50s recommendations: Unique, artistic, intruiging and/or spectacular films

[St. Gloede]

Hi guys,

I'm on a bit of a 50s kick, and despite being the decade when the conventional truly started to become subverted, the key new waves started to come to life, etc. I have been stuck with a lot of conventionality as of late, and am not exactly sure where to look.

Feel free to recommend pretty much anything, from surreal, minimalist or experimental, to more subtly creative and innovative. It can be in the air Cocteau or Bresso, more new wave, or something entirely different like Another Sky or Venom and Eternity.

[XxXApathy420XxX]

In order of preference

https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/vynalez+zkazy/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/murder+by+contract/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/come+back+africa/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/crashout/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/the+tingler/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/ina ... sure+dome/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/glen+or+glenda/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/un+chant+damour/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/salt+of+the+earth/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/dementia/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/agu ... granadino/

Of course there's Sirk's work as well.

[matthewscott8]

I would second most of Apathy's recommendations, and here are a few more:

Another Sky (1954 - Gavin Lambert)
O Pintor e a Cidade / The Artist and the City (1956 - Manoel de Oliveira)
A Bucket of Blood (1959 - Roger Corman)

[RBG]

you might try guru dutt, which is 50s auteur bollywood cinema

and if you haven't seen it, ghatak's ajantrik is like nothing else

if you like westerns at all check out boetticher's ranown cycle and de toth's day of the outlaw. and tourneur's westerns! and fuller's run of the arrow! and ulmer's the naked dawn!

lol i feel like i should stop recommending stuff here as i don't have a clue what anyone would like. i guess i have very specific tastes

seen everything on arthur's list by glen or glenda (should watch this tho)

some fave b-movies: the underworld story (1950), the prowler (1951), wicked woman (1953), shield for murder (1954), the lineup (1958)

p.s. - another sky is one of my faves too

[Onderhond]

The Cranes Are Flying but you probably saw that one already.

[XxXApathy420XxX]

I guess I can add this as well https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/viele+kamen+vorbei/

It may not be unconventional enough for what you want, but you'll most likely appreciate the mind-blowing cinematography.

[Gershwin]

The Cranes Are Flying but you probably saw that one already.

He sure has.

But Onderhond, have you actually seen Dementia, one of the films Art quotes above? I can imagine you wouldn't hate it as much as many films from the era.

[RBG]

what about aventurera and other cabareteras. they're mainly mexican noir but they're a lot of fun

[Onderhond]

But Onderhond, have you actually seen Dementia, one of the films Art quotes above? I can imagine you wouldn't hate it as much as many films from the era.

Nopes, will give it a try. Only 56 minutes, I like it already!

[GruesomeTwosome]

Maybe you've seen it, but how about Kagi / Odd Obsession (1959).

[XxXApathy420XxX]

some fave b-movies: the underworld story (1950), the prowler (1951), wicked woman (1953), shield for murder (1954), the lineup (1958)

Wicked Woman is great and The Lineup is close to a masterpiece. I just didn't think that they were creative enough to post them. I did post Crashout though because it's so much darker and gritty than the usual noir.

[RBG]

that's why i posted day of the outlaw. but most people here don't like stuff i like

crashout is ok ;) shield for murder and the prowler are about as psychotic as noir gets in the 50s

but i imagine he's not looking for noir or westerns so i'm just derailing the thread at this point. i'm just a sucker for genre films

[beavis]

some great but slightly more obscure titles

Abismos de Pasion 1954 - tt0046675
Closed Vision 1954 - tt1066299
Froken Julie 1951 - tt0043567
Hurlements en Faveur de Sade 1952 - tt0410096
Inazuma 1952 - tt0044745
Karnavalnaya Noch 1956 - tt0049397
Kokoro 1955 - tt0048266
Madchen Rosemarie, Das 1958 - tt0051963
Notte Brava, La 1959 - tt0051469
Ostatni Dzien Lata 1958 - tt0052037
Pyaasa 1957 - tt0050870
Sbandati, Gli 1955 - tt0048585
Shokei no Heya 1956 - tt0049642
Suzaki Paradaisu: Akashingo 1956 - tt0210312
Traité de Bave et d'Eternité 1951 - tt0207801
Verlorene, Der 1951 - tt0044188
Yukiguni 1957 - tt0051217
Zimowy Zmierzch 1957 - tt0051224

