The Four Poster (1952 film)
1952 film by Irving Reis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Four Poster is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by Irving Reis and starring Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer.[2] It is an adaptation of Jan de Hartog's 1951 play The Fourposter.
| The Four Poster | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Irving Reis |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | The Fourposter by Jan de Hartog |
| Produced by | Stanley Kramer |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Edited by | Henry Batista |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
Production company | The Stanley Kramer Company |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150,000[1] |
Plot
The film follows the Edwardses, from their honeymoon with a four-poster bed prior to the First World War, to the birth of their unseen children and the couple's final years.
Animation
While it is a live-action film, The Four Poster features animation by the studio United Productions of America (UPA). The animation was directed by John Hubley, and was his last project before leaving UPA and founding his independent studio Storyboard, Inc.[3]
In Yugoslavia, The Four Poster's animation became one of the key influences on the foundation of the Zagreb School of Animated Films. Director Dušan Vukotić had come across an article about UPA's films in Graphis at an English bookstore in Zagreb. Around the same time, The Four Poster arrived in the country in "a batch of American feature films sent for possible sale to Yugoslavia", according to researcher Ronald Holloway. Vukotić and others studied the film's animation, which also gave them a greater understanding of the still images in Graphis. As a result, the team began to explore design-focused limited animation at Zagreb Film.[4]
Cast
- Rex Harrison as John Edwards
- Lilli Palmer as Abby Edwards
Production
Allan Scott saw the play in Londion and recommended Stanley Kramer made it under the producer's deal with Columbia. Kramer agreed and Scott bought the rights for $15,000 and persuaded Harrison and Palmer to star. He had John Hubley animate scenes to avoid double exposition.[5]
Reception
Scott called the film "a big success".[6]
