The First Legion
| The First Legion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Douglas Sirk |
| Screenplay by | Emmet Lavery |
| Based on | The First Legion by Emmet Lavery |
| Produced by | Douglas Sirk |
| Starring | Charles Boyer William Demarest Lyle Bettger Walter Hampden Barbara Rush Wesley Addy H. B. Warner Leo G. Carroll |
| Cinematography | Robert De Grasse |
| Edited by | Francis D. Lyon |
| Music by | Hans Sommer |
Production company | Sédif Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The First Legion is a 1951 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk and written by Emmet Lavery. The film stars Charles Boyer, William Demarest, Lyle Bettger, Walter Hampden, Barbara Rush, Wesley Addy, H. B. Warner and Leo G. Carroll. The film was released on April 27, 1951, by United Artists.[1][2]
Plot[]
Fr. John Fulton, a Jesuit instructor in a seminary school, feels he has lost his vocation. A talk with his friend Fr. Marc Arnoux is no help. But on the night he plans to leave the seminary (and the Order) his old teacher Fr. Jose Sierra miraculously gets up and walks, to tell him to stay. The young, wheelchair-bound neighbor Terry Gilmartin regains hope a similar miracle might allow her to walk; her physician, Dr. Peter Morrell, the same one who attended Fr. Sierra, and who is in love with Terry, confesses that he had engineered Sierra's miraculous recovery, to Fr. Arnoux, but refuses his advice to tell the truth. The Jesuit seminary rector orders Fr. Arnoux to plead the validity of the miracle before the Vatican, in Rome. When his highly respected subordinate refuses, the rector dies of a heart attack. At that point Dr. Morrell admits his deception, in particular to Terry, who goes to the seminary chapel and, miraculously, gets out of her wheelchair, at the moment she prays for Dr. Morrell.
Cast[]
- Charles Boyer as Father Marc Arnoux
- William Demarest as Monsignor Michael Carey
- Lyle Bettger as Dr. Peter Morrell
- Walter Hampden as Father Edward Quarterman
- Barbara Rush as Terry Gilmartin
- Wesley Addy as Father John Fulton
- H. B. Warner as Fr. Jose Sierra
- Leo G. Carroll as Father Rector Paul Duquesne
- Taylor Holmes as Father Keene
- H. B. Warner as Fr. Jose Sierra
- George Zucco as Father Robert Stuart
- John McGuire as Father Tom Rawleigh
- Clifford Brooke as Brother Clifford
- Dorothy Adams as Mrs. Dunn
- Molly Lamont as Mrs. Nora Gilmartin
- Queenie Smith as Henrietta
- Jacqueline deWit as Miss Hamilton
- Bill Edwards as Joe
Restoration[]
The film was restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with funding provided by and ; the restoration was publicly screened in March 2015.[3][4]
References[]
- ^ "The First Legion (1951) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ "The First Legion". TV Guide. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ "The First Legion / Journey into Light [programme note]". UCLA Film & Television Archive. 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ^ Kenneth Turan (2015-02-27). "UCLA film festival a fascinating window into our cinematic past". Retrieved 2016-03-12.
External links[]
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- 1951 films
- English-language films
- American films
- American black-and-white films
- United Artists films
- 1951 drama films
- American drama films
- Films directed by Douglas Sirk
- 1950s drama film stubs