I have now seen 64 films that were released in 1950. The complete list is here. I decided to cut things a bit short and get on to the riches of 1951 since I don’t have long before I hit the road again.
This was a fantastic year for film on the high end. The rankings of the first five films on my favorites list could be sorted in any number of ways on any given day. There was only one new-to-me film on the list this time. Several of the films were reviewed here earlier as part of either Noir Month or the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die blog club.
10. Winchester ’73 (Directed by Anthony Mann)
9. Young Man with a Horn (Directed by Michael Curtiz)
8. Panic in the Streets (Directed by Elia Kazan)
7. Harvey (Directed by Henry Koster)
6. Gun Crazy (Directed by Joseph H. Lewis)
5. The Asphalt Jungle (Directed by John Huston)
4. All About Eve (Directed by Joseph L. Mankowicz)
3. In a Lonely Place (Directed by Nicholas Ray)
2. Rashomon (Directed by Akira Kurosawa)
1. Sunset Blvd. (Directed by Billy Wilder)
SUNSET BLVD., IN A LONELY PLACE, and ALL ABOUT EVE are among my very favorite movies. I own them all. The first two were part of the magic elixir that drew me to Hollywood. I wrote my first paper in graduate school about EVE. Here’s hoping they continue to be appreciated for another 65 years, entertaining and giving new generations that privileged peek behind the curtain into the lives of those who entertain us. We should never forget the high price they often pay for their time in the sun.
Hollywood certainly puts its heart and soul into movies about itself. Amazing how unflinching all these great classics are.
I’ve seen and loved 8 of the 10 and haven’t seen 2. Born Yesterday would almost certainly make m y list for this year, as would The Third Man, although I have seen that with a 1949 release date, so your mileage may vary.
The Third Man was my number 2 film for 1949 and it would have been number 1 had not Ozu’s Late Spring been one of my favorite films of all time. It’s funny how movie dates switch around among sources.
Yes, that is a very strong top 5. For me The Asphalt Jungle belongs on that 5th spot, but the other four… yes I am with you there, it depends on the day. Hard pressed I would probably end up with your ranking.
You got some really great years ahead of you. The fifties have so far been absolutely great, but then I only sample the, presumably, high end of the list.
1951 is looking equally strong and has the advantage that I haven’t cherry-picked so many films ahead of time. I kind of regretted that I had already viewed so many of the best films of 1950 before I got started with the year as a whole.
Delighted to see ‘All About Eve’ and ‘In a Lonely Place’ ranking so highly. I’m so impressed by the range and quality of films you watch and write about!
I feel really lucky to have the time and opportunity to see so many great films. We are so lucky to have so many old films newly available on DVD and through streaming and the studio archive DVR releases.