13 Movies From the 1950s Everyone Should See At Least Once

In the modern era, more people are watching films at home. That makes this a great time to catch up on essential cinema classics in your home theater, with timeless, esteemed films readily available across digital platforms and apps. Many of the greatest international and Hollywood films in history are from the 1950s decade.

The 1950s saw the height of the golden age of Hollywood and the studio system. Innovative filmmaking and commercial hits intersected. Several of the decade’s finest hold up as vital entertainment for film buffs as well as more casual audiences. These are must-see genre-defining movies that continue to be influential in the industry today.

‘Vertigo’ (1958)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

After a Best Picture win for Rebecca in the 1940s, Alfred Hitchcock‘s career flourished in Hollywood. The ’50s saw the release of many of his greatest and most popular works, including Strangers on a Train, Rear Window and North by Northwest.

Initially a critical and commercial disappointment, the thematically dark and artistically vibrant Vertigo stars Jimmy Stewart against type as a toxic private eye in a spiraling, destructive web of obsession with a mysterious blonde (Kim Novak). It’s now regarded as Hitchcock’s finest, beating Citizen Kane for the honor of best film ever made in Sight & Sound‘s 2012 critics’ poll.

’12 Angry Men’ (1957)

Directed by Sidney Lumet

Henry Fonda plays heroic Juror 8 in Sidney Lumet‘s life-affirming legal drama, 12 Angry Men, which is a masterpiece centered on the trial of an inner-city teen suspected of murder. Juror 8’s compassion casts doubts upon a previously apathetic trial, and a chaotic yet thought-provoking debate ensues among the well-written characters.

The legacy and accomplishment of 12 Angry Men is hard to overstate. Restricted almost entirely to a single set with astounding performances and innovative camera work that makes it relentlessly compelling, the picture is universal in its understanding of different personalities struggling to find common ground and get along.

‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder‘s irreverent sex comedy stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as struggling musicians who cross-dress in hiding after witnessing a crime. Some Like it Hot co-stars an entertaining and hilarious Marilyn Monroe as the lovesick singer and ukulele strummer Sugar Kane.

A massive hit with critics and at the box office, Some Like It Hot essentially served a death blow to old Hollywood’s code of censorship, with uncommonly frank depictions of taboo topics. Often cited as the greatest comedy ever made, Some Like it Hot is a reference point for Wilder’s mastery across virtually all genres.

‘The Searchers’ (1956)

Directed by John Ford

A strong contender for best American Western ever made, John Ford‘s epic stars John Wayne as a Civil War vet who returns home only to soon find that someone has abducted members of his brother’s family. The revered Western follows his search for his kidnapped niece (Natalie Wood), which soon leads him deep into Comanche territory.

In addition to vibrant color filmmaking and widescreen vistas that still pop, The Searchers is an ever-timely, ahead-of-its-time look at bigotry, and the weight of retribution. It should be considered essential viewing for any fan of Westerns.

‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Arguably Hollywood’s best-ever movie about itself, Billy Wilder’s esteemed noir stars Gloria Swanson as a washed-up silent film star who draws a struggling screenwriter (William Holden) into her world of madness as she plots a return to the screen. The young screenwriter believes he can use her for his own goals, but soon finds himself entangled in a messy and dangerous situation.

One of the relatively few films with the distinction of being nominated in all four acting Oscar categories, Sunset Boulevard is an entertaining, artistically adroit black comedy whose truths about the entertainment industry still hold relevance.

‘All About Eve’ (1950)

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Bette Davis‘ all-time most memorable turn is in Joseph L. Mankiewicz‘s backstage dramedy, winner of six Oscars including Best Picture. The screen legend stars as stage veteran Margo Channing, who is navigating a midlife crisis as a hungry, ruthless younger star (Anne Baxter) works her way up the totem pole.

Based on the 1946 short story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr, All About Eve is such a potent work of acting and filmmaking craft that it’s unlikely to ever age. It’s a truly flawless movie with a script that ends up on every roundup of the finest screenplays, which is something that will likely never change.

‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (1955)

Directed by Nicholas Ray

A classic account of youthful unrest, Nicholas Ray‘s widescreen drama is one of three pictures that defined James Dean’s legendary, tragically short career (along with Giant and East of Eden). Rebel Without a Cause hit theaters nearly a month after Dean’s fatal auto crash in September 1955.

