film The Best Movies of 1951  

Ranker Film

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Strangers on a Train Alfred Hitchcock, Farley Granger, Leo G. Carroll Strangers on a Train is an American psychological crime thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot ...more

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19 4

A Streetcar Named Desire Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1951 American drama film adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 play of the same name. It is the story of a southern lady, Blanche Dubois, ...more

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17 3

The African Queen Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Morley The African Queen is a 1951 adventure film adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by C. S. Forester. The film was directed by John Huston and produced by Sam Spiegel and John Woolf. The ...more

4

18 4

The Day the Earth Stood Still Patricia Neal, Michael Rennie, Frances Bavier The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein, directed by Robert Wise, and starring Michael Rennie, ...more

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16 4

Alice in Wonderland Ed Wynn, Heather Angel, Sterling Holloway Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated musical fantasy comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ...more

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The Great Caruso Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Alan Napier The Great Caruso is a 1951 biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Mario Lanza as Enrico Caruso. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Joe Pasternak with Jesse L. ...more

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12 2

Ace in the Hole Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Iron Eyes Cody Ace in the Hole is a 1951 American film noir starring Kirk Douglas as a cynical, disgraced reporter who stops at nothing to try to regain a job on a major newspaper. It marked a series of firsts ...more

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13 3

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, William Frawley Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man is a 1951 comedy horror film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the team of Abbott and Costello alongside Nancy Guild. The film depicts the ...more

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14 4

A Place in the Sun Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters A Place in the Sun is a 1951 American drama film loosely based on the 1925 novel An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser and the play, also titled An American Tragedy. It tells the story of a ...more

10

14 4

Quo Vadis Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Deborah Kerr Quo Vadis is a 1951 American epic film made by MGM in Technicolor. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya ...more

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10 1

David and Bathsheba Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Raymond Massey David and Bathsheba is a 1951 historical Technicolor epic film about King David made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Henry King, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, from a screenplay by Philip ...more

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12 3

The Thing from Another World James Arness, Paul Frees, George Fenneman The Thing from Another World is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction/horror film produced by Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporation, released by RKO Pictures, and directed by ...more

13

9 1

The Frogmen Robert Wagner, Richard Widmark, Jack Warden The Frogmen is a 1951 black-and-white film made by Twentieth Century Fox. It is based on operations by United States Navy Underwater Demolition Teams, popularly known as "frogmen", ...more

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10 2

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman Ava Gardner, John Laurie, Nigel Patrick Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is a 1951 British drama film made by Romulus Films and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the United States. The film was directed by Albert Lewin and produced by ...more

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10 2

Vengeance Valley Burt Lancaster, Hugh O'Brian, John Ireland Vengeance Valley is a 1951 American Western film starring Burt Lancaster, based on the novel by Luke Short. In 1979, the film entered the public domain due to MGM's failure to renew its ...more

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10 2

Death of a Salesman Fredric March, Kevin McCarthy, Cameron Mitchell First film adaptation of the classic play of the same name.

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Show Boat Ava Gardner, Kathryn Grayson, Agnes Moorehead Show Boat is a 1951 American musical romantic drama film based on the stage musical of the same name by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, and the 1926 novel by Edna Ferber. This 1951 film ...more

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9 2

The Mating Season Gene Tierney, Thelma Ritter, Jan Sterling The Mating Season is a 1951 classic farce with elements of screwball comedy. A film made by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Mitchell Leisen and produced by Charles Brackett from a ...more

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9 2

When Worlds Collide Paul Frees, Stuart Whitman, John Hoyt When Worlds Collide is a 1951 American Technicolor science fiction film from Paramount Pictures, produced by George Pal, directed by Rudolph Maté and starring Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, ...more

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10 3

On the Riviera Gene Tierney, Danny Kaye, Gwen Verdon On the Riviera is a 1951 musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Walter Lang, produced by Sol C. Siegel from a screenplay by Valentine Davies and Phoebe and Henry ...more

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11 4

The Lavender Hill Mob Audrey Hepburn, Alec Guinness, Robert Shaw The Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T.E.B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and ...more

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11 4

An American in Paris Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Nina Foch An American in Paris is a 1951 American musical film inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and ...more

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11 4

The Red Badge of Courage Audie Murphy, James Whitmore, Andy Devine The Red Badge of Courage is a 1951 war film made by MGM. Directed by John Huston, it was produced by Gottfried Reinhardt with Dore Schary as executive producer. The screenplay is by John Huston, ...more

24

11 4

Scrooge Patrick Macnee, Alastair Sim, Jack Warner Scrooge is a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley. ...more

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7 1

The Blue Veil Natalie Wood, Charles Laughton, Jane Wyman The Blue Veil is a 1951 American drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. The screenplay by Norman Corwin is based on a story by François Campaux, which was adapted for the French ...more

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7 1

Superman and the Mole Men George Reeves, Jeff Corey, Stanley Andrews Superman and the Mole Men is a 1951 superhero film starring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. The motion picture is the first theatrical feature film based on the DC ...more

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7 1

Ballot Box Bunny Mel Blanc, Bea Benaderet Ballot Box Bunny is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1951, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster.

