Over the past few years, This Blogger has done Top 10 lists exploring the best of selected decades, but the 1950’s had yet to get the treatment. It is a decade that is often overlooked; in fact, the last time anyone really talked about the era was a few years back when famed director Quentin Tarantino said that everyone was happy when it ended. When doing research for this blog, it was clear that QT was a little off base; the 1950’s were a fantastic decade for cinema.
It was a period of change for America and Hollywood. The Second World War was long done but still close enough for plenty of films to be made about it, with one of the standouts being the iconic FROM HERE TO ETERNITY from 1953. The Space Race and the atomic age was in its early days, leading to fear and fascination and films such as THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1954), and GODZILLA (1954). Musicals were aplenty, and Westerns were still the bread and butter of movie theatres. The power in Hollywood was taken over by rising stars such as John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, and Marilyn Monroe. Also rising were famed filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, John Ford, and Akira Kurosawa. And Disney made classics such as CINDERELLA (1950), ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951), and the ageless PETER PAN (1953). It was a grand decade that would produce some of the best films in history, and here are the best ones that have stood the test of time and influenced the six decades that would come after:
10. WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)
Twelve years after directing the classic CASABLANCA (1942), Michael Curtiz made another classic which has become as common over the holidays as egg-nogg. Mega-star Bing Crosby leads the way with Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen in this charming musical that serves not only as a holiday story, but also explores the themes of deep friendship and loyalty from WWII veterans now at home, looking for something to do to fill in the gaps. As the first film to be released in VistaVision (a new widescreen process), it would change the way films would be presented.
9. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
The great Cecil B. DeMille helmed this biblical epic based on the Book of Exodus. With stunning visual effects that even hold up against today’s CGI, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS became iconic thanks to its imagery, and towering performances from Charlton Heston and Yul Brenner. Arguably the best film ever made based on a biblical story, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS has traditionally been broadcast every Easter since 1973…and rightfully so.
8. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
No one in history has had a three-film run like David Lean, and it started with this epic that is consistently mentioned as one of the greatest war pictures of all time. Set in WWII, it centers around British POW’s who are tasked with building a bridge for the Japanese army. Simple on the surface, KWAI brilliantly gives solid human motivations for both sides, and offers several layers of internal battle; no character here is a defined hero or villain, and it’s one of those films that can be debated in classrooms and on barstools. Winner of seven Oscars including Best Picture…and would propel Lean to deliver his next two classics: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA in 1962 and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO in 1965.
7. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
Another Best Picture winner (out of a whopping 12 nominations), which also gave Marlon Brando a Best Actor win. Brando would find his star in ascent in the 1950’s, with this crime drama and the excellent A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE from 1951. Either one of those films could have taken this spot, but WATERFRONT gets the nod as a statement of the times it was made in; Brando’s character testifying against old friends is a metaphor for the turmoil in Hollywood where writers and directors were being accused of being communists.
6. 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
One of the greatest legal dramas of all time. Sidney Lument helmed this story of a jury of 12 men deliberating a murder case which serves as a fascinating look at human dynamics. Mostly set in the jury room, the feelings of claustrophobia and tension hang over the film heavily, and themes of prejudice, class separation, and bringing personal issues into the jury room are explored. For a film that has little to no action, it is stunningly gripping.
5. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
Song and dance man Gene Kelly had a string of hits in this era, including the Best Picture winning AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951). With SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN he had his most iconic moment with his spin around a lamppost in a downpour, and the song itself has become core-memory even for those who have never even seen the film. Arguably the greatest of the technicolor musicals, it’s impossible to watch this one and not feel joy.
4. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
The great Billy Wilder helmed this black comedy and noir about an aging movie star looking to make a return to the silver screen. Wonderfully shot and acted, SUNSET BOULEVARD strips away the glamor of Hollywood and exposes the actors who were chewed up and spit out…a trend that continues today. Another look at post-war America in an unexpected setting.
3. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
John Ford defined the modern Western and made a star out of John Wayne, and with this epic about a Civil War veteran looking for his abducted niece, he re-wrote the book again. Ford spent several films looking at Native American treatment, and here he goes even deeper. What looks like a Western adventure is layered with themes of racism and moral quandaries. Wayne is joined by the gorgeous Natalie Wood and Jeffrey Hunter (the future Captain Pike from TV’s STAR TREK), and the film makes great use of the famed Monument Valley. Often considered to be one of the best Westerns of all time, there is a lot of modern cinema to be found in THE SEARCHERS.
2. VERTIGO (1958)
The great Alfred Hitchcock had a loaded decade: DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954), REAR WINDOW (1954), and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959). But it was in 1958 where he delivered probably his best film. James Stewart plays a former cop turned P.I. who suffers from a fear of heights in this thriller, which also stars Kim Novak. This was the first film to utilize the dolly zoom; an in-camera effect that distorts perspective to create disorientation…and it is stunning even by today’s standards. The best part about it is Jimmy Stewart shedding his usual aw-shucks good guy for an icy performance that is one of his best.
1. SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)
The great Akira Kurosawa, who would influence nearly every future filmmaker from George Lucas to Steven Spielberg to Stanley Kubrick, created this epic that has cast a long shadow over every adventure film made since 1954. Following the story of a village hiring samurai to defend themselves against bandits, SEVEN SAMURAI is so great that even its loose remakes have become their own classics, such as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960), and A BUG’S LIFE (1998). It's display of swordsmanship, action sequences, and team-ups of varying characters have set a template for modern blockbusters, and everything about it holds up today. Kurosawa had a philosophy in characters that no two people are alike, and that basis for drama makes SEVEN SAMURAI really tick, and stand tall in the 1950’s.
REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 BEST FILMS OF THE 1950's
- SEVEN SAMURAI
- VERTIGO
- THE SEARCHERS
- SUNSET BOULEVARD
- SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
- 12 ANGRY MEN
- ON THE WATERFRONT
- THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
- THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
- WHITE CHRISTMAS
No comments:
Post a Comment
A few rules:
1. Personal attacks not tolerated.
2. Haters welcome, if you can justify it.
3. Swearing is goddamn OK.