Powers
• The Clown, starring Red Skelton
• Confidentially Connie, starring Van Johnson and Janet Leigh
• The Conquest of Everest - (documentary) - (GB)
• The Cruel Sea, starring Jack Hawkins and Denholm Elliott - (GB)
• Cry of the Hunted, starring Vittorio Gassman, Barry Sullivan, Polly Bergen

D

• Dangerous Crossing, starring Jeanne Crain and Michael Rennie
• Dangerous When Wet, starring Esther Williams
• Decameron Nights, starring Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan
• The Desert Rats, starring Richard Burton and James Mason
• Desperate Moment, starring Dirk Bogarde and Mai Zetterling - (GB)
• Devdas - (India)
• Do Bigha Zamin (Two Acres of Land), directed by Bimal Roy - (India)
• Donovan's Brain, starring Lew Ayres and Nancy Davis
• Down Among the Sheltering Palms, starring Mitzi Gaynor, Gloria DeHaven, Jane Greer
• Dream Wife, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr

E

• Él (Him), directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Arturo de Córdova - (Mexico)
• The Earrings of Madame de..., directed by Max Ophüls, starring Charles Boyer - (France/Italy)
• East of Sumatra, starring Anthony Quinn and Jeff Chandler
• Easy to Love, starring Esther Williams
• Easy Years (Anni facili), directed by Luigi Zampa - (Italy)
• The Eddie Cantor Story, starring Keefe Brasselle
• Entotsu no mieru basho (The Four Chimneys) - (Japan)
• Esa pareja feliz (That Happy Couple), directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga - (Spain)
• Escape By Night, starring Bonar Colleano and Sid James - (GB)
• Escape from Fort Bravo, directed by John Sturges, starring William Holden, Eleanor Parker, John Forsythe

F

• Fair Wind to Java, starring Fred MacMurray and Vera Ralston
• The Farmer Takes a Wife, starring Betty Grable
• Fast Company, starring Howard Keel and Polly Bergen
• Fear and Desire, directed by Stanley Kubrick
• The Final Test, directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Jack Warner (GB)
• Folly to Be Wise, directed by Frank Launder, starring Alastair Sim - (GB)
• Footpath, starring Dilip Kumar - (India)
• From Here to Eternity, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed - winner of 8 Oscars

G

• Gate of Hell (Jigokumon) - (Japan)
• A Geisha (Gion Bayashi), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi - (Japan)
• Genevieve, starring Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson, Kay Kendall - (GB)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe
• The Girl Next Door, starring June Haver and Dan Dailey
• The Girl Who Had Everything, starring Elizabeth Taylor, William Powell, Fernando Lamas, Gig Young
• Give a Girl a Break, directed by Stanley Donen, starring Debbie Reynolds, Marge Champion, Gower Champion
• The Glass Wall, starring Vittorio Gassman and Gloria Grahame
• The Golden Blade, starring Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie
• The Great Adventure (Det stora äventyret), directed by Arne Sucksdorff - (Sweden)
• The Great Sioux Uprising, starring Jeff Chandler
• Gun Fury, starring Rock Hudson and Donna Reed

H

• The Heart of the Matter, starring Trevor Howard - (GB)
• The Hitch-Hiker, directed by Ida Lupino, starring Edmond O'Brien and William Talman
• Hondo, starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page in her film debut
• Houdini, starring (husband and wife) Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh
• House of Wax, starring Vincent Price
• How to Marry a Millionaire, starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall (Grable, Fox's top star of the 1940s, with Monroe, Fox's top star of the 1950s)

I

• I Confess, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter
• The I Don't Care Girl, starring Mitzi Gaynor
• I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
• I, the Jury, starring Biff Elliot and Peggie Castle
• I Vitelloni, directed by Federico Fellini - (France/Italy)
• Inferno, starring Robert Ryan
• Interim, directed by Stan Brakhage, short film (25 ½ minutes); music by James Tenney)
• The Intruder, starring Jack Hawkins - (GB
• Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?, starring Bonar Colleano and Diana Dors - (GB)
• Island in the Sky, starring John Wayne
• It Came from Outer Space, directed by Jack Arnold, starring Richard Carlson

J

• Jennifer, starring Ida Lupino and Howard Duff
• Jeopardy, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Ralph Meeker
• Julius Caesar, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud, Louis Calhern, Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr

K-L

• The Kidnappers, starring Jon Whiteley - (GB)
• King of the Khyber Rifles, starring Tyrone Power
• Kiss Me Kate, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, released in 2-D and 3-D
• The Lady Without Camelias (La signora senza camelie), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni - (Italy)
• The Landowner's Daughter (Sinhá Moça), starring Anselmo Duarte - (Brazil)
• Lagu Kenangan (L. Inata), starring Titien Sumarni and AN Alcaff (Indonesia)
• Latin Lovers, starring Lana Turner
• Law and Order, a western starring Ronald Reagan
• The Lawless Breed, starring Rock Hudson
• Lili, starring Leslie Caron
• The Limping Man, starring Lloyd Bridges - (GB)
• A Lion Is in the Streets, starring James Cagney, Barbara Hale, Anne Francis
• Little Boy Lost, starring Bing Crosby
• Little Fugitive
• The Living Desert, winner of Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
• Love in the City (L'Amore in Città), an anthology film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, Dino Risi, Federico Fellini and others - (Italy)
• Love Letter (Koibumi) - (Japan)

M

• Malta Story, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, starring Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Muriel Pavlow - (GB)
• Man in the Attic, starring Jack Palance and Constance Smith
• The Man Between, starring James Mason and Claire Bloom - (GB)
• Man in the Dark, starring Edmond O'Brien and Audrey Totter
• Man on a Tightrope, starring Fredric March and Gloria Grahame
• Martin Luther - (U.S.A./West Germany)
• The Master of Ballantrae, directed by William Keighley, starring Errol Flynn, Roger Livesey, Anthony Steel, Beatrice Campbell - (U.K.)
• Meet Me at the Fair, starring Dan Dailey and Diana Lynn
• Miss Sadie Thompson, starring Rita Hayworth
• The Mississippi Gambler, starring Tyrone Power and Piper Laurie
• Mogambo, starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly (remake of 1932's Red Dust which starred Gable with Jean Harlow)
• Money from Home, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot), directed by and starring Jacques Tati - (France)
• La montaña sin ley
• The Moon Is Blue, first U.S. movie to use the words "pregnant" and "virgin", directed by Otto Preminger, starring William Holden, David Niven, Maggie McNamara
• The Moonlighter, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray

N-O

• The Naked Spur, starring James Stewart, Robert Ryan and Janet Leigh
• The Net, directed by Anthony Asquith - (GB)
• Niagara, starring Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten
• No Way Back (Weg Ohne Umkehr) - (West Germany)

P-Q

• Patita, starring Dev Anand and Usha Kiran - (India)
• Peter Pan, a Walt Disney animation featuring the voice of Bobby Driscoll
• The Phantom Stockman, starring Chips Rafferty - (Australia)
• Pickup on South Street, directed by Sam Fuller, starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter
• Plunder of the Sun, starring Glenn Ford
• Pony Express, starring Charlton Heston (as Buffalo Bill)
• The President's Lady (Charlton Heston's first turn at Andrew Jackson before The Buccaneer)

R

• Remains to Be Seen, starring June Allyson and Van Johnson
• Report News (Reportaje), starring Arturo de Córdova and Dolores del Río - (Mexico)
• Return to Paradise, starring Gary Cooper
• Ride, Vaquero!, starring Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner
• The Robe, the first movie filmed in CinemaScope, starring Richard Burton and Jean Simmons
• Rogue's March , starring Peter Lawford, Janice Rule
• Roman Holiday, directed by William Wyler, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in her Oscar-winning first leading role
• Rosanna (La Red) - (Mexico)

S

• Salome, starring Rita Hayworth
• Sawdust and Tinsel (Gycklarnas afton), directed by Ingmar Bergman - (Sweden)
• Scared Stiff, starring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lizabeth Scott and Carmen Miranda
• Sea Devils, starring Rock Hudson and Yvonne De Carlo - (GB/U.S.A.)
• Seminole, starring Rock Hudson and Anthony Quinn
• Shane, directed by George Stevens, starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur (in her final film role), Brandon de Wilde, Ben Johnson, Jack Palance
• Siamo Donne (We, the Women), starring Alida Valli and Ingrid Bergman - (Italy)
• Small Town Girl, starring Jane Powell and Ann Miller
• So Big, directed by Robert Wise, starring Jane Wyman, Sterling Hayden, Steve Forrest
• So This Is Love, starring Kathryn Grayson and Merv Griffin
• South Sea Woman, starring Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo
• Split Second, starring Alexis Smith and Jan Sterling
• Stalag 17, directed by Billy Wilder, starring William Holden (in his Oscar-winning role), Don Taylor, Harvey Lembeck, Robert Strauss, Otto Preminger, Peter Graves
• Stars of the Russian Ballet (Mastera russkogo baleta), starring Galina Ulanova - (USSR)
• The State Department Store (Állami Áruház) - (Hungary)
• The Steel Lady, starring Rod Cameron and Tab Hunter
• The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan, starring Robert Morley and Maurice Evans - (GB)
• The Story of Little Muck (Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck) - (East Germany)
• The Story of Three Loves, trilogy starring James Mason, Leslie Caron, Kirk Douglas
• Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Harriet Andersson - (Sweden)
• The Sun Shines Bright, directed by John Ford, starring Charles Winninger

