The Top 25 Films of the 1950s

Over the next few weeks I am going to be breaking down my favorite films decade by decade from the 1920′s all the way up to the 2000′s. I am starting with the 1950′s which I think is, if not the greatest film decade of all time, at least in the top 2. Here are my top 25 films of the 1950′s…

25. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
A profoundly touching masterpiece of family life in everyday Tokyo. Ozu is slow and poignant and captures the most subtle of human interaction.

24. Ballad of a Soldier (Grigori Chukhraj, 1959)
This is seeping with romance, and that’s saying something for a Russian film. In the midst of a bleak war with a neo-realist landscape you are introduced to one of the most unexpected and moving love story you’ll ever see on film.

23. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
This, not the Godfather, is Brando’s masterpiece. A great down and out story with heart the we all can find ourselves in. It probably has the best screenplay on this list, and some incredible cinematography.

22. The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
Kubrick’s list of masterpiece is a mile long, but this is one that rarely gets mentioned. It is one of the best film noirs I have ever seen. Witty, sharp, and about as exciting as can be.

21. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alain Resnais, 1959)
When I think of Resnais, I think… luscious, sensual, emotional. This is probably the most sensual film of the 50’s, and in a very good way. A strange and unique love story set against the horrors of the present day Japan. This is filled to brim with passion.

20. Wages of Fear (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)
Clouzot is the European Hitchcock and probably captures true suspense and terror even better. Wages of Fear does not let you blink.

19. The Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson, 1951)
I watched this before going to my first ministry and it had a profound impact on me. Bresson is a beautiful and spiritual filmmaker and ‘Diary’ is a great testament a man working out his own faith while trying to lead others into their own.

18. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
Many people put this on the top of Hitchcock’s list. While not quite there for me it is still a great film. It may have the best acting performances in any Hitchcock film. Grace Kelly steals this one.

17. The Earrings of Madame De… (Max Ophuls, 1953)
I remember just being enthralled with this film the first time I watched it. It’s a romantic story of love, deceit, and revenge. Ophuls is always intriguing and beautiful to watch.

16. The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
The Seventh Seal is a great allegory to Christianity and heavy with spiritual insight. It has imagery that I probably won’t forget. This is not Bergman’s best by any stretch, but it is a masterpiece.

15. Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini, 1957)
This is Fellini’s most enjoyable film. I am not considering it his greatest, as far as filmmaking, but Nights of Cabiria is a tragic and powerful story. Giulietta Masina is touching in this film about the human spirit and all that one can overcome. The ending touches you more deeply than nearly any film will ever do.

14. Umberto D (Vittorio De Sica, 1952)
This film is the probably the pinnacle of the Italian neo-realist films. It is heartbreaking and agonizing. It is study on the meaning of life and loneliness in old age. The last 10 minutes touches you in such a profound way that this film is actually life-affirming in the midst of the despair. De Sica is a beautiful film maker and this is his masterpiece.

13. Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
Bergman’s tale of the loneliness and suffering of a man who is at the end of his life is so poignant and graceful that it is hard not to fall in love with. Filled with sorrow and beauty in some great landscapes Wild Strawberries touches old age with a delicate hand.

12. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
While not Kurosawa’s best this a great film which defined so much of the samurai genre. Seven Samurai is truly an epic film coming in at a massive 3 hours and 30 minutes. It’s beauty and influence is still being felt today and will for years to come. It does go by slowly in some parts but only rarely and the rest of the film is unequaled and the film as a whole is unforgettable and inspiring.

11. Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
This is the film that inspired George Lucas to make star wars and there really are similarities. They are out for the gold, He is out for the princess, and the war is out for them. The samurai code and philosophy runs strong throughout this film which gives it that familiar Japanese heart and character. There are a number of heartfelt and often funny scenes as we follow these misfits on their journey. Although this isn’t Kurosawa’s best, it is a masterpiece and is one of Mifune’s best.

10. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
Vertigo is Hitchcock’s most full and well crafted film. It is so determined in its study of fear and obsession. You enter into the mind of James Stewart’s character and feel the insanity, betrayal, and the death that he feels. This is probably Stewarts best performance as Hitchcock pulls out a thrilling rollercoaster ride from him. It is a risky film, not just for its time but even for our day. Vertigo is truly a film that other filmmakers draw from but very few will ever come close to touching its perfection.

09. Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1958)
The Brazilian masterpiece from Marcel Camus is more alive and colorful than ever, as long as you see it on Criterion. This is a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice love myth which takes place around the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The back drop is luscious, romance is hot, and the music is some of the most memorable you will ever hear in film. A unique film to truly sit back relax and become engulfed in.

08. Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)
This is one of the most thrilling and terrifying films I have ever seen.This is the movie that Hitchcock once said he drew a great deal of inspiration off of to make Psycho. Diabolique is just about the creator of the ultimate plot twist. It will surprise you and you will never see it coming. Not only is this frightening it was very artistically made.

07. Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
Akira Kurosawa’s retelling of the classic story of Macbeth gives it a much more dark and fierce perspective. This is an extremely visionary work that is full of power. I think Kurosawa actually pulled some things out of a Shakespeare story that have never been done or realized before on film. It is about power, lust, and greed and is so layered and rich that this is one of Kurosawa’s most compelling films. It is truly poetry on film.

06. Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
Mizoguchi has made some of the most painfully real, tragic, and beautiful films I have ever seen. Ugetsu is a story of love and survival in a harsh world. It’s one of those ones that gets better and better as it sits and simmers and you let it’s images sink in.

05. The Apu Trilogy (Satyajit Ray, 1955,1957, 1959)
Yes, I may be cheating but I am including this trilogy of films as one choice. The Apu Trilogy is the most visionary and masterfully done piece of cinema that has ever come out of India. These films follow the life of a young boy all the way into his young adulthood. Ray has crafted a marvelously uplifting story that transcends time and culture even though it is very rooted in the Indian world. This is really just one for the heart. And make you sure watch them in order since they are chronological; Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1957), and The World of Apu (1959). This trilogy is one of the great masterpiece’s in film history.

04. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
Akira Kurosawa makes a larger than life film that has transcended generations and been an inspiration to countless directors and other films. Rashomon is one of those rare cinematic experiences that you always remember. It is a genre bending film with some of the most innovative story telling ever used. Kurosawa was more ahead of his time in this film than any other. We become witnesses to a crime from multiple viewpoints and get to determine what truly happened. We are left to examine the motives of each witness and decipher the meaning. A Truly remarkable film.

03. Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954)
Sansho the Bailiff is one of the most forgotten and astoundingly beautiful pieces of cinema history. This is one of the most compassion and caring films I’ve ever seen. It is all about mercy and compassion towards others and how beautiful that can be. It is about a man that learns that “without mercy a man is not a man”.  The final scene is intensely emotional and will break your heart. This is powerful and spiritual and will stay with you for a long time. Sansho the Bailiff may very well be the best film that you’ve never seen.

02. Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
Akira Kurosawa is most well known for his epic and larger than life samurai masterpieces. But his best film in my opinion is this quiet little humble film, Ikiru. It is about one mans meager existence and the life that he makes for himself leading up to his death. This is a story of generosity and kindness towards our fellow man and is one of the most uplifting and inspirational films I have ever seen. There is a great love and a sure passion that builds up within you as you view this. This is a type film that no one makes anymore. You won’t go to your local theater and see something Ikiru, but if only you could. It asks the hard questions about death and forces you to do the same. What kind of legacy do you want to live? What will people say about you after you die? Will you have changed a single life when you are gone? Ikiru is a film for the world to see.

01. Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1955)
Ordet is a movie that can change your life. It is one of the most profound and striking films that I have ever seen. It is a sincerely told and quietly acted story about a man who believes he is Jesus Christ and becomes ridiculed by everyone he knows. Meanwhile, families and faiths collide as tragedy strikes their lives and a miracle bring them all together and gives us a beautiful look at the difference between traditionalism vs. the strength of personal faith. I once read an interview that said if every church in America took a break from preaching one Sunday and showed this film instead it would cause the greatest revival we’ve ever seen to sweep across the country. And I fully agree with that. This film challenges and uplifts your faith and causes a serious self examination. Yet this isn’t a Christian film or religious propaganda. It isn’t shoving anything down your throat, it is done eloquently and compassionately and if you’ve seen other Carl Dreyer films than you’ll know what I mean. Someday I would love to see the play that this was based on. Ordet is a breathtaking masterpiece that will affect you in an enormous way.

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