My Top 5 Films Of The 1950s 

1. Rear Window 2. Bridge On The River Kwai 3. On The Waterfront 4. Dracula/Horror of Dracula 5. Rio Bravo Five perfect movies that I’ll never get tired of watching

So wonderful that you'd travel back in time and give some life to these movies. Not many reviewers on YT would do this, so thank you.

My favorite decade for movies was the '60s, but the '50s were great too. In fact, many of my all time favorites are from the 1950s. 1 Nights of Cabiria 2 Orphee 3 The Cranes Are Flying 4 Vertigo 5 Sweet Smell of Success ------------------------------------------ 6 Sunset Boulevard 7 La Strada 8 North by Northwest 9 Kiss Me Deadly 10 East of Eden

1. Seven Samurai 2. Sunset Boulevard 3. The Bridge on the River Kwai 4. Rear Window 5. Sweet Smell of Success

I think the 50's were such a wonderful time for international cinema. You had Italian Neorealism at its height, the beginnings of French New Wave, all of the wonderful cinema coming out of Japan, truly an amazing time in cinema history.

Mine are: 1. Kiss Me Deadly 2. Kiss Me Deadly 3. Kiss Me Deadly 4. The Night of the Hunter 5. Sweet Smell of Success

10. Some Like It Hot 9. The Bridge on the River Kwai 8. Alice in Wonderland 7. Rear Window 6. La Strada 5. Seven Samurai 4. Vertigo 3. 12 Angry Men 2. Sunset Boulevard 1. Singin’ in the Rain

"Night of the Hunter" is a visually stunning film with unforgettable performance by Robert Mitchum. I particularly appreciate the moment when the two kids are journeying in a boat illuminated by moonlight, with a shadowy forest, trees, and spider webs in the foreground, serving as representations of the peril they are trying to escape. It's such a shame the contemporary critics hated the film and ended Laughton directorial career

Night of the Hunter is indeed one of a kind. It has a special place in my heart since it is the last film I saw while my mother was alive. Which made its theme of childhood vs adults/loss of a mother and innocence resonate even more.

How can anyone who has lived the last almost quarter century think the 50's were a bad decade for films? More great cinema in that 10 years than since 2000. Not even close.

William Wyler’s work in the late 1950s was pretty special. Of course Ben-Hur (1959) is the standout work of art that honestly is the pinnacle of what movies were made for at that time, but I would also mention Wyler’s The Big Country (1958) just a year earlier. Very good western in my humble opinion that doesn’t get talked about in that specific genre

The 50s was a wonderful decade for film. So many truly great movies.

The 50s were such an incredible decade for movies. So many classics. I'll add some of my favourites: On the Waterfront, From Here to Eternity, Anatomy of a Murder, Touch of Evil, The Killing, Forbidden Planet, The Wages of Fear, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Rio Bravo, Rear Window.

Witness for the Prosecution. Saw it the other night, still a perfectly crafted film. Wilder directs a British classic.

Love this series, and fantastic list! I really agree with you that Vertigo feels like Hitchcock’s most ambitious as well as his most emotionally powerful work. Couple id personally add on to here off the top of my head would be Ikiru, Seventh Seal, Seven Samurai, Singin in the Rain, Rear Window and Paths of Glory

Great picks - I have Tokyo Story at no. 1 for the 1950s - you expressed my sentiments perfectly, it's a unique work of art 2-5 The Seven Samurai, Vertigo, Rear Window, Singin in The Rain 1950s for American cinema is almost as good as the 1970s, so many to choose from (Touch of Evil, All That Heaven Allows, Sweet Smell of Success, Some Like it Hot, The Searchers, Rio Bravo and Nicholas Ray (yes, In A Lonely Place, Bigger Than Life, Johnny Guitar) and many many more and the emergence of world cinema (La Strada, Japanese cinema, Journey To Italy, Europa 51, French New Wave, Bergman)

All great choices! The 50's were a fantastic decade, 1957 in particular was a WILD year for classic film.

