Hilda Crane
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| Hilda Crane | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Philip Dunne |
| Produced by | Herbert B. Swope Jr. |
| Written by | Philip Dunne Samson Raphaelson (play) |
| Starring | Jean Simmons Guy Madison Jean-Pierre Aumont Evelyn Varden Peggy Knudsen. |
| Music by | David Raksin |
| Cinematography | Joseph MacDonald |
| Editing by | David Bretherton |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) |  2 May 1956 |
| Running time | 87 min |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Hilda Crane, also known as The Many Loves of Hilda Crane, is a 1956 drama film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Philip Dunne and produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr. from a screenplay adapted by Dunne from the play by Samson Raphaelson. The music score was by David Raksin and the cinematography by Joseph MacDonald. The film was made in Technicolor and Cinemascope.
The film stars Jean Simmons, Guy Madison and Jean-Pierre Aumont with Evelyn Varden and Peggy Knudsen.
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[edit] Background
The original play by Samson Raphaelson, Hilda Crane, on which the film is based had its first performance on Broadway on November 1, 1950 at the Coronet Theatre, in a production directed by Hume Cronyn and designed by Howard Bay. Jessica Tandy starred as Hilda Crane. Also in the cast were John Alexander, Beulah Bondi, Frank Sundstrom, Evelyn Varden, and Eileen Heckart. Of the stage cast, only Evelyn Varden appears in the film.
Philip Dunne was the screenwriter on three previous 20th Century Fox epic films which starred Jean Simmons, The Robe (1953), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and The Egyptian (1954).
[edit] Plot
Hilda Crane (Jean Simmons), a liberated young woman who has made a career in New York, finds herself at a crossroads in her life. Twice-married and twice-divorced, she returns to her home town to find that Russell Burns (Guy Madison), her old boyfriend, still carries a torch for her. She decides to marry him and settle down but realises that Russell's mother, Mrs Burns (Evelyn Varden) will stop at nothing to stop the marriage, even to faking a heart attack. But Hilda is more than a match for her. The couple marry but Mrs Burns dies. Riddled with guilt about his mother, Russell's happiness wanes. Hilda begins an affair with her old history professor, Jacques De Lisle (Jean-Pierre Aumont) with whom she used to flirt. When they are discovered, the affair ends and Hilda unsuccessfully tries to take her own life. However, Russell is able to come to terms with his feelings of guilt and the film ends with the suggestion that the couple will now have a hopeful future.
The film is unusual for its period in its depiction of such an independent and liberated heroine.
[edit] Cast
- Jean Simmons - Hilda Crane
- Guy Madison - Russell Burns
- Judith Evelyn - Mrs. Crane
- Evelyn Varden - Mrs. Burns
- Gregg Palmer - Dink
- Richard Garrick - Dr. Francis
- Jim Hayward - Mr. Small
- Don Shelton - Caterer
- Helen Mayon - Maid
- Jay Jostyn - Minister
- Peggy Knudsen - Nell Bromley
- Jean-Pierre Aumont - Jacques De Lisle
- Marie Blake - Clara
