The 1950s: in America, the decade is synonymous with rock 'n' roll, bobby socks, and the movies. If that last one didn't come to mind before, it certainly will after you read through this list. These are the very best Oscar nominated and winning movies of the 1950s, as ranked by you. These 1950s movies nominated for Best Picture make up a wide-ranging collection. Some are laugh-out-loud comedies, featuring legends like Gene Kelly and Spencer Tracy. Others are stirring dramas starring the likes of Bette Davis, Vivien Leigh, and Audrey Hepburn. Whichever flick is your favorite, you will likely agree that these Oscar-nominated 1950s movies are some of the best films of all time.
What films will you find on this list of 1950s Best Picture winners and nominees? Gloria Swanson captivated movie-goers with her portrayal of aging movie star Norma Desmond in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. The Billy Wilder-directed film was even nominated Best Picture. Roman Holiday is another good Oscar-nominated movie from the 1950s. Best Picture winner All About Eve gave audiences an inside look at the competitive world of contemporary Hollywood. Other great films featured on this list include A Place in the Sun, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Quiet Man.
Which 1950s Oscar nominee should top the list? That's up to you to decide. Give your favorite films a thumbs up to move them towards the number-one spot.
1
All About Eve
Marilyn Monroe, Bette DavisReleased: 1950
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Won Best Picture in 1950.
All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It was based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr,... more2
Sunset Boulevard
William Holden, Buster KeatonReleased: 1950
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Nominated in 1950.
Sunset Boulevard—stylized onscreen as SUNSET BLVD.—is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after the... more- 3
12 Angry Men
Henry Fonda, Jack KlugmanReleased: 1957
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Nominated in 1957.
12 Angry Men is a 1957 American drama film adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Written and co-produced by Rose himself and directed by Sidney Lumet, this trial film tells the... more - 4
Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston, Jack HawkinsReleased: 1959
Directed by: William Wyler
Won Best Picture in 1959.
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh... more - 5
The Quiet Man
John Wayne, Maureen O'HaraReleased: 1952
Directed by: John Ford
Nominated in 1952.
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S.... more - 6
The Ten Commandments
Charlton Heston, Vincent PriceReleased: 1956
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
Nominated in 1956.
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American religious epic film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shot in VistaVision, and released by Paramount Pictures. It dramatizes the biblical story of the... more - 7
From Here to Eternity
Frank Sinatra, Burt LancasterReleased: 1953
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Won Best Picture in 1953.
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three soldiers, played by Burt... more - 8
The King and I
Nominated in 1956.
- 9
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Elizabeth Taylor, Paul NewmanReleased: 1958
Directed by: Richard Brooks
Nominated in 1958.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1958 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams adapted by Richard Brooks and... more - 10
A Streetcar Named Desire
Marlon Brando, Vivien LeighReleased: 1951
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Nominated in 1951.
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 - 11
Roman Holiday
Audrey Hepburn, Gregory PeckReleased: 1953
Directed by: William Wyler
Nominated in 1953.
Roman Holiday is a 1953 American romantic comedy directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Gregory Peck as a reporter and Audrey Hepburn as a royal princess out to see Rome on her own. Hepburn... more - 12
Giant
Elizabeth Taylor, James DeanReleased: 1956
Directed by: George Stevens
Nominated in 1956.
Giant is a 1956 American drama film, directed by George Stevens from a screenplay adapted by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat from the novel by Edna Ferber. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and... more - 13
On the Waterfront
Marlon Brando, Eva Marie SaintReleased: 1954
Directed by: Elia Kazan
Won Best Picture in 1954.
On the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption amongst longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and... more - 14
High Noon
Grace Kelly, Gary CooperReleased: 1952
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Nominated in 1952.
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper. In nearly real time, the film tells the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by... more - 15
Shane
Jack Palance, Jean ArthurReleased: 1953
Directed by: George Stevens
Nominated in 1953.
Shane is a 1953 American Technicolor Western film from Paramount. It was produced and directed by George Stevens from a screenplay by A. B. Guthrie, Jr., based on the 1949 novel of the same name by... more - 16
The Caine Mutiny
Humphrey Bogart, Lee MarvinReleased: 1954
Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
Nominated in 1954.
The Caine Mutiny is a 1954 American drama film set during World War II, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Stanley Kramer. It stars Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson and Fred... more - 17
Mister Roberts
Henry Fonda, Jack LemmonReleased: 1955
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, John Ford, Joshua Logan
Nominated in 1955.
Mister Roberts is a 1955 American Warnercolor in CinemaScope comedy-drama film directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy and features an all-star cast including Henry Fonda as Mister Roberts, James... more - 18
Witness for the Prosecution
Marlene Dietrich, Charles LaughtonReleased: 1957
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Nominated in 1957.
Witness for the Prosecution is a 1957 American courtroom drama film set in the Old Bailey in London. The film, based on a short story by Agatha Christie, deals with the trial of a man accused. The... more - 19
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Julie Newmar, Jane PowellReleased: 1954
Directed by: Stanley Donen
Nominated in 1954.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, is a musical film, photographed in Ansco Color in the CinemaScope format. The film was directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Saul Chaplin and Gene de Paul and... more - 20
Anatomy of a Murder
James Stewart, George C. ScottReleased: 1959
Directed by: Otto Preminger
Nominated in 1959.
This film is a 1959 American courtroom drama film. It was directed by Otto Preminger and adapted by Wendell Mayes from the best-selling novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court... more - 21
Father of the Bride
Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer TracyReleased: 1950
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Nominated in 1950.
Father of the Bride is a 1950 American comedy film about a man trying to cope with preparations for his daughter's upcoming wedding. The movie stars Spencer Tracy in the titular role, Joan Bennett,... more - 22
The Diary of Anne Frank
Shelley Winters, Ed WynnReleased: 1959
Directed by: George Stevens
Nominated in 1959.
The Diary of Anne Frank is a 1959 film based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, which was based on the diary of Anne Frank. It was directed by George Stevens, with a screenplay by... more - 23
Auntie Mame
Rosalind Russell, Forrest TuckerReleased: 1958
Directed by: Morton DaCosta
Nominated in 1958.
Auntie Mame is a 1958 Technicolor comedy film based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Patrick Dennis and its theatrical adaptation by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. This film version stars... more - 24
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Alec Guinness, William HoldenReleased: 1957
Directed by: David Lean
Won Best Picture in 1957.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 WWII epic film directed by David Lean, based on the novel Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai by Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the... more - 25
An American in Paris
Gene Kelly, Leslie CaronReleased: 1951
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Won Best Picture in 1951.
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 Nina Foch,... more