Whoever thinks the 50s are not that good dont know what a good movie is

From what Ive seen of the 50s: 5. 12 Angry Men 4. The Vikings (1958) 3. In A Lonely Place 2. Vertigo 1. Seven Samurai HM: The Wages Of Fear / The Big Heat / Sunset Boulevard/ Witness Of The Prosecution / Throne Of Blood /. Rio Bravo / High Noon / 3:10 To Yuma

In a Lonely Place was the first Criterion I ever picked up after seeing it on TCM. It’s so much better than Sunset Boulevard & All About Eve which all came out the same year. Classy film for adults. Bogie was just a great actor.

Personal top 5: 1.) Hiroshima Mon Amour 2.) Tokyo Twilight 3.) Paths of Glory 4.) Nights of Cabiria 5.) Pather Panchali

Vertigo really stands up today. I saw it again last year. Just superb.

On the Waterfront. East of Eden. A Streetcar named Desire. Rebel without a Cause. The Wild One. Yep, it was the decade of Brando and Dean.

A Face in the Crowd Touch of Evil The Killing Ugetsu The Seventh Seal Ikiru Night and the City Bad Day at Black Rock North by Northwest Inferno (the best 3-D movie ever made). These are just off the top of my head. There are so many rewatchable classics to choose from, it's not hard to see how great a decade it really was for movies (and Looney Tunes).

Absolutely agree with you regarding Vertigo - this film absolutely blows me away every single time and I've seen it well over 20 times now. It is without question my favorite movie of all time and I really enjoyed your analysis of it here. As a doctoral music student, I also have a really profound love for this film on a musical level too. Bernard Hermann's greatest score in my opinion even though his scores to "The Ghost of Mrs. Muir" and "Taxi Driver" are right up there for me also. Really enjoy your content and keep up the good work!

good list...the Searchers, Rear Window, Nrth by Nrth West should also be mentioned

One hardly ever sees “The Searchers” on these lists anymore. It used to be the goto for 50s Hollywood at its most artful. The most surprising omission based on what your taste seems to be is Seven Samurai.

Tokyo Story was maybe the only film I’ve been to that the entire audience just sat in silence as it finished. People were openly weeping deeply. It’s a true masterpiece, although for me, his later Late Spring is even better. Incidentally, many of the scenes were shot in a small town called Imubari and you can still find some of the places it was filmed, including the achingly beautiful final scene. There is a small cinema museum in the town who give out a map (in Japanese only).

I think every decade has its gems. I don't understand those who say the 80s were a bad time for movies, because there are TONS of movies from the 80s that have become classics/influences and that's why you're seeing the resurgence of the 80s, today. Def looking forward to more videos of your favorite films of the decades. Especially, the 80s and 90s. Side note: Gojira/Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms are a few of my favorite 1950s films.

Interesting that you say that the 50s is regarded as a down decade for movies. I've heard and read that it was a groundbreaking decade for film. Also, as far as I'm concerned, saying the 80s is a down decade is blasphemy. Great video, and analysis!

Nice. I've never heard anyone say the 50s is a bad decade, Im surprised. I did a top 50... 1. The Ladykillers 2. La Strada 3. Umberto D 4. Throne of Blood 5. The 400 Blows 6. Bad Day at Black Rock 7. The Tingler 8. Hiroshima Mon Amour 9. Sapphire 10. A Bucket of Blood 11. The Killing 12. Singing in the Rain 13. Vertigo 14, Sunset Blvd 15. Patterns 16. The Seventh Seal 17. Rashomon 18. The Blackboard Jungle 19. Ordet 20. High Noon 21. Tokyo Story 22. On the Waterfront 23. All About Eve 24. Rear Window 25. 12 Angry Men 26. Seven Samurai 27. The Searchers 28. Harvey 29. Night of the Hunter 30. The Asphalt Jungle 31. The Lavender Hill Mob 32. Orpheus 33. Strangers on a Train 34. Forbidden Planet 35. A Man Escaped 36. The Bridge on the River Kwai 37. Wild Strawberries 38. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 39. Some Like it Hot 40. North by Northwest 41. Black Orpheus 42. Anatomy of a Murder 43. Pickpocket 44. Good Morning 45. Diabolique 46. Kiss Me Deadly 47. Roman Holiday 48. The 5000 Fingers of Dr T 49. The Smallest Show on Earth 50. Touch of Evil

Bravo. 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Tokyo Story' and 'Vertigo' are also in my top 5. The others being 'On The Waterfront' and 'La Strada.' I love the 50s. So many wonderful films spanning genres; crime noir, French realism, thrillers, American westerns. These days I find myself loving and appreciating the musicals a lot more; the MGM golden years, were truly golden. Talent that was unparalleled among performers, set design and direction.

