Top Ranked Films by Year: the 50s

Based on our compendium of all film polls

[2011 Edition, updated with 2011 film polls]

© William L. Sinclair

This continues our series of top-ranked films by year, based on the Top Ranked 1000 Films on the Net that we compiled. (Photo: Tishiro Mifune, Seven Samurai)

Total Ranked Films in the 50's: 116 (down from 144)

- [ 1950 ] -
1. Sunset Boulevard - Wilder, Billy #19 (photo rt)
2. Rashomon - Kurosawa, Akira #29
3. All About Eve - Mankiewicz, Joseph L. #41
4. Diary of a Country Priest - Bresson, Robert #310
5. In a Lonely Place - Ray, Nicholas #389
6. Los Olvidados - Buñuel, Luis #417
7. Orpheus - Cocteau, Jean #437
8. Asphalt Jungle, The - Huston, John #472
9. Gun Crazy (Deadly is the Female,1950) Lewis, Joseph H. #756
[Gone: Harvey, Un Chant d'amour, Stromboli, La Ronde, Wagon Master, The Flowers of St. Francis, Rio Grande]
Best Picture: All About Eve

- [ 1951 ] -
1. Strangers on a Train - Hitchcock, Alfred #157
2. Streetcar Named Desire, A - Kazan, Elia #158
3. Forbidden Games - Clément, René #381
4. African Queen, The - Huston, John #457
5. Ace in the Hole - Wilder, Billy #564
6. Place in the Sun, A - Stevens, George #573
7. An American in Paris - Minnelli, Vincente #579
8. River, The - Renoir, Jean #609
9. Miracle in Milan - De Sica, Vittorio #629
10. Day the Earth Stood Still, The - Wise, Robert #654
11. Plaisir, Le - Ophüls, Max #743
[Gone: The Thing from Another World, Early Summer]
Best Picture: An American in Paris

- [ 1952 ] -
1. Singin' in the Rain - Donen, Stanley/Gene Kelly #32
2. Umberto D - De Sica, Vittorio #80
3. Ikiru - Kurosawa, Akira #101
4. High Noon - Zinnemann, Fred #106
5. Wages of Fear, The - Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168
6. Golden Coach, The - Renoir, Jean #343
7. Quiet Man, The - Ford, John #423
8. Life of Oharu, The - Mizoguchi, Kenji #634
9. Limelight - Chaplin, Charles #681
10. El - Buñuel, Luis #682
11. Casque d'or - Becker, Jacques #711
12. Europa '51 - Rossellini, Roberto #840
13. Children of Hiroshima - Shindô, Kaneto #889
14. Bad and the Beautiful, The - Minnelli, Vincente #943
[Gone: Othello, The Lusty Men]
Best Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth

- [ 1953 ] -
1. Tokyo Story - Ozu, Yasujiro #76
2. Ugetsu - Mizoguchi, Kenji #85
3. Earrings of Madame de..., The - Ophuls, Max #136
4. My Life to Live (Vivre sa vie) (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #171
5. Roman Holiday - Wyler, William #318
6. I Vitelloni - Fellini, Federico #346
7. Shane - Stevens, George #404
8. Band Wagon, The - Minnelli, Vincente #439
9. Mr. Hulot's Holiday - Tati, Jacques #456
10. Voyage in Italy - Rossellini, Roberto #530
11. Big Heat, The - Lang, Fritz #561
12. Pickup on South Street - Fuller, Sam #886
13. Stalag17 - Wilder, Billy #927
14. Sawdust and Tinsel - Bergman, Ingmar #974
15. From Here to Eternity #991 - Zinnemann, Fred
[Gone: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Anatahan, The Sun Shines Bright, Naked Spur]
Best Picture: From Here to Eternity