Dean’s most iconic film co-stars Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. They play a trio of emotionally confused middle-class teens in Los Angeles. After the troublemaker, Jim Stark (Dean), arrives in a new town, he wants to start fresh. This noble goal is complicated by a friendship that develops between him and his classmate Plato (Mineo) and by a crush he forms on Judy (Wood), who’s already in a relationship.

‘Godzilla’ (1954)

Directed by Ishirō Honda

Especially in light of the recent inspired excesses of box-office hits like 2014’s reboot, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire, and even the amazing if relatively low-fi innovation and excitement of last year’s Godzilla Minus One), it’s striking how quiet and somber a film started it all.

In Ishirō Honda‘s original Gojira, bomb testing awakens an ancient beast that then sets its sights (and its fire breath) on terrorizing Japan. The handmade feel of Gojira is more appealingly retro than dated, and it’s still a strikingly relevant film fueled by the aftershock of the Second World War and rising international paranoia. It’s a classic monster film; it’s a lot more than that, too.

‘The Night of the Hunter’ (1955)

Directed by Charles Laughton

One of the strangest films you’re likely ever to see, and absolutely one of the best. A German Expressionism-accented tale of a small-town serial killer, The Night of the Hunter‘s singularity and lurid content repulsed audiences. Charles Laughton‘s filmmaking career unsurprisingly ended abruptly.

For decades now, The Night of the Hunter has been re-assessed as a frightening masterpiece.Robert Mitchum‘s false prophet Harry Powell is among the most unsettling villains in film history. Reverend Powell is a religious fanatic through and through, who also happens to be a ruthless serial killer who stalks women before using their sexuality to lure in men.

‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)

Directed by William Wyler

From the book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, William Wyler‘s massively budgeted epic tells the story of a wrongfully accused Jewish noble whose life parallels the life of Jesus and events of the New Testament. This is star Charlton Heston‘s best and most iconic performance, and Ben-Hur, famous for its breathtaking climactic chariot race, set an all-time record for Oscar wins only matched by Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (11 in total).

This isn’t the only version of Ben-Hur on screen. In addition to a short film from the silent era, a rather magnificent 1925 feature can be readily found online. A half-hearted 2016 remake is, unfortunately, hilarious. It bombed.

‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1952)

Directed by Stanley Donen

While Singin’ in the Rain was considered a modest success in its day, StanleyDonen‘s splashy Technicolor musical comedy is now oft-cited as the high point of its genre. Many of the best musical numbers ever on film are here, including the title track, Donald O’Connor‘s epically comic “Make ‘Em Laugh,” and the extended “Broadway Melody.”

In the renowned film, Gene Kelly stars as a silent film star adjusting to the industry-shaking dawn of the talkies. Kelly plays Don Lockwood, who is often cast alongside Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) as a romantic couple. When their most recent movie is turned into a musical, Lina struggles to find her voice and is frustrated that the studio has decided to hire aspiring actor Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) to record over her voice.

‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Arguably the greatest and most influential action movie of all time, Akira Kurosawa‘s legendary masterpiece chronicles the plight of farmers in feudal Japan, who look to samurai for defense from bandits as harvest draws near. This is one of the most perfectly composed motion pictures in history, as famous for its lighting and immaculate camera work as it is for its sharply drawn characters and uniformly excellent, timeless performances.

The mark of Seven Samurai is apparent in too many films that followed to count. The film’s likeness to an American Western was noted by critics from the jump, so it only makes sense that the most famous of these films is John Sturges‘ iconic 1960 Western The Magnificent Seven.

‘Roman Holiday’ (1953)

Directed by William Wyler

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect film for Valentine’s Day than William Wyler’s bittersweet rom-com starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, as a princess and the journalist she has a fling with. It starts when Princess Ann escapes her European tour for a night while in Rome where an initially unfortunate event soon turns into a meet-cute when American reporter Joe Bradley (Peck) finds her passed out on a park bench.

Co-written by blacklisted screenwriter Donald Trumbo (his name was removed from the credits until recent years), Roman Holiday was a breakthrough for Hepburn, who won the Oscar for Best Actress. It’s perhaps the crown jewel of Hepburn’s storied Hollywood legacy. It’s impossible to find a more endearing rom-com than Roman Holiday.