1.On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan 1954) 2.Pickup On South Street (Samuel Fuller 1953) 3.Mon Oncle (Jacques Tati 1958) 4.Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder 1959) 5.The Court Jester (Melvin Frank & Norman Panama 1955)

Just found your channel. I love your format talking to the people who send you comments. Tokyo Story had such a deep impact on me. I was crying at the end. I went on to watch many of his other films, truly a masterpiece.

I took your video as recommendation and watched In a Lonely Place. It’s really good! Very smart and complex screenplay. Thanks!

Picnic & Middle of the Night both with Kim Novak The Bachelor Party (These last two both written by Paddy Chayefsky and fantastic NYC location shooting in B&W

Wow- you're definitely into my area of cinematic interest now. Great list and breakdown- "Hunter" might make my Top Five (or close to it) as well- among other things, it's one of the scariest movies ever, IMO. Think "Singin' in the Rain," "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Strangers on a Train" might also make my line-up, but it would be a chore to try to end up with only five. Looking forward to you covering favorite films of the 1960s, 1940s and 1930s.

I would never say this lightly, but what a truly wonderful list. I've never done a fifties movie list, but if I did, all of these would be in contention for my top ten. Probably along with Rashomon, the Searchers, Twelve Angry Men, The 400 Blows, and Rear Window.

Good choices, I'd pick Seven Samurai, Nights of Cabiria, Winchester 73, Pick Up on South Street, Rio Bravo, Paths of Glory, A Face in the Crowd, Them!, Rear Window, 12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront, The Seventh Seal.

1. Shadows by John cassavettes 2. Ikiru by akira Kurosawa 3. H-8 by. Nikola tanhofer 4. The cranes are flying by Mikhali kalaozov 5. Bigger than life by Nicholas Ray.

All my fave directors did their best work in the 50s. Ray, the other Ray, Kurosawa, Naruse, Wyler, Mizoguchi, Ozu, Fellini, Wilder, Ford...could go all day really.

Rear Window, The Searchers, and House On Haunted Hill are my personal favorites.

Night and the City, Sunset Boulevard, The Sweet Smell of Success, 12 Angry Men, Paths of Glory.

Excellent list and commentary. I'd have to try and include All About Eve...

Solid list. The 1950’s definitely isn’t my favorite decade, but the movies I’ve enjoyed, I’ve done so even more given that great films were such an novelty. The Asphalt Jungle Kiss Me Deadly The Killing The Searchers Forty Guns Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (so fun) 3:10 to Yuma Touch of Evil and I really need to give The 400 Blows another watch. I enjoyed its tone, but I wasn’t ready for that one when I watched it and I feel like I missed a lot of what it was telling me and it deserves another shot from me before I can assert it properly. Excellent channel. Glad I found you last month.

Clicked on the thumbnail so fast when I saw this. The 50s is my favorite era of movies, thanks for sharing your faves 🥰

Superb choices, all five. I think the 50s was a great era for film - so many Hollywood classics from Hitchcock, Anthony Mann, Boetticher, Wilder - great Japanese films from Ozu, Mizoguchi, Naruse - 12 Angry Men, Ordet, Kiss Me Deadly... Good times!

Besides Vertigo which you described so well I would like to mention A Streetcar Named Desire, the film with two of the greatest performances of all time, first Vivien Leigh representing the pinnacle of the classic acting method, and on the other side, Marlon Brando introducing modern acting. I was familiar with the play but the film is more powerful to me, specially because of the performances.