- [ 1954 ] -
1. Seven Samurai, The - Kurosawa, Akira #2 (Japanese title: The Magnificent Seven, so when that western was released, they changed this title in the U.S.) [photo top]
2. On the Waterfront - Kazan, Elia #42
3. Rear Window - Hitchcock, Alfred #64
4. La Strada - Fellini, Federico #114
5. Sansho the Bailiff - Mizoguchi, Kenji #240
6. Johnny Guitar - Ray, Nicholas #384
7. Star is Born, A - Cukor, George #458
8. Senso - Visconti, Luchino #485
9. Dial M for Murder - Hitchcock, Alfred #656
10. French Cancan - Renoir, Jean #817
11. Touchez Pas A Grisbi - Becker, Jacques #976
[Gone: The Barefoot Contessa, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]
Best Picture: On the Waterfront

- [ 1955 ] -
1. Night of The Hunter, The - Laughton, Charles #10
2. Pather Panchali / Apu Trilogy I - Ray, Satyajit #62
3. Ordet - Dreyer, Carl #143
4. Diaboliques, Les - Clouzot, Henri-Georges #214
5. Rebel Without a Cause - Ray, Nicholas #263
6. All That Heaven Allows - Sirk, Douglas #324
7. Kiss Me Deadly - Aldrich, Robert #408
8. Night and Fog - Resnais, Alain #411
9. Princess Yang Kwei Fei (Yokihi,1955) Mizoguchi, Kenji #412
10. Lola Montès - Ophüls, Max #429
11. Rififi (55) Dassin, Jules #471
12. Smiles of a Summer Night - Bergman, Ingmar #557
13. East of Eden - Kazan, Elia #571
14. Floating Clouds - Naruse, Mikio #636
[Gone: Les Maîtres fous, Moonfleet, Il Bidone]
Best Picture: Marty

- [ 1956 ] -
1. Seventh Seal, The - Bergman, Ingmar #31 (photo rt)
2. Searchers, The - Ford, John #65
3. Man Escaped, A - Bresson, Robert #188
4. Written on the Wind - Sirk, Douglas #255
5. Killing, The - Kubrick, Stanley #364
6. Aparajito - Ray, Satyajit #440
7. Bigger Than Life - Ray, Nicholas #791
8. Bob le flambeur - Melville, Jean-Pierre #908
9. There's Always Tomorrow - Sirk, Douglas #928
[Gone: Invasion of the Body Snatchers, While the City Sleeps, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt]
Best Picture: Around the World in 80 Days

- [ 1957 ] -
1. Paths of Glory - Kubrick, Stanley #91
2. Wild Strawberries - Bergman, Ingmar #104
3. 12 Angry Men - Lumet, Sidney #116
4. Bridge on the River Kwai, The - Lean, David #127
5. Sweet Smell of Success - Mackendrick, Alexander #156
6. Nights of Cabiria - Fellini, Federico #172
7. Throne of Blood - Kurosawa, Akira #243
8. Witness for the Prosecution - Wilder, Billy #724
9. Pyaasa (Thirst) Dutt, Guru #731
10. Affair to Remember, An - McCarey, Leo #789
11. Cranes Are Flying, The - Kalatozishvili, Mikheil #844
12. Funny Face - Donen, Stanley #1000
[Gone: Night of the Demon]
Best Picture: Bridge on the River Kwai, The

- [ 1958 ] -
1. Vertigo - Hitchcock, Alfred #12
2. Touch of Evil - Welles, Orson #38
3. Ashes and Diamonds - Wajda, Andrzej #199
4. Mon oncle - Tati, Jacques #250
5. Music Room, The - Ray, Satyajit #580
6. Hidden Fortress, The - Kurosawa, Akira #787
7. Some Came Running - Minnelli, Vincente #798
[Gone: The Tarnished Angels, Man of the West, The Hidden Fortress, Big Deal on Madonna Street, Murder by Contract, Gigi]
Best Picture: Gigi

- [ 1959 ] -
1. North by Northwest - Hitchcock, Alfred #28
2. 400 Blows, The - Truffaut, François #37
3. Some Like it Hot - Wilder, Billy #66
4. Pickpocket - Bresson, Robert #146
5. Breathless - Godard, Jean-Luc #159
6. Ben-Hur - Wyler, William #222
7. Eyes Without a Face - Franju, Georges #229
8. Hiroshima mon amour - Resnais, Alain #245
9. World of Apu, The - Ray, Satyajit #295
10. Rio Bravo - Hawks, Howard #344
11. Anatomy of a Murder - Preminger, Otto #402
12. Shadows - Cassavetes, John #449
13. Imitation of Life - Sirk, Douglas #518
14. Black Orpheus - Camus, Marcel #706
[Gone: The Tiger of Eschnapur, Kaagaz Ke Phool, The Indian Tomb]
Best Picture: Ben-Hur

