1950s Films: Best Movies, Directors And Trends
Widescreen and colour fighting off television, Ealing comedies, and the birth of the teenager.
Below: the films worth watching from the 1950s, the directors behind them, what was changing in cinema, and the year-by-year screen highlights from 1950 to 1959.
Useful for a film night, a themed party, a quiz round or working out what someone grew up watching.
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Best films of the 1950s
- The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955), Ealing.
- Singin' in the Rain (1952).
- The Quiet Man (1952).
- Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958), Hitchcock.
- Seven Samurai (1954).
- The Dam Busters (1955).
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), David Lean.
- 12 Angry Men (1957).
- Carry On Sergeant (1958) - the first of thirty-one.
- Some Like It Hot (1959).
Directors who defined the 1950s
- Alfred Hitchcock in his richest run, from Rear Window to North by Northwest.
- David Lean moving into epics.
- Alexander Mackendrick at Ealing.
- Akira Kurosawa, whose films Hollywood remade for decades.
- Billy Wilder, comedy and drama in the same career.
Cinema trends of the 1950s
- Television arrives in British homes and cinema admissions start their long fall.
- Cinemascope, VistaVision and 3D - widescreen and gimmicks as a response to the small screen.
- Hammer begins its horror cycle with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957).
- The teenager becomes an audience in their own right, and films start being made for them.
- Colour becomes normal for big pictures, though plenty were still black and white.
Going to the pictures
- The Saturday morning ABC Minors club, with a song and a membership badge.
- Ice cream from a tray in the interval, sold by a girl with a torch.
- The national anthem at the end, and the rush to get out before it started.
- The back row and what everybody knew went on there.
Film and television, year by year
- 1950 - Cinema attendance was near its peak, with most people going at least once a week.
- 1951 - The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit were released by Ealing Studios.
- 1952 - Television coverage of the King's funeral drew large audiences.
- 1953 - The coronation was the first mass television event in Britain, watched by an estimated twenty million.
- 1954 - The Nineteen Eighty-Four television adaptation in December caused questions in Parliament.
- 1955 - ITV launched on 22 September; the first advert was for Gibbs SR toothpaste.
- 1956 - Rock Around the Clock in cinemas led to seats being ripped out in some towns.
- 1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai was the film of the year.
- 1958 - Blue Peter began on 16 October.
- 1959 - Juke Box Jury began on the BBC in June.
Years covered in the 1950s
- 1950 - Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1950
- 1951 - The Festival of Britain, a Conservative return and still no singles chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1951
- 1952 - A new Queen, the Great Smog and the first ever singles chart in November. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1952
- 1953 - The coronation, Everest, the Matthews final and sweets off the ration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1953
- 1954 - Rationing finally ended and Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1954
- 1955 - ITV launched, rock and roll arrived and Britain got its first television adverts. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1955
- 1956 - Suez, Elvis arriving in the chart and the start of skiffle. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1956
- 1957 - You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1957
- 1958 - Munich, the first motorway and Cliff Richard's 'Move It'. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1958
- 1959 - The Mini, the M1 and the last year before the sixties. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1959
- That is every 1950s year we have written up so far: 1950 to 1959.
How to use this
- Film night: one film from the decade, the matching party playlist before it, and a quiz round after.
- Quiz round: read a film and ask for the year, or read a director and ask for the film.
- Reminiscence: ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was, and who took them.
- Anyone born in 1950 turns 50 in 2000, 60 in 2010 and 70 in 2020.
Found your words? Now find the card
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How to write it so it lands
- Check the UK release date as well as the year - plenty of American films reached Britain months later.
- For a themed night, pick the film from the year someone turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
- Ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was. It gets a better story than asking their favourite.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 1950
- Look back to 1951
- Look back to 1952
- Look back to 1953
- Look back to 1954
- Look back to 1955
- Look back to 1956
- Look back to 1957
- Look back to 1958
- Look back to 1959
- 1950s books, films and TV
- 1950s calendar: year by year
- 1950s trivia: fun facts
- 1950s music: albums, artists and songs
- 1950s shopping guide
- The 1950s: the whole decade
- Retro gift guide: the 1950s
- 1950s party playlist
- Wartime and 1950s party games
- Playground games by region
- Clapping games and skipping rhymes
- Seaside and beach games
- Sweets that disappeared
- Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade films: best films and directors by era
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Decade shopping guides by era
- Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Guess the year quiz
- Milestone birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Sympathy and bereavement cards
- Sympathy cards guide
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best films of the 1950s?
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955), Ealing. The full list above names real films with their release years, from the 1950s.
Which directors defined the 1950s?
Alfred Hitchcock in his richest run, from Rear Window to North by Northwest. The directors section above covers the rest.
What was cinema like in the 1950s?
Television arrives in British homes and cinema admissions start their long fall. The trends and going-to-the-pictures sections above cover both the industry and the experience.
Do you sell films or DVDs?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a film night.