Love your choices, and totally agree on In a Lonely Place. I remember seeing it when I was about 14 or 15 and wondering why I'd never heard it discussed amongst the all-time greats. And why exactly is the 1950s considered a lesser decade for cinema? If we combine Hollywood and international cinema, it's incredibly rich, especially in comparison to everything post 1970s. In Hollywood alone, you've got Hitchcock, Ford, Hawks, Welles, Nic Ray, early Kubrick, Wilder, Fuller, Anthony Mann etc. That's nonsense if you ask me. Anyway, here's my favourites: 1. Vertigo 2. The Searchers 3. Rio Bravo 4. Touch of Evil 5. Pickpocket Honourable mentions: Tokyo Story, Seven Samurai, The Night of the Hunter, Ordet, Rear Window, A Man Escaped, Ugetsu, North By Northwest, Paths of Glory, The Killing, In a Lonely Place, Floating Weeds, Diary of a Country Priest, Sunset Boulevard, Shane, The Quiet Man, Sansho the Bailiff, Kiss Me Deadly, Sweet Smell of Success

These selections pack a punch, especially in the context you've given. I look at Vertigo as the end of an era, or at least one aspect of it ... Hitchcock's approach to cinema when he made Vertigo was just a few years ahead of what people were ready for. He kept trying different things to see how he would survive into the 60s, because he clearly knew the old ways wouldn't work. The fact that Vertigo bombed and Psycho was a hit told him everything he wanted to know, which to me is a sort-of tragedy considering the possibilities Vertigo offered. Tokyo Story now holds the #1 spot on Metacritic. There are definitely two categories of cinephiles: those puzzled by the hype around Tokyo Story, and those who see the ranking and say "well no duh". It had occurred to me that despite your love of Luis Bunuel, I've never heard you talk about Los Olvidados. Makes me wonder if it would sneak onto your list someday down the road.

Some of my favourite 50s films: Giant The Desert Rats Niagara Another Time Another Place The Bad and the Beautiful Ben Hur Seven Samurai 12 Angry Men Some Like it Hot

Norma Desmond is the G.O.A.T.! So many good ones but I might put Sweet Smell of Success at #2.

I think the 50s is probably the best movie decade ever

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) is my favorite from the 1950s.

1950s had a ton of great films. Some of my favorites are Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , House of Wax , Streetcar Named Desire and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Great list, you replicated my feelings about these films perfectly! I do think the 1950's was a wonderful decade for the movies. I've seen almost 15,000 movies and only 50 ever scored 10. Many from the 1950's and Maggie, you found 4 of them (and the fifth scored a 9!). Suggestions: "Wild Strawberries", "A Man Escaped", "Asphalt Jungle" , "Ordet" and "Umberto D". Love your work, thank you so much.

Night of the Hunter!! I knew it. First 50s movie that comes to mind for me.

Great list as always. Tokyo Story is def in my top ten most days lol. And In A Lonely Place, fantastic pick, my favorite Bogey film. There was a time when I was going through Bogart's films and this one really stuck out and stayed with me. Even though he is in so many great films.

Some Like It Hot (1959), 12 Angry Men (1957), and Sunset Boulevard (1950) are my top 3. Planning to see All About Eve (1950) and Rear Window (1954) this week.

The 1950s is one of my favorite decades for film, and 1957 in particular might be my favorite individual year for film. 12 Angry Men is my favorite film of all time, and Paths of Glory (my favorite Kubrick film), Throne of Blood, The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Cranes are Flying, Witness for the Prosecution, A Man Escaped, Sweet Smell of Success, A Face in the Crowd, Moby Dick (the definitive adaptation imo), and The Red Balloon are all perfect (or borderline perfect) films for me. There are over a dozen other legendary films from that year I haven't even seen so I haven't listed them, that was a WILDLY stacked year.

In A Lonely Place inspired Ian Curtis from Joy Division ➗️ to write his last song which he did not live to record. New Order recorded it & it appears as the B-Side of their single Ceremony.

This was such a good list love every film here. I can watch any of these any time

"..just really, really, really rEAlly hard.." hmhmhm, indeed , rEAlly hard. all great films. thanks for another nice, thoughtful presentation.

1. Sunset Boulevard (1950) 2. Ben-Hur (1959) 3. Vertigo (1958) 4. Rear Window (1954) 5. Singin' in the Rain (1952) 6. Paths of Gory (1957) 7. North by Northwest (1959) 8. Some Like it Hot (1959) 9. 12 Angry Men (1957) 10. All About Eve (1950)

Sunset Boulevard. I remember the first time I watched and I could not help thinking that I had somehow seen this before despite never having seen it. About 3/4 of the way through I suddenly realized that this was the movie that the old Carol Burnett "Nora Desmond" skit was actually a spoof of this film. I enjoyed the film and actually I ended up with a higher appreciation for the Carol Burnett show. Lol.

