The Moon Is Blue

"From the Sensational Stage Hit That Ran 3 years on Broadway!"

1953 1h 39m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 53

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two aging playboys are both after the same attractive young woman, but she fends them off by claiming that she plans to remain a virgin until her wedding night. Both men determine to find a way around her objections.

“From the Sensational Stage Hit That Ran 3 years on Broadway!”

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Cast

William Holden
Donald Gresham
David Niven
David Slater
Maggie McNamara
Patty O'Neill
Tom Tully
Michael O'Neill
Dawn Addams
Cynthia Slater
Fortunio Bonanova
Television Performer
Gregory Ratoff
Taxi Driver
Johannes Heesters
Tourist (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: F. Hugh Herbert
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Ernest Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Herschel Burke Gilbert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

William Holden and David Niven and Maggie McNamara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From the Sensational Stage Hit That Ran 3 years on Broadway!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Otto Preminger directs. Ernest Laszlo behind the camera. Herschel Burke Gilbert scores. Ronald Sinclair cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
273 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Ernest Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Herschel Burke Gilbert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ronald Sinclair shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7William Holden and David Niven and Maggie McNamara carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "From the Sensational Stage Hit That Ran 3 years on Broadway!".
9IMDB entry: tt0046094 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Original score: Herschel Burke Gilbert
Editing: Ronald Sinclair
Costume design: Don Loper
Makeup / hair: Louis Phillipi
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Status: Released
Budget: $400,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Moon Is Blue (1953)

Also by

Otto Preminger

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-09-25
★ 7/10
Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes. The Moon is Blue is one of those olde rom-coms that nowadays has the ability to baffle us as to how it caused such ripples in the movie world back in the day. But ripples it did stir, and all told it's a pretty effective study of manners, etiquette and sexual understandings. Directed by Otto Preminger and based on F. Hugh Herbert's cheeky play of the film's title, it stars William Holden, David Niven and Maggie McNamara. Plot essentially revolves around McNamara holding onto her virginity as the male predators close in. If she holds firm she will of course snare the man she is meant to be with. It's a bit talky and too mired in its stage origins at times, but there's a waspish deliberation about the humour that holds attention and the performances, in conjunction with Preminger's agile camera techniques, are well worth investment. More curio than essential cinema, but enjoyable and rich with characterisations of worth. 7/10 The Moon is Blue is one of those olde rom-coms that nowadays has the ability to baffle us as to how it caused such ripples in the movie world back in the day. But ripples it did stir, and all told it's a pretty effective study of manners, etiquette and sexual understandings. Directed by Otto Preminger and based on F. Hugh Herbert's cheeky play of the film's title, it stars William Holden, David Niven and Maggie McNamara. Plot essentially revolves around McNamara holding onto her virginity as the male predators close in. If she holds firm she will of course snare the man she is meant to be with. It's a bit talky and too mired in its stage origins at times, but there's a waspish deliberation about the humour that holds attention and the performances, in conjunction with Preminger's agile camera techniques, are well worth investment. More curio than essential cinema, but enjoyable and rich with characterisations of worth. 7/10

Production companies