Customer Reviews

The Moon Is Blue (1953) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone wanting to know what was considered "racy" film making in the early 1950s should see this movie. (It was "condemned" by the Catholic Church which usually meant huge box office receipts.) Two people meet by chance at the top of the Empire State Building, an architect (Holden) and a young, inexperienced, naive girl (Maggie McNamara). Written for the screen from a hugely successful Broadway play, it could be compared to a Moliere hysterically funny, yet poignant boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl story line. The word "virgin" is cast around casually and Dawn Addams runs around nude in the city (well-covered by an enormous fur coat). New York City is the real star of this movie and when I first saw it as a teenager (much to my parents' displeasure) I promised myself to live there one day. Maggie McNamara never got past the type casting (the definitive ingenue)and never had much of a career afterward, but what a great role for a young woman! As my heading reads, William Holden was in his glory..a heart throb for every young girl. Also cast was David Niven...playing David Niven...as the "other guy" (in more recent times the Tony Randall role). No one before or since could deliver an innocuous line such as, "You could've knocked me over with a feather," and make it hilarious like David Niven. See this black and white classic and try to understand how sensuality is so much more effective in films when done with subtle care and great writing.

I couldn't believe that no "customer" had reviewed this film...the biggest shocker of 1953 and condemned by the Catholic Church! I was just out of high school and couldn't WAIT to see this movie. I went alone as none of my friends took movies as seriously as I did in those years. No one could say, "You could've knocked me over with a feather," as well as David Niven. More shocking than the utterance of "virgin," was Dawn Adams running around nude under her mink coat. The New York setting added to this wonderful story....a true antidote to teenagers' lives in hick towns waiting to leave home to meet a William Holden to jazz up their existence....nearly a half century ago!!! Think of it...not ONE sex scene, yet it got the hormones churning from the opening atop the Empire State Building to the closing when "boy gets girl."

A fairly amusing sex farce from nearly half a century ago features the unusual, now-forgotton (and ultimately tragic -- a suicide victim) Maggie McNamara, who is courted, swooned and wooed by both David Niven and Bill Holden. David Niven's career at the time this film was made was in serious jeopardy; he had a contract break-up with the legendary Samuel Goldwyn which was anything but cordial and his pictures prior to this weren't much of any consequence (a good example is a silly, inane "comedy" entitled THE LADY SAYS NO, 1951). The notoriously tyrannical Otto Preminger suddenly came to Niven's rescue ( it was rather like being snatched from drowning by King Kong!). The director was noted for enjoying the experience of striking terror into the hearts of his cast members and technicians alike. Niven emerged unscathed, however, and was ultimately deeply grateful to Preminger for casting him as the middle aged playboy. Niven does a commendable job and there is a certain chemistry between the three leads. THE MOON IS BLUE outraged many in its day by using such words as "virgin" and "seduce". In light of what's allowed in films today, this is hilarious. In 1953, however, it was condemned by the Catholic Church and banned by the censor. Aided by distributors, United Artists and director Otto Preminger defied the ban and released the film -- the first time the American censor had been so defied.

One of my all time favorites. You forget that it was made in 1953. Very frank dialogue for an early 50's movie. Great acting with many laughs and a little suspense. CAN THEY MAKE IT INTO A DVD PLEASE!!

The film version of THE MOON IS BLUE is virtually identical to the Broadway stage production of the early 1950s. As such, this gentle comedy dances around '50s sexual mores, especially the heroine's comic obsession with her virginity. The parts are well-played by Maggie McNamara, William Holden, and David Niven, and Otto Preminger's direction is just right. Even by 1950s standards, none of the characters does -- or suggests doing -- anything 'immoral,' yet the dialogue tweaks then-current mores so wittily that it provoked the Hayes Office (Hollywood's censor) to the ultimate stupidity of withholding its Seal of Approval. THE MOON IS BLUE is dated but fun -- in part, perhaps, because it is so dated.