Your insight is valuable. I happen to like 1954's "Pushover" starring Fred MacMurray as a villain, and Kim Novak in her introductory role. Perhaps it would be safe to say the film is one of my favorite 50's "small films," as it wasn't going to garner any nods from the Academy or anywhere else. Miss Novak underplays the part in a way that is mature beyond her years and certainly beyond her experience when the film was produced. I have always considered Novak's work to supersede the shallow "bombshell" image Hollywood tried to pin on her.

Singin in the Rain! Pure joy of a film! Maybe not super deep, but it’s a classic movie in that sense exactly! It’s pure escapism.

12 Angry Men and Sunset Boulevard are definitely in my top 10 favorite films of all time.

On the waterfront. Brando changed film acting forever with his performance.

Vertigo is my 50’s favorite, and probably my 2nd favorite movie ever. For whatever reason, this movie grabbed me unlike any other movie on my first viewing. A big part of it is Bernard Herrmann’s soundtrack, and Kim Novak is absolutely magnificent as well. I love it more and more on each viewing.

As others have already stated, 12 Angry Men was an excellent movie. Inherit the Wind just missed the decade but worth mentioning. I am a sci-fi buff so a shout out for the Forbidden Planet Plant .

Her top 5: The Night of the hunter, Sunset Boulverde, Tokyo Story, in a lonely place, Vertigo

Great list. I always love when you do these decade videos. My only real nitpick is that 5 is way too little. Then again, I suppose it invites us to provide our own answers that weren't mentioned. I especially love seeing the inclusion of "In a Lonely Place," as it's one of my favorite noirs and one of my professor's favorites as well. "Vertigo" is one of my all-time favorites, too. So many greats to choose from in the 50s.

Fantastic List as always, some of my other favorites are.. Seventh Seal Bridge on the River Kwai Roman Holiday The Searchers Paths Of Glory Rashomon Singing In The Rain

You have great taste! I have over 1200 films on my Letterboxd, with only 32 of them getting 5 stars. Night of the Hunter, Vertigo & Sunset Boulevard are 3 of those (I haven't seen Tokyo Story or In a Lonely Place yet)

1. Seven Samurai 2. Throne of Blood 3. Sunset Boulevard 4. Touch of Evil 5. Vertigo

Definitely amazing films! I would also add Night of the Demon (1957). Perhaps not on the same level as the ones mentioned, yet one of my favourite horror films by the amazing Jacques Tourneur. PS. And of course some of the best Ingmar Bergman films were made in the 50s!

This may be my favorite video of yours that I've watched. Shout out to Fritz Lang's noir "The Big Heat", also featuring Gloria Graham and starring a young Glenn Ford, not to mention "The Asphalt Jungle", plus the two Kubrick films "The Killing" and "Paths of Glory". Nicholas Rey directed some really good films.

Love your list, I have seen all of them, glad we agree on Night Of The Hunter. One of my favorite things about it is the songs and music score. Very haunting, what do you think of the music?

I will definitely need to add most of these to my list. I admit that although I've seen the random classic, I'm not super familiar with a lot of the movies that came out prior to the 1960s, so I don't have as much experience with 50s movies as I'd like. There are definitely some classics that I just haven't checked out yet, but here are my picks: 1. The Seventh Seal 2. On the Waterfront 3. The Ten Commandments 4. Paths of Glory 5. Vertigo 6. Rashomon 7. Rear Window 8. The Killing 9. Invasion of the Body-Snatchers 10. Ben-Hur

Really excellent list! Some of my favourites: East of Eden Sweet Smell of Success Bridge On The River Kwai Some Came Running Anatomy of a Murder

12 Angry Men, Umberto D, A Face in the Crowd, Anatomy of a Murder, All About Eve ... but I love your list too because my list can change, day to day or depending on my mood. I mean I left out The Asphalt Jungle, Paths of Glory, The Hitchhiker, Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Les Diaboliques, The Killing, The Thing From Another World, Forbidden Planet, Voyage to Italy, I Vitelloni, La Strada, Strangers on a Train, The Day the Earth Stood Still, High Noon, Night of the Hunter, The wages of Fear, The Seventh Seal ... there are just too many to choose from. If pressed though, no film impacted me more than Umberto D, it's a personal favorite.

