Curtain Up

1952 1h 21m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 6

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a small town in the 1950s a repertory company meets on Monday morning to start rehearsing the following week's play. This is a ghastly thing written by the aunt of one of the theatre's directors. The producer doesn't try to hide his annoyance about it, and is further exercised when the authoress herself arrives to help. The cast have to try and sort out real-life problems that keep intruding as they wrestle with the play's dire dialogue.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Robert Morley
W.H. 'Harry' Derwent Blacker
Margaret Rutherford
Catherine Beckwith / Jeremy St. Claire
Kay Kendall
Sandra Beverley
Michael Medwin
Jerry Winterton
Liam Gaffney
Norwood Beverley
Olive Sloane
Maud Baron
Lloyd Lamble
Jackson
Charlotte Mitchell
Daphne Ray

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ralph Smart
Writers: Michael Pertwee, phillip king, Jack Davies
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

81 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ralph Smart, shot by Stanley Pavey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Malcolm Arnold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Douglas Robertson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Morley and Margaret Rutherford and Kay Kendall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0045664 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ralph Smart directs. Stanley Pavey behind the camera. Malcolm Arnold scores. Douglas Robertson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
274 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Ralph Smart, shot by Stanley Pavey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Malcolm Arnold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Douglas Robertson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Morley and Margaret Rutherford and Kay Kendall carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0045664 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.