Can anyone think of any Hollywood comedy that has been condemned by so many people who didn't bother to watch it first? Even today, THE MOON IS BLUE is best known for its "C" for "Condemned" back in 1953 by the Catholic Legion of Decency, one of that body's main objections being that one character used the phrase "professional virgin" a couple of times. To clear this up sooner rather than later, that phrase was used by a young woman similar in age toward lead female Patty O'Neill (Maggie McNamara), who does indeed exploit her youth and femininity to achieve a trivial end. Specifically, in the opening sequence(small spoiler)** what to do if she has only enough money to ride to the top of the Empire State Building or buy a lipstick, but not both? In context, the "professional virgin" crack may seem catty or a bit cynical but is nowhere near obscene or objectionable. Ironically, the movie as a whole serves moral ends, shall we say, in that all is resolved helped in part by nobody exploiting anybody else. THE MOON IS BLUE was originally a play that was a huge hit on Broadway and also toured the country, and even out in the "sticks" no alleged hicks made a stink about excessive raciness.

There is so much to like in this romantic comedy, even an opening title song by Sylvia Fine (Danny Kaye's wife) that is both witty and daffy. The opening scene which I've sketched above is a marvel of dialog-less exposition. (Recall that director / empresario Otto Preminger was expert in both theater and cinema going back to the silents.) The possibility of a triangle looms between Patty and an ingratiating hunkster (played by William Holden) and a suave Britisher (David Niven, looking more than ever as though evening clothes had been invented just for him). The dialog is clever, the scenes brightly played if a bit contrived, and the level of acting is expert-plus from Holden and Niven. Maggie McNamara held her own with her special combination of Audrey Hepburn looks and Debbie Reynolds spunk and is great fun to watch.

THE MOON IS BLUE didn't really get off the ground, in large part because that "C" rating scared off lots of exhibitors. Nonetheless, McNamara received a Best Actress Oscar(TM) nomination, and followed up MOON with her best-remembered role in THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN (1954). Head toward the other end of the $$$ spectrum for rom-coms in 1953 and you'll find a hugely popular hit in HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, which boasted Lauren Bacall's looks and sharp wit, Betty Grable's legs and laughter, and that newly arrived ultimate bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. Despite that, and despite a host of technical advantages (color, CinemaScope, a musical short as introduction), I urge the reader of this to see both films and tell me that MILLIONAIRE is THAT much better.

MOON's handicap today is not really its rep but its price tag. Better to have an "Archive" DVD than none at all, but it's likely the price will put off some potential buyers. (At the time of this writing, the DVD of HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE costs less than half as much.)

Unfortunately, after THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN Maggie McNamara's career didn't really catch on. She died of an overdose before she turned fifty after having appeared in only a few sporadic roles. That's about all I could find about the actress from Wikipedia, imDb and several info sites.

On the lighter side, I searched for "blue moon" on the browser and found three definitions (none of them mine) on one site!

Happy viewing!

I remember watching this movie on TV in the 1980's. Because of its reputation they would only broadcast it after midnight, but it was worth it to stay up and watch it. It shows a slice of male-female relations in the 50's as a romantic comedy.

If you like this movie, another movie in the same vein is "Roman Holiday" staring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. For more of the 50's, see "The Red Shoes" (Criterion Collection). Both on DVD.

This is a great romantic comedy from the early 1950's that will make you laugh all the way. The two leads are superb, especially William Holden, whose role seems very modern. If yo like romantic comedies, this one is for you!

i remember when this film first came out..AND I WAS TOO YOUNG to be allowed to see it because words like VIRGIN were used!what?the first 45 minutes of this mess is a groner.and it is easily seen that this must have been ment for hepburn,not kathrine,as this actress is a terrible replica of either.eventualy the film improves as niven is introduced into this mess and becomes almost a likeable film.but alas,this film is far too pale of a blue to barely sit through.niven and holden are good and are way above the plot.unless you like these two actors this is perhaps only a collector's "play-toy" to add to one's shelf of seen only once films.

"The Moon is Blue" is a movie I saw as a naive college freshman, and my friends and I thought it was very risque. Fifty some years later I ordered the movie from Amazon and received it, in excellent condition within a week! It was fun to watch the movie again. It has excellent actors and it kept me laughing.