I watched In a Lonely Place a few weeks ago very good and underrated film

The 50s was an excellent decade for movies! All About Eve Diabolique From Here To Eternity The Hidden Fortress Ikiru La Strada The Night of the Hunter Nights of Cabiria North by Northwest On the Waterfront Rashomon Rear Window Seven Samurai Sunset Boulevard 12 Angry Men Vertigo ...and the list goes on...!

North by northwest is my favourite movie of the 50s

My top 10 that I come back to over and over... 1. North by Northwest 2. Ben-Hur 3. Bridge on the River Kwai 4. Vertigo 5. Shane _____________ 6. Anatomy of a Murder 7. Rear Window 8. Bad Day at Black Rock 9. Seven Days From Now (Boetticher) 10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers ---------------- HM>Witness for the Prosecution heads the long list The 50s are packed with gems. Tons of Film Noir that I didn't even squeeze into the top 10. Hitch films like Strangers on a Train and The Wrong Man. Many Westerns. Kubricks Paths of Glory and The Killing. And then the foreign films.

It was Tarantino who said 50s and 80s movies were the worst eras, but we’re talking about a director who praises exploitation and gore films (I still love his films, and as a director he’s a genius, but I never EVER take what he says seriously.). 50s era was full of masterpieces, Bergman, Wilder, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Kurosawa, Ford, Houston, Kelly…

The movie making in current times, do emphasize a lot on only cinematography and soundtrack only on elevating script or filmmaking, while in the past costume design, locations, set design, natural vast locations also elevated the filmmaking majority of times. Would you agree with that?

Agree with you that Night of the Hunter is incredible. It has at least two great performances: the baddie and the boy.

All great choices. I haven't seen In A Lonely Place. These are my faves --- maybe not the best of the 50s, but the films that resonate most with me: Ace In The Hole - I love Sunset Boulevard, but I really loved the follow up. It's extra snarky even for Wilder. Pickup On South Street - I love film noir and for some reason this is my favorite of the bunch. On The Waterfront - A great, great film... my grandfather was a fisherman and said that the mob was tough, but they were a lot more fair than when the government came in and cleaned up the docks and took over. I guess I feel a personal connection to this one. Invasion of the Body Snatchers - A huge fan of the sci-fi of the era. This is probably my favorite of that genre. Gojira - I grew up with Godzilla and monster movies. I always loved this movie and then when I finally got to see the original Japanese version I was blown away.

Wonderful list!! My personal top 5 of the ‘50s (the first is official #1, the rest in no particular order) Tokyo Story Sunset Blvd. Kiss Me Deadly The Seven Samurai Rear Window

In your review of "In A Lonely Place", you describe "Vertigo" as "much more operatic".. Vertigo as opera; what a brilliant, insightful; observation! Imagine Judy singing an aria as she writes her Dear Scottie letter or Scottie and Judy singing a duet as they climb the tower one final time.

A face in the crowd and the sweet smell of success are my personal favorites

Great topic, people should know about stuff that happened before they were born and even long before they were born...seems like that doesn't happen as much these days. I'd go with On the Waterfront (the best move of the 50s or any other decade), Rear Window, Vertigo, Streetcar, and Singin' in the Rain

Ha! Your list is VERY similar to mine. I would have Tales of Hoffmann at number one, Vertigo number two, In a Lonely Place number three. The Asphalt Jungle at number four, and Sansho the Bailiff at number five, with Tokyo Story and Sunset Boulevard and Night of the Hunter just missing out. Those three would without doubt be in my top ten.

1. Tokyo Story 2. Apu Trilogy 3. Bicycle Thieves 4. Sansho the Bailiff 5. Rear Window HM: The 400 Blows, The Searchers, Wild Strawberries, Paths of Glory, Black Orpheus, Umberto D, Ugetsu, Dial M for Murder

Could you also do top performances of this decade at some point? Love classic movies!

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) starring Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Ed Begley Sr was gripping and stark.

Two out of your top 5 are in my 50s top 5, too (Night of the Hunter and Sunset Boulevard).

Hits OZU, RAY, and WILDER--among three of my favorite directors.