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7 1

Duck and Cover Robert Middleton Duck and Cover is a civil defense film produced in 1951 by the United States government's Federal Civil Defense Administration shortly after the Soviet Union began nuclear testing. Written by ...more

29

7 1

Decision Before Dawn Richard Basehart, Hildegard Knef, Oskar Werner Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using ...more

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7 1

Here Comes the Groom Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Dorothy Lamour Here Comes the Groom is a 1951 musical romantic comedy film produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Based on a story by Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien, the ...more

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8 2

Comin' Round the Mountain Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Margaret Hamilton Comin' Round The Mountain is a 1951 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.

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8 2

The Magic Box Laurence Olivier, Robert Donat, Margaret Rutherford The Magic Box is a 1951 British, Technicolor, biographical drama film, directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with a host of cameo appearances by such ...more

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8 2

The Enforcer Humphrey Bogart, Zero Mostel, Everett Sloane The Enforcer is an American 1951 black-and-white film noir co-directed by Bretaigne Windust and an uncredited Raoul Walsh, who shot most of the film's suspenseful moments, including the ending. ...more

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8 2

Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion George Meeker, Dick Curtis, Walter Reed Government Agents vs Phantom Legion is a 12-chapter American black-and-white film serial produced and distributed by Republic Pictures Corporation in 1951. It is an original, studio-commissioned ...more

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8 2

Goodbye, My Fancy Joan Crawford, Eve Arden, Robert Young Goodbye, My Fancy is a 1951 American romantic comedy film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Young, and Frank Lovejoy. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke. ...more

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8 2

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. Christopher Lee, Stanley Baker, Virginia Mayo Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. is a 1951 naval adventure film. It was directed by Raoul Walsh and stars Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty and Terence Morgan. It was based upon three of ...more

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8 2

Flight to Mars Cameron Mitchell, Marguerite Chapman, John Litel Flight to Mars is a 1951 American Cinecolor science fiction film, produced by Walter Mirisch for Monogram Pictures, directed by Lesley Selander, and starring Marguerite Chapman, Cameron Mitchell ...more

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8 2

As Young as You Feel Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Ritter, Jean Peters As Young as You Feel is a comedy film starring Monty Woolley, Thelma Ritter, and David Wayne, with Marilyn Monroe in a small role.

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9 3

Along the Great Divide Kirk Douglas, Walter Brennan, Virginia Mayo Along the Great Divide is a 1951 American western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Kirk Douglas, Virginia Mayo, John Agar, and Walter Brennan.

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9 3

People Will Talk Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Hume Cronyn People Will Talk is a romantic comedy/drama directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck from a screenplay by Mankiewicz, based on the German play by Curt Goetz, which had ...more

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9 3

Miracle in Milan Paolo Stoppa, Francesco Golisano, Arturo Bragaglia Miracle in Milan is a 1951 Italian film directed by Vittorio de Sica. The screenplay was co-written by Cesare Zavattini, based on his novel Totò il Buono. The picture stars Francesco ...more

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9 3

Father's Little Dividend Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett Father's Little Dividend is a 1951 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, and Elizabeth Taylor. The movie is the sequel to Father of the Bride. ...more

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9 3

I Can Get It for You Wholesale Susan Hayward, George Sanders, Sam Jaffe I Can Get It for You Wholesale is a 1951 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Gordon. The screenplay by Abraham Polonsky is based on Vera Caspary's loose adaptation of the 1937 novel ...more

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9 3

Fourteen Hours Grace Kelly, John Cassavetes, Agnes Moorehead Fourteen Hours is a 1951 drama film directed by Henry Hathaway, which tells the story of a New York police officer trying to stop a despondent man from jumping to his death from the fifteenth ...more

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9 3

The Man in the White Suit Alec Guinness, Michael Gough, Cecil Parker The Man In The White Suit is a 1951 science-fiction satirical comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It starred Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander ...more

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10 4

Flying Leathernecks John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Milburn Stone Flying Leathernecks is a 1951 action war film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits and personal battles ...more

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7 2

The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel Jessica Tandy, Cedric Hardwicke, Leo G. Carroll The Desert Fox is a 1951 biographical film about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in the later stages of World War II. It stars James Mason in the title role, was directed by Henry Hathaway, and was ...more

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7 2

The Tales of Hoffmann Pamela Brown, Frederick Ashton, Robert Helpmann The Tales of Hoffmann is a 1951 British film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann, written, produced and directed by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger ...more

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7 2

Appointment with Danger Alan Ladd, Harry Morgan, Jack Webb Appointment with Danger is an American crime film noir directed by Lewis Allen and written by Richard L. Breen and Warren Duff. The drama features Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, Paul Stewart, among ...more

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8 3

The Secret of Convict Lake Gene Tierney, Glenn Ford, Ethel Barrymore The Secret of Convict Lake is a 1951 American black-and-white western film starring Glenn Ford and Gene Tierney. It was directed by Michael Gordon and produced by Frank P. Rosenberg, with music ...more