[RBG]

yay kawashima and toyoda ♥ and naruse ofc. still the best period of japanese cinema ;)

also i like very much shindo's Ôkami (1955)

[3eyes]

Powell & Pressburger's Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

[RBG]

♥♥♥

[St. Gloede]

In order of preference

https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/vynalez+zkazy/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/murder+by+contract/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/come+back+africa/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/crashout/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/the+tingler/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/ina ... sure+dome/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/glen+or+glenda/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/un+chant+damour/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/salt+of+the+earth/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/dementia/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/agu ... granadino/

Of course there's Sirk's work as well.

Surprisingly I am not a big fan of any of these but most are solid-good. Yet to see Crashout and Aguaespejo granadino, your follow-up nomination Viele kamen vorbei / Many Passed By as I absolutely loved Street Acquaintances (Der verzauberte Tag was also good, but nowhere near greatness) and I have been meaning to explore more from Pewas.

[St. Gloede]

I would second most of Apathy's recommendations, and here are a few more:

Another Sky (1954 - Gavin Lambert)
O Pintor e a Cidade / The Artist and the City (1956 - Manoel de Oliveira)
A Bucket of Blood (1959 - Roger Corman)

Love Another Sky, and A Bucket of Blood is really fun, great recommendation. Yet to see The Artist and the City, will definitely get to it.

[St. Gloede]

some great but slightly more obscure titles

Abismos de Pasion1954-tt0046675
Closed Vision1954-tt1066299
Froken Julie1951-tt0043567
Hurlements en Faveur de Sade1952-tt0410096
Inazuma1952-tt0044745
Karnavalnaya Noch1956-tt0049397
Kokoro1955-tt0048266
Madchen Rosemarie, Das1958-tt0051963
Notte Brava, La1959-tt0051469
Ostatni Dzien Lata1958-tt0052037
Pyaasa1957-tt0050870
Sbandati, Gli1955-tt0048585
Shokei no Heya1956-tt0049642
Suzaki Paradaisu: Akashingo1956-tt0210312
Traité de Bave et d'Eternité1951-tt0207801
Verlorene, Der1951-tt0044188
Yukiguni1957-tt0051217
Zimowy Zmierzch1957-tt0051224

Some amazing recommendations here, thank you! Love/like essentially everything I have seen (except Pyaasa, Indian melodramas just don't work for me)

Yet to see, and will seek out soon (in order of interest):

Zimowy Zmierzch
Abismos de Pasion
Hurlements en Faveur de Sade
Closed Vision
Das Mädchen Rosemarie
Karnavalnaya Noch

[St. Gloede]

you might try guru dutt, which is 50s auteur bollywood cinema

and if you haven't seen it, ghatak's ajantrik is like nothing else

if you like westerns at all check out boetticher's ranown cycle and de toth's day of the outlaw. and tourneur's westerns! and fuller's run of the arrow! and ulmer's the naked dawn!

lol i feel like i should stop recommending stuff here as i don't have a clue what anyone would like. i guess i have very specific tastes

seen everything on arthur's list by glen or glenda (should watch this tho)

some fave b-movies: the underworld story (1950), the prowler (1951), wicked woman (1953), shield for murder (1954), the lineup (1958)

p.s. - another sky is one of my faves too

Not a fan of Dutt, but interesting western/noir recommendations. Not exactly what I was looking for, but at the same time often a source for unexpected expressions, especially in the lower budget films, and The Underworld Story, The Lineup and Day of the Outlaw are great, I also have a lot of respect for Boetticher. Will look into the films I'm yet to see later.

