1950 – 1959
POPULAR MOVIES OF THE DECADE
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12 Angry Men (1957)
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
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Rear Window (1954)
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window, and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend.
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Seven Samurai (1954)
A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.
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North by Northwest (1959)
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
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Some Like It Hot (1959)
After two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.
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Singin' in the Rain (1952)
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
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Ben-Hur (1959)
After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
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Sunset Boulevard (1950)
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.
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Paths of Glory (1957)
After refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.
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The Seventh Seal (1957)
A knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.
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Dial M for Murder (1954)
A former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.
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Rashômon (1950)
The rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
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Cinderella (1950)
When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq and from her Fairy Godmother.
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On the Waterfront (1954)
An ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
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Sleeping Beauty (1959)
After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies.
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Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Alice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.
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Peter Pan (1953)
Wendy and her brothers are whisked away to the magical world of Neverland with the hero of their stories, Peter Pan.
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Roman Holiday (1953)
A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
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Lady and the Tramp (1955)
The romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown Mutt.