All Ranked Films of the Decade
1. Seven Samurai, The (1954) Kurosawa, Akira #2
2. Night of The Hunter, The (1955) Laughton, Charles #10
3. Vertigo (1958) Hitchcock, Alfred #12
4. Sunset Boulevard (1950) Wilder, Billy #19
5. North by Northwest (1959) Hitchcock, Alfred #28
6. Rashomon (1950) Kurosawa, Akira #29
7. Seventh Seal, The (1956) Bergman, Ingmar #31
8. Singin' in the Rain (1952) Donen, Stanley/Gene Kelly #32
9. 400 Blows, The (1959) Truffaut, François #37
10. Touch of Evil (1958) Welles, Orson #38
11. All About Eve (1950) Mankiewicz, Joseph L. #41
12. On the Waterfront (1954) Kazan, Elia #42
13. Pather Panchali / Apu Trilogy I (1955) Ray, Satyajit #62
14. Rear Window (1954) Hitchcock, Alfred #64
15. Searchers, The (1956) Ford, John #65
16. Some Like it Hot (1959) Wilder, Billy #66
17. Tokyo Story (1953) Ozu, Yasujiro #76
18. Umberto D (1952) De Sica, Vittorio #80
19. Ugetsu (1953) Mizoguchi, Kenji #85
20. Paths of Glory (1957) Kubrick, Stanley #91
21. Ikiru (1952) Kurosawa, Akira #101
22. Wild Strawberries (1957) Bergman, Ingmar #104
23. High Noon (1952) Zinnemann, Fred #106
24. La Strada (1954) Fellini, Federico #114
25. 12 Angry Men (1957) Lumet, Sidney #116
26. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) Lean, David #127
27. Earrings of Madame de..., The (1953) Ophuls, Max #136
28. Ordet (1955) Dreyer, Carl #143
29. Pickpocket (1959) Bresson, Robert #146
30. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) Mackendrick, Alexander #156
31. Strangers on a Train (1951) Hitchcock, Alfred #157
32. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951) Kazan, Elia #158
33. Breathless (1959) Godard, Jean-Luc #159
34. Wages of Fear, The (1952) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168
35. My Life to Live (Vivre sa vie) (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #171
36. Nights of Cabiria (1957) Fellini, Federico #172
37. Man Escaped, A (1956) Bresson, Robert #188
38. Ashes and Diamonds (1958) Wajda, Andrzej #199
39. Diaboliques, Les (1955) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #214
40. Ben-Hur (1959) Wyler, William #222
41. Eyes Without a Face (1959) Franju, Georges #229
42. Sansho the Bailiff (1954) Mizoguchi, Kenji #240
43. Throne of Blood (1957) Kurosawa, Akira #243
44. Hiroshima mon amour (1959) Resnais, Alain #245
45. Mon oncle (1958) Tati, Jacques #250
46. Written on the Wind (1956) Sirk, Douglas #255
47. Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Ray, Nicholas #263
48. World of Apu, The (1959) Ray, Satyajit #295
49. Diary of a Country Priest (1950) Bresson, Robert #310
50. Roman Holiday (1953) Wyler, William #318
51. All That Heaven Allows (1955) Sirk, Douglas #324
52. Golden Coach, The (1952) Renoir, Jean #343
53. Rio Bravo (1959) Hawks, Howard #344
54. I Vitelloni (1953) Fellini, Federico #346
55. Killing, The (1956) Kubrick, Stanley #364
56. Forbidden Games (1951) Clément, René #381
57. Johnny Guitar (1954) Ray, Nicholas #384
58. In a Lonely Place (1950) Ray, Nicholas #389
59. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Preminger, Otto #402
60. Shane (1953) Stevens, George #404
61. Kiss Me Deadly (1955) Aldrich, Robert #408
62. Night and Fog (1955) Resnais, Alain #411