[Eve-Lang-El-Coup]

Take a Giant Step (1959)
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever? (1959)
The Facts of Murder (1959)
Rio 100 Degrees F. (1955)
He Who Must Die (1957)
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
Anak dalita (1956)
Love Letter (1953)
The Yacht Isabel Arrived This Afternoon (1950)
Magdana's Donkey (1956)
Holiday for Henrietta (1952) - Probably the only one that fits your description.
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
The Noose (1958)
The Last Day of Summer (1958)

[Onderhond]

But Onderhond, have you actually seen Dementia, one of the films Art quotes above? I can imagine you wouldn't hate it as much as many films from the era.

Watched it and while maybe not as bad as some others, I didn't think it was all that special. The camera is superstatic and the soundtrack just goes on and on and kills the atmosphere completely. Acting was really subpar too. But yeah, at least it was short

[Gershwin]

But Onderhond, have you actually seen Dementia, one of the films Art quotes above? I can imagine you wouldn't hate it as much as many films from the era.

Watched it and while maybe not as bad as some others, I didn't think it was all that special. The camera is superstatic and the soundtrack just goes on and on and kills the atmosphere completely. Acting was really subpar too. But yeah, at least it was short

Hehe, fair enough. That's why I chose my wording carefully, in that last phrase you quoted. ;)

[Onderhond]

It was still an interesting tip, quite different from the 50s films that usually end up in official lists!

[prodigalgodson]

Hey gloede, I forget what all you have and haven't seen, but some of my favorites of the more overlooked...

The Baron of Arizona - 1950
Un chant d'amour
Dark City
Girl with Hyacinths
Rabbit's Moon
Cry Danger - 1951
He Ran All the Way
His Kind of Woman
Lightning Strikes Twice
Repast
The Tall Target
This Is Korea!
Angel Face - 1952
Bend of the River
The Big Sky
The Golden Coach
Lightning
Rancho Notorious
The Steel Trap
The World in His Arms
Anatahan - 1953
Eaux d'artifice
Eldora
The Hitch-hiker
The Man Between
Thunder Bay
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection
Wild Geese
The Crucified Lovers - 1954
The Far Country
Garden of Evil
Inauguration to the Pleasure Dome
Late Chrysanthemums
Sound of the Mountain
Aguaespejo Grenadino - 1955
Land of the Pharoahs
The Naked Dawn
Princess Yang Kwei-fei
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
Stranger on Horseback
All the World's Memory - 1956
Baby Doll
Great Day in the Morning
Season of the Sun
Seven Men from Now
Suzaki Paradise: Red Light District
China Gate - 1957
Nightfall
The Spies
Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Bonjour tristesse - 1958
Buchanan Rides Alone
Decision at Sundown
Free Radicals
God's Little Acre
A Movie
The Naked and the Dead
Some Came Running
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
Les astronautes - 1959
Les cousins
Imitation of Life
Ride Lonesome
Suddenly, Last Summer

[St. Gloede]

Thanks Prodigal, what a great and unexpected revival of this thread, and wonderful to see you here (again)!

Of your recommendations I am yet to see:

SpoilerShow

Dark City
He Ran All the Way
His Kind of Woman
Lightning Strikes Twice
This Is Korea!
The Steel Trap
Eaux d'artifice
Eldora
Thunder Bay
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection
Aguaespejo Grenadino
Land of the Pharoahs
All the World's Memory
Great Day in the Morning
Season of the Sun
China Gate
The Spies
Bonjour tristesse
Decision at Sundown
Free Radicals
God's Little Acre
A Movie
The Naked and the Dead
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
Les astronautes

All are noted, thanks!

[peeptoad]

Old thread, but since the 50s challenge is coming up in a few months...

Outrage (1950)
Los olvidados (1950)
The Hitch-hiker (1953)
Dementia (1955)
Three Cases of Murder (1955)
A Short Vision (1956)
La cravate (1957)
Enemy from Space (1957)
Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
The H-Man (1958)
De dødes tjern (1958)
A Bucket of Blood (1959)
Pickpocket (1959)

[St. Gloede]

Take a Giant Step (1959)
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever? (1959)
The Facts of Murder (1959)
Rio 100 Degrees F. (1955)
He Who Must Die (1957)
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
Anak dalita (1956)
Love Letter (1953)
The Yacht Isabel Arrived This Afternoon (1950)
Magdana's Donkey (1956)
Holiday for Henrietta (1952) - Probably the only one that fits your description.
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
The Noose (1958)
The Last Day of Summer (1958)

I forgot to thank you for these, Eve. Fantastic recommendations. I watched The Noose a couple of months ago, and it became one of my favorite new viewings of last year.