T-V

• Take Me to Town, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Ann Sheridan and Sterling Hayden
• Take the High Ground!, starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden
• Thérèse Raquin, directed by Marcel Carné, starring Simone Signoret - (France)
• Three Perfect Wives (Las Tres perfectas casadas), starring Arturo de Córdova - (Mexico)
• Thunder Over the Plains, starring Randolph Scott
• Titanic, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Clifton Webb, Thelma Ritter, Brian Aherne, Robert Wagner
• The Titfield Thunderbolt, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Stanley Holloway - (GB)
• Tokyo Story (Tōkyō Monogatari), directed by Yasujirō Ozu - (Japan)
• Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom
• Torch Song, starring Joan Crawford
• Treasure of the Golden Condor, directed by Delmer Daves, starring Cornel Wilde
• Trouble Along the Way, starring John Wayne
• Trouble in Store, starring Norman Wisdom - (GB)
• Twice Upon a Time, directed by Emeric Pressburger - (GB)
• Ugetsu Monogatari, directed by Kenji Mizoguchi - (Japan)
• The Vanquished (I Vinti), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni - (Italy)

W-Z

• The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la Peur), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Yves Montand - winner of Golden Bear and Palme d'Or awards - (France)
• Walking My Baby Back Home, starring Janet Leigh and Donald O'Connor
• War Arrow, starring Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler
• The War of the Worlds, starring Gene Barry
• White Lightning, starring Stanley Clements and Steve Brodie
• White Mane (Crin Blanc, Cheval Sauvage) - (France)
• White Witch Doctor, starring Robert Mitchum and Susan Hayward
• The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando
• Young Bess, starring Jean Simmons, Deborah Kerr, Charles Laughton

Serials

• Canadian Mounties vs Atomic Invaders, starring Bill Henry
• The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd, starring Richard Crane
• Jungle Drums of Africa, starring Clayton Moore and Phyllis Coates
• The Lost Planet, starring Judd Holdren

Short film series

• Mickey Mouse (1928)-(1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Donald Duck (1934)-(1956)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Goofy (1939)-(1953)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Bugs Bunny (1940)-(1962)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Sylvester the Cat (1944–1966)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Ranger Don (1953-1956)
• Speedy Gonzales (1953-1968)

Births

• January 30: Steven Zaillian, director
• February 8: Mary Steenburgen, actress
• February 11: Philip Anglim, actor
• February 19: Massimo Troisi, actor (died 1994)
• March 4:
  • Scott Hicks, director
  • Agustí Villaronga, Spanish director
• March 16: Isabelle Huppert, French actress
• April 18: Rick Moranis, Canadian actor & comedian
• May 16: Pierce Brosnan, Irish actor
• May 24: Alfred Molina, British-born American actor
• May 30: Colm Meaney, Irish actor
• June 13: Tim Allen, actor
• August 11: Hulk Hogan, wrestler
• August 27: Peter Stormare, Swedish actor
• September 10: Amy Irving, actress
• October 9: Tony Shalhoub, actor
• October 26: Maureen Teefy, actress
• October 31: Michael J. Anderson, actor
• November 3: Kate Capshaw, actress
• November 6: Ron Underwood, director
• December 6: Tom Hulce, actor
• December 8
  • Kim Basinger, actress
  • Sam Kinison, stand-up comedian (died 1992)
• December 9: John Malkovich, actor
• December 17: Bill Pullman, actor
• December 31: James Remar, actor

Deaths

• March 5 – Herman J. Mankiewicz, 55, American screenwriter, Citizen Kane, The Pride of the Yankees, Dinner at Eight, Man of the World
• May 30 – Dooley Wilson, 67, American actor, Casablanca, Stormy Weather
• June 5 – Roland Young, 65, British actor, Topper, Ruggles of Red Gap, The Philadelphia Story, And Then There Were None
• June 30 – Vsevolod Pudovkin, Soviet film director (born 1893)
• August 9 – Henri Étiévant, French actor, director (born 1870)
• September 12 – Lewis Stone, American actor (born 1879), Andy Hardy film series
• October 6 – Porter Hall, American actor (born 1888), Double Indemnity, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Going My Way, Miracle on 34th Street
• October 8 – Nigel Bruce, British actor (born 1895), Sherlock Holmes film series, Suspicion, Rebecca, The Rains Came, Treasure Island
• October 13 – Millard Mitchell (born 1903), Singin' in the Rain, Winchester '73, The Gunfighter, Convicted, The Naked Spur, My Six Convicts, Twelve O'Clock High
• November 29 – Sam De Grasse, Canadian actor (born 1875), Robin Hood

Debuts

• Stanley Kubrick(director) - Fear and Desire
• Steve McQueen - Girl on the Run
• Anthony Perkins - The Actress

Notes

1. "The Top Box Office Hits of 1953". Variety, January 13, 1954.