The 40+ Best Movies Directed by Otto Preminger
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1Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton WebbIn one of the most celebrated 1940s film noirs, Manhattan detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates the murder of Madison Avenue executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) in her fashionable apartment. On the trail of her murderer, McPherson quizzes Laura's arrogant best friend, gossip columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb) and her comparatively mild fiancé, Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price). As the detective grows obsessed with the case, he finds himself falling in love with the dead woman.More Laura
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2John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia NealNaval Captain Torrey (John Wayne) manages to bring his ship through the bombing of Pearl Harbor unscathed, but is later demoted when it is damaged in a subsequent battle due to his negligence. Back on land, he begins a reconciliation with his estranged son (Brandon de Wilde) and a romance with nurse Maggie (Patricia Neal), but duty calls him away when he and his firebrand friend, Cmdr. Paul Eddington (Kirk Douglas), are tasked with salvaging a dangerous and important mission.More In Harm's Way- #90 of 262 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
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3James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben GazzaraSemi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) takes the case of Army Lt. Manion (Ben Gazzara), who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife (Lee Remick) claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick (Brooks West) and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer (George C. Scott) to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner (Kathryn Grant), who's hiding a dark secret.More Anatomy of a Murder- #53 of 80 on80 Good Long Movies To Watch, Ranked
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4Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary MerrillAshamed that his father lived a life of crime, hard-boiled New York City cop Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews) has a reputation for being too tough on criminals. So when Dixon unintentionally kills a murder suspect during a routine questioning, he hides the fact from the department and tries to pin the killing on his nemesis, notorious gangster Scalise (Gary Merrill). The snag in the cop's plan comes when his boss wrongly accuses the father of Dixon's love interest, Morgan (Gene Tierney), of the murder.
5Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim NovakWhen illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer, small-time con man Schwiefka (Robert Strauss), and Frankie's old drug dealer, Louis (Darren McGavin), re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.
6Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, José FerrerPlagued by an overwhelming urge to shoplift, Ann Sutton (Gene Tierney) is helped out of a tight spot by David Korvo (Jose Ferrer). Unfortunately for Ann, Korvo is a conniving hypnotist who draws her into a web of deception and murder through his mind-altering abilities and frames her for his misdeeds. While Ann's psychiatrist husband, Bill (Richard Conte), believes that his wife didn't commit the crimes, Korvo's devious scheme makes proving her innocence quite difficult.
7Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Jean SebergAnne (Deborah Kerr) travels to the French Riviera to visit Raymond (David Niven), the wealthy husband of her recently deceased friend. His pampered daughter, Cecile (Jean Seberg), afraid that the prim and proper Anne's visit may alter their hedonistic lifestyle, attempts to drive a wedge between the woman and her father, with the help of his young French mistress, Elsa (Mylène Demongeot). Little do they know that Anne's attitude hides a fragility and pain that may have tragic consequences.
8Tom Tryon, Romy Schneider, Carol LynleyOn his path to the College of Cardinals, Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon), a newly ordained Catholic priest, is confronted with family, personal and social crises that cause him spiritual turmoil. First, his sister (Carol Lynley) conceives a child out of wedlock; then he is tempted away from the Church by a woman (Romy Schneider) ; later he contends with racial bigotry within the Church and encounters Nazism in Austria. Will Stephen overcome his trials and reach the rank of cardinal?
9Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, Keir DulleaSingle American mother Ann Lake (Carol Lynley) arrives in London with her daughter, nicknamed Bunny, to live with her brother Stephen (Keir Dullea). Ann leaves Bunny at a nursery school, but when she returns there is no sign of her daughter and no evidence that she was ever there. Stephen, a journalist, questions all who might have seen Bunny. Once Scotland Yard Superintendent Newhouse (Laurence Olivier) joins in the search, he unearths several disturbing details about Ann.
10Frank Sinatra, Betty White, Henry FondaAdvise & Consent is a 1962 American motion picture based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Allen Drury, published in 1959. The movie was adapted for the screen by Wendell Mayes and was directed by Otto Preminger. The ensemble cast features Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton, Don Murray, Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney, Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Burgess Meredith, Eddie Hodges, Paul Ford, George Grizzard, Inga Swenson, Betty White and others. The title derives from the United States Constitution's Article II, Sec. 2, cl. 2, which provides that the President of the United States "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States". The film, set in Washington, D.C., follows the consequences of a Presidential nomination for Secretary of State of a man with a hidden past who commits perjury in the course of confirmation proceedings.
11Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona FreemanBeautiful Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons) is a sophisticated, wealthy young woman capable of manipulating anyone who crosses her path. She also has a dark side she manages to conceal behind her appearance and her good manners. Soon after the untimely death of her stepmother (Barbara O'Neil), Diane pursues handsome Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum). Before long, she starts to win him over -- but Frank quickly suspects that the manic Diane had more to do with her stepmother's death than she lets on.
12Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph RichardsonBased on Leon Uris' novel, this historical epic provides a dramatic backstory to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, in the aftermath of World War II. Ari Ben Canaan (Paul Newman), a passionate member of the Jewish paramilitary group Haganah, attempts to transport 600 Jewish refugees on a dangerous voyage from Cyprus to Palestine on a ship named the Exodus. He faces obstruction from British forces, who will not grant the ship passage to its destination.More Exodus- #281 of 308 onThe 300+ Best Epic Movies Of All Time
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13John Gielgud, Jean Seberg, Richard WidmarkSaint Joan is a 1957 British-American film adapted from the George Bernard Shaw play of the same title about the life of Joan of Arc. The restructured screenplay by Graham Greene, directed by Otto Preminger, begins with the play's last scene, which then becomes the springboard for a long flashback, from which the main story is told. At the end of the flashback, the film then returns to the play's final scene, which then continues through to the end. This was the film debut of actress Jean Seberg, who won a talent search conducted by Preminger that reportedly tested more than 18,000 young women for the role.
14Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl BaileyCarmen Jones is a 1943 Broadway musical with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II which was performed at The Broadway Theatre. Conceptually, it is Bizet's opera Carmen updated to a World War II-era African-American setting. (Bizet's opera was, in turn, based on the 1846 novella by Prosper Mérimée.) The Broadway musical was produced by Billy Rose, using an all-black cast, and directed by Hassard Short. Robert Shaw prepared the choral portions of the show.The original Broadway production starred Muriel Smith (alternating with Muriel Rahn) in the title role. The original Broadway cast members were nearly all new to the stage; Kennedy and Muir write that on the first day of rehearsal only one member had ever been on a stage before.The 1954 film was adapted by Hammerstein and Harry Kleiner. It was directed by Otto Preminger and starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte.The musical has also been revived in London, running for a season in 1991 at London's Old Vic and most recently in London's Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in 2007.In 2018, it was revived off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company under the direction of John Doyle and Anika Noni Rose in the title role.- Forever Amber is a romance novel by Kathleen Winsor set in 17th-century England. It was made into a film in 1947 by 20th Century Fox.
16Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, Ralph BellamyU.S. Col. Billy Mitchell (Gary Cooper) is a decorated World War I veteran airman frustrated by the military's mistreatment of the flying program. With military brass and many in the government still favoring battleships, Mitchell sees funding cut to aviation, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of pilots. When Mitchell publicly accuses his superiors of ineptitude, he is court-martialed. At the trial, Congressman Frank Reid (Ralph Bellamy) advises Mitchell, who faces Maj. Guillion (Rod Steiger).
17Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy DavisThis musical drama focuses on the poverty-stricken residents struggling to survive in the Charleston tenement of Catfish Row. The sultry Bess (Dorothy Dandridge) becomes the object of desire of Porgy (Sidney Poitier), a disabled man who gets around in a cart. But Bess is also involved with thuggish Crown (Brock Peters) and drug dealer Sportin' Life (Sammy Davis Jr.). Crown kills a man and goes into hiding, and Bess seeks shelter with Porgy. But, when Crown returns, Porgy must take a stand.More Porgy and Bess- #333 of 472 onThe Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
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18Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Faye DunawayHurry Sundown is a 1967 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Jane Fonda and Michael Caine. The screenplay by Horton Foote and Thomas C. Ryan is based on the 1965 novel of the same title by K.B. Gilden, a pseudonym for married couple Katya and Bert Gilden.
19Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Rory CalhounAfter serving a prison sentence, farmer Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) returns to his 19th-century Pacific Northwest gold rush town and retrieves his adolescent son, Mark (Tommy Rettig). Meanwhile, goodhearted barroom singer Kay (Marilyn Monroe) is heading downriver with her boyfriend, Harry (Rory Calhoun), to explore a potential gold claim. When their raft sinks, Harry robs Matt of his gun and horse to continue without Kay on land. Sailing downriver toward the claim, the trio plan their revenge.
20Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda DarnellAn unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella (Linda Darnell), he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills (Alice Faye). Since Stella isn't interested in Eric unless he has money, the lovelorn guy comes up with a scheme to win her over, and it involves June. Before long, murder works its way into this passionate love triangle.
21Skidoo
Jackie Gleason, Groucho Marx, Carol ChanningTough Tony Banks (Jackie Gleason) is a malcontented mobster who is perpetually at odds with his wife, Flo (Carol Channing). When Tony receives an unusual assignment from a crime lord known as God (Groucho Marx), he reluctantly accepts and must get himself arrested and incarcerated with the sole purpose of killing an imprisoned convict. Tony's mission gets completely derailed, however, when he accidentally takes acid and has a mind-expanding experience that leads to an ambitious escape plan.
22Dyan Cannon, James Coco, Jennifer O'NeillBusy housewife Julie Messinger's (Dyan Cannon) only gripes about her art-director husband, Richard (Laurence Luckinbill), are that he's a little selfish and too committed to his job. It's not until a routine operation gone awry leaves him in a coma that Julie learns his secrets. Richard had been carrying on numerous affairs, some of them with Julie's close friends. Stunned at how naïve she's been, Julie works through her pain by way of a lot of drinking and a few torrid affairs of her own.
23Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews, Henry FondaDaisy Kenyon (Joan Crawford) is an artist living in Manhattan. She is in love with Dan (Dana Andrews), a busy lawyer who is unhappily married to the volatile Lucille (Ruth Warrick). While Daisy waits for Dan to get a divorce, she begins seeing Peter (Henry Fonda), a veteran recently returned from World War II. After Dan leaves town for a few weeks to defend a dispossessed Japanese-American, Daisy impetuously marries Peter. When Dan returns, the complicated affairs become even more tangled.
24Jeanne Crain, Walter Brennan, Linda DarnellCentennial Summer is a 1946 musical film directed by Otto Preminger. The musical, that stars Jeanne Crain and Cornel Wilde, is based on a novel by Albert E. Idell. It was produced in response to the hugely successful 1944 MGM musical film Meet Me in St. Louis The movie was nominated twice at the 1946 Academy Awards. One of those nominations was for Best Original Song for the song All Through the Day, written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. In Kern's case, the nomination was posthumous as he had died on 11 November 1945.
25Warner Baxter, Freddie Bartholomew, Arleen WhelanDavid Balfour (Freddie Bartholomew), a young man in Scotland, is on his way to Edinburgh to live with Ebenezer (Miles Mander), his sinister uncle. Along the way, David becomes unwillingly attached to rebel Alan Breck (Warner Baxter) and his accomplices, including James (Ralph Forbes), whom David witnesses murdering a tax collector. Now on the run, the small group of renegades must work together in order to evade British lawmen and make their way to a new home, wherever that may be.- The Making of In Harm's Way is a 1964 short film directed by Otto Preminger.
27Otto Preminger, Hardy Krüger, Gregory RatoffDie Jungfrau auf dem Dach is a 1953 comedy film written by Carl Zuckmayer and directed by Otto Preminger.
28William Holden, David Niven, Maggie McNamaraIn New York City, prim and proper would-be actress Patty O'Neill (Maggie McNamara) meets charming architect Donald Gresham (William Holden) and, despite learning he has a girlfriend and being wary of his intentions, accompanies him to his apartment for dinner. They meet Don's girlfriend, Cynthia (Dawn Addams), in the elevator, but she ignores both of them. Later, when Don goes to buy groceries, Cynthia returns -- as does her decadent father, David (David Niven), who Patty unexpectedly likes.
29Charles Boyer, Linda Darnell, Michael RennieWhen Dr. Pearson (Michael Rennie) comes to a quiet Quebec town to set up his medical practice, he attracts the notice of Cora (Constance Smith), whose husband, Paul (Charles Boyer), is the town's other doctor, and Denise (Linda Darnell), eldest daughter of the family in whose house he lodges. When an unknown person begins writing letters attacking Dr. Pearson and Cora for having an affair, a complex web of rumors, lies and accusations begins to ensnare nearly everyone in town.
30Liza Minnelli, Ken Howard, Robert MooreJunie Moon (Liza Minnelli) is in the hospital, after her face has been disfigured by her deranged boyfriend. There she meets two other patients -- Arthur (Ken Howard), who has epilepsy but has been misdiagnosed as mentally retarded, and Warren (Robert Moore), who is gay and in a wheelchair. The unlikely trio of outcasts decide to move in together and manage to enjoy a series of adventures as they endure various forms of prejudice and struggle with their own issues.