Ratings for those I have seen:

The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) 8.5
Rio 100 Degrees F. (1955) 6
He Who Must Die (1957) 8-8.5
The Man Who Never Was (1956) 8.5
Love Letter (1953) 9
Magdana's Donkey (1956) 7
Holiday for Henrietta (1952) 8
The Noose (1958) 9
The Last Day of Summer (1958) 8.5

What I have left:

Take a Giant Step (1959)
Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever? (1959)
The Facts of Murder (1959)
Anak dalita (1956)
The Yacht Isabel Arrived This Afternoon (1950)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)

[prodigalgodson]

Thanks Prodigal, what a great and unexpected revival of this thread, and wonderful to see you here (again)!

Of your recommendations I am yet to see:

SpoilerShow

Dark City
He Ran All the Way
His Kind of Woman
Lightning Strikes Twice
This Is Korea!
The Steel Trap
Eaux d'artifice
Eldora
Thunder Bay
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection
Aguaespejo Grenadino
Land of the Pharoahs
All the World's Memory
Great Day in the Morning
Season of the Sun
China Gate
The Spies
Bonjour tristesse
Decision at Sundown
Free Radicals
God's Little Acre
A Movie
The Naked and the Dead
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
Les astronautes

All are noted, thanks!

Cheers man! I can't promise I'll be too active since movies aren't as central to my life as they once were, but hope to maintain some presence, I really miss this community. Re: those recommendations:

Dark City - don't remember it too well tbh, but a funky and underrated noir, I remember liking the flow a lot
He Ran All the Way - love adventure noir stuff, and this is a very fun south-of-the-border cat-and-mouse
His Kind of Woman - one of Vincent Price's best performances, pretty off-the-wall stuff
Lightning Strikes Twice - maybe my favorite Vidor actually, super atmospheric desert-set mood piece, great performance from Ruth Roman too
This Is Korea! - mostly dug it for aesthetic reasons, Ford with free range in the Korean War
The Steel Trap - one of the most underrated noirs ever imo, thrilling and philosophically standard
Eaux d'artifice - this, Eldora, Aguaespejo, Free Radicals, A Movie, and Les astronautes are purely aesthetic pleasures,
Thunder Bay - underrated Mann, great setting and Stewart's great as ever
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection - maybe biased cuz it reminds me a lot of the kind of stuff I was making in high school, but a nice glimpse of a different side of Brakhage and definitely my favorite of his early works
Land of the Pharoahs - I was pretty high but it's a fun late Hawks with his usual strengths and weaknesses
All the World's Memory - surprised you haven't seen this, it's pretty short and you get to see a well-founded genesis of the sensibilities Resnais would develop from there
Great Day in the Morning - again I'm a sucker for Roman, and Tourneur always strings together a strong, tight flick
Season of the Sun - this birthed that whole "sun movie" subgenre in Japan, one of the stronger outings too
China Gate - seems pretty rare, I saw it at a short Fuller retrospective years ago but it made a big impression, atmospheric and mysterious
The Spies - aw I think you'd really dig this, Ustinov gives a great performance in maybe my favorite Clouzot movie
Bonjour tristesse - great take on the folly and melancholy of youth, Seberg was made for the role and Preminger kills it on the cote d'azure -- maybe my favorite of his movies
Decision at Sundown - aw all of the Boetticher/Scott collabs are worthwhile and this is one of the most underrated, if a bit stagier than the others
God's Little Acre - more fun than anything else, but Mann's direction is strong as ever and Robert Ryan gets a great late role
The Naked and the Dead - in Fassbinder's top 10; I wouldn't go that far but Scott got me on a big Walsh kick a few years ago and this was one of the odder finds; surreal and unusually structured, and still powerful
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw - saw this on Scott's recommendation, pure fun and very much in line with my worldview