O.K. Movie Buffs, here’s a list of my favorite movies from the 1950’s. Now I’m sure that some of you are going to say, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” for a few selections. But, although there are some cheesy sci-fi flicks listed, they are part of my favorites, the ones that I like to curl up with on a lonely night or rainy day.
Public Domain Image courtesy of Pixabay
One listing has its controversy. There was a bit of a burning question in Cinema Studies during the 80’s and 90’s. Who really directed “The Thing”? IMDB currently lists Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks (uncredited) as co-directors, so I guess the mystery has been settled. By the way, this film has some of the best dialog ever written for the silver screen.
I still believe that it was Howard Hawks. He had a somewhat legendary status by 1950, and he probably didn’t want an association with a Sci-Fi film. The story was incredibly original and the film looks, tastes, feels, and smells like his fingerprints are all over it. I also once recommended this film for authors who want to write better dialog.
50. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers…d. Fred F. Sears
49. Umberto D…d. Vittorio De Sica (Italy)
48. Sunset Boulevard…d. Billy Wilder
47. Rashomon…d. Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
46. Paths of Glory…d.Stanley Kubrick
45. Witness for the Prosecution…d. Billy Wilder
44. Showboat…d. George Sidney
43. Le Journal d’un Curé de Campagne…d. Robert Bresson (France)
42. Pickpocket…d. Robert Bresson (France)
41. Sanjiro Sugata…d. Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
40. The Seven Samurai…d. Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
39. A Face in the Crowd…d. Elia Kazan
38. Mr. Roberts…d. John Ford / Mervyn LeRoy
37. North by Northwest…d. Alfred Hitchcock
36. Rear Window…d. Alfred Hitchcock
35. Bob Le Flambeur…d. Jen-Pierre Melville (France)
34. The Man in the White Suit…d. Alexander Mackendrick (UK)
33. I’m Alright Jack…d. John Boulting (UK)
32. Them!…d. Gordon Douglas
31. House on Haunted Hill…d. Robb White
30. The Caine Mutiny…d. Edward Dmytryk
29. Rear Window…d. Alfred Hitchcock
28. From Here to Eternity…d. Fred Zinneman
27. The Quiet Man…d. John Ford
26. The Day the Earth Stood Still…d. Robert Wise
25. The Captain’s Paradise…d. Antony Kimmins (UK)
24. The Rose Tattoo…d. Daniel Mann
23. High Noon…d. Fred Zinneman
22. 12 Angry Men…d. Sidney Lumet
21. Singing in the Rain…d. Stanley Donen / Gene Kelly
20. Written on the Wind…d. Douglas Sirk
19. Touch of Evil…d. Orson Welles
18. The Seventh Seal…d. Ingmar Bergman (Sweden)
17. Throne of Blood…d. Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
16. Creature from the Black Lagoon…d. Jack Arnold
15. Les Diaboliques…d. Henri-Georges Clouzot (France)
14. Invasion of the Body Snatchers…d. Don Siegel
13. All About Eve…d. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
12. Ikiru…d. Akira Kurosawa (Japan)
11. Forbidden Planet…d. Fred M. Wilcox
10. Les Quatre-Cent Coups…d. Francois Truffaut (France)
09. A Christmas Carol…d. Brian Desmond Hurst (UK)
08. Les Jeux Interdits…d. René Clément (France)
07. Hiroshima Mon Amour…d. Alain Resnais (France)
06. The Wages of Fear…d. Henri-Georges Clouzot (France)
05. Stalag 17…d. Billy Wilder
04. The Searchers…d. John Ford
03. The Thing From Another World…d. Christian Nyby / Howard Hawks (uncredited)
02. Ben-Hur…d. William Wyler
01. The Ten Commandments…d. Cecil B De Mille
Check out my other lists of favorite movies from the 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s 1990’s
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