63. Princess Yang Kwei Fei (Yokihi, 1955) Mizoguchi, Kenji #412
64. Los Olvidados (1950) Buñuel, Luis #417
65. Quiet Man, The (1952) Ford, John #423
66. Lola Montès (1955) Ophüls, Max #429
67. Orpheus (1950) Cocteau, Jean #437
68. Band Wagon, The (1953) Minnelli, Vincente #439
69. Aparajito (1956) Ray, Satyajit #440
70. Shadows (1959) Cassavetes, John #449
71. Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) Tati, Jacques #456
72. African Queen, The (1951) Huston, John #457
73. Star is Born, A (1954) Cukor, George #458
74. Rififi (55) Dassin, Jules #471
75. Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) Huston, John #472
76. Senso (1954) Visconti, Luchino #485
77. Imitation of Life (1959) Sirk, Douglas #518
78. Voyage in Italy (1953) Rossellini, Roberto #530
79. Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) Bergman, Ingmar #557
80. Big Heat, The (1953) Lang, Fritz #561
81. Ace in the Hole (1951) Wilder, Billy #564
82. East of Eden (1955) Kazan, Elia #571
83. Place in the Sun, A (1951) Stevens, George #573
84. An American in Paris (1951) Minnelli, Vincente #579
85. Music Room, The (1958) Ray, Satyajit #580
86. River, The (1951) Renoir, Jean #609
87. Miracle in Milan (1951) De Sica, Vittorio #629
88. Life of Oharu, The (1952) Mizoguchi, Kenji #634
89. Floating Clouds (1955) Naruse, Mikio #636
90. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) Wise, Robert #654
91. Dial M for Murder (1954) Hitchcock, Alfred #656
92. Limelight (1952) Chaplin, Charles #681
93. El (1952) Buñuel, Luis #682
94. Black Orpheus (1959) Camus, Marcel #706
95. Casque d'or (1952) Becker, Jacques #711
96. Witness for the Prosecution (1957) Wilder, Billy #724
97. Pyaasa (Thirst, 1957) Dutt, Guru #731
98. Plaisir, Le (1951) Ophüls, Max #743
99. Gun Crazy (Deadly is the Female, 1950) Lewis, Joseph H. #756
100. Hidden Fortress, The (1958) Kurosawa, Akira #787
101. Affair to Remember, An (1957) McCarey, Leo #789
102. Bigger Than Life (1956) Ray, Nicholas #791
103. Some Came Running (1958) Minnelli, Vincente #798
104. French Cancan (1954) Renoir, Jean #817
105. Europa '51 (1952) Rossellini, Roberto #840
106. Cranes Are Flying, The (1957) Kalatozishvili, Mikheil #844
107. Pickup on South Street (1953) Fuller, Sam #886
108. Children of Hiroshima (1952) Shindô, Kaneto #889
109. Bob le flambeur (1956) Melville, Jean-Pierre #908
110. Stalag 17 (1953) Wilder, Billy #927
111. There's Always Tomorrow (1956) Sirk, Douglas #928
112. Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) Minnelli, Vincente #943
113. Sawdust and Tinsel (1953) Bergman, Ingmar #974
114. Touchez Pas A Grisbi (1954) Becker, Jacques #976
115. From Here to Eternity (1953) Zinnemann, Fred #991
116. Funny Face (1957) Donen, Stanley #1000

Unranked best picture winners: Gigi, The Greatest Show on Earth, Marty, Around the World in 80 Days

My Favorites

1-Seven Samurai, 2-All About Eve, 3-Umberto D., 4-Sunset Boulevard, 5-Singin in the Rain, 6-Night of the Hunter,  7-Bridge on the River Kwai, 8-On the Waterfront, 9-The Sweet Smell of Success, 10-Paths of Glory, 11-12 Angry Men, 12-Vertigo, 13-A Streetcar Named Desire, 14-Rashoman, 15-In a Lonely Place, 16-The Seventh Seal, 17-Shane, 18-Ugetsu, 19-Some Like it Hot, 20-Stalag 17