The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) Paramount Pictures Director: Cecil B. DeMille Producer: Cecil B. DeMille Cast: Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, James Stewart. Awards ceremony: -25th Academy Awards: March 19, 1953. RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Best Motion Picture this year: -High Noon. -Ivanhoe. -Moulin Rouge. -The Quiet Man. Plot summary: A travelling circus enlists the services of The Great Sebastian (CORNEL WILDE), a top class trapeze artist who has a reputation for the women. His arrival displaces Holly (BETTY HUTTON) as the main attraction which doesn't sit well with her as she complains to the boss (CHARLTON HESTON). Sebastian agrees to work with Holly but when he attempts to perform a dangerous stunt it ends in a terrible accident. Meanwhile, one of the circus performers is wanted for murder... a clown named 'Buttons' (JAMES STEWART). Standout scene: It has to be Sebastian's accident. He attempts to perform a double somersault in mid-air but mis-times it and falls hard to the ground. Facts: -The 25th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, it won 2: Best Film, Best Writing (Motion Picture Story). -This was the second Best Picture to feature James Stewart (the first was YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, 1938) and neither time he took top billing. Personal opinion: Wait just a minute there!! James Stewart as a CLOWN? I just can't get past that. Anyway, what we have here is a grand spectacle of circus life offered in glorious Technicolor and with a little bit of plot thrown in for good measure. For a film with a running time of 2½ hours, it's okay but certainly not one of the better Best Picture winners I have seen. The last half hour is probably the best period. It's really a film with two sections; a love-plot involving Charlton Heston and Betty Hutton, along with James Stewart's character being sought for a murder, whilst the other half is the circus/entertainment stuff. The shots of the circus are really entertaining and a joy to watch, with some wonderful humor and stunt work. And let's not overlook that awesome train crash (cough cough) sequence either! Above average. I enjoyed it much better the second time I watched it. Did it deserve the Oscar? YES. 6½/10

Review date: 26 February 2025