After giving it some thought, this would be my list:

1. Seven Samurai
2. 12 Angry Men
3. Vertigo
4. The Wages of Fear
5. High Noon

Interested in seeing the lists of others.

Alice in Wonderland (Disney)
Paths of Glory
The Quiet Man
Room at the Top
Night and Fog

Seems like you are limiting yourself...I don't know if I could do a general top five of the entire decade but here's my top five per year.



1950

1. Sunset Blvd
2. In a Lonely Place
3. The Breaking Point
4. Cinderella
5. Gun Crazy

1951

1. The River
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Ace in the Hole
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still
5. Strangers on a Train

1952

1. Ikiru
2. Singin' the Rain
3. High Noon
4. Forbidden Games
5. The Golden Coach

1953

1. Wages of Fear
2. Niagra
3. Summer with Monika
4. House of Wax
5. The Big Heat

1954

1. Rear Window
2. Dial M for Murder
3. Sabrina
4. On the Waterfront
5. Creature from the Black Lagoon

1955

1. All That Heaven Allows
2. The Night of the Hunter
3. Kiss Me Deadly
4. Mister Roberts
5. Tarantula

1956

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
2. Forbidden Planet
3. Giant
4. The Killing
5. The Searchers

1957

1. Wild Strawberries
2. 12 Angry Men
3. The Bridge on the River Kwai
4. Paths of Glory
5. The Incredible Shrinking Man

1958

1. Touch of Evil
2. Elevator to the Gallows
3. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
4. The Fly
5. Mon Oncle

1959

1. House on Haunted Hill
2. Black Orpheus
3. Anatomy of a Murder
4. The Tingler
5. North by Northwest

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

Touch of Evil, , Rashomon, The Bridge on the River Kwai, North by Northwest, and Throne of Blood are the 5 that barely missed my list.

I will need a significant amount of time to ruminate on this, honestly.

I'm pretty sure The Big Heat is in play for me though. Although once I review my options it could get nudged out.

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

1. Vertigo
2. Paths of Glory
3. The Bridge on the River Kwai
4. High Noon
5. Touch of Evil

Honorable Mention: Sansho the Bailiff

This is my Top 25 1950s Movies list from when we did the countdown a few years ago. These movies are probably all still in my top 25, but the order might have changed a little bit since then.
(The 1950s was a great decade for musicals. :))


1. 12 Angry Men (1957)
2. An Affair to Remember (1957)
3. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
4. Oklahoma! (1955)
5. Dial M for Murder (1954)

6. Brigadoon (1954)
7. North by Northwest (1959)
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
9. Damn Yankees (1958)
10. Strangers on a Train (1951)

11. Harvey (1950)
12. Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
13. Calamity Jane (1953)
14. Carousel (1956)
15. The Gazebo (1959)

16. The Pajama Game (1957)
17. Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
18. Pillow Talk (1959)
19. The Court Jester (1955 or 1956)
20. Tea for Two (1950)

21. The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
22. It Should Happen to You (1954)
23. Vertigo (1958)
24. Rear Window (1954)
25. Magnificent Obsession (1954)

High Noon actually slipped my mind when making the list. I would consider placing it over Ben Hur at number 5.

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

If I had to choose now, but this could easily change:

1. Rear Window
2. Sansho the Bailiff
3. North by Northwest
4. Some like it Hot
5. Tokyo Story

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

only 1950s movies i seen is the classic disney movies lol

For my money, it's
1) H-8...
2) Seven Samurai
3) North by Northwest
4) The day the Earth stood still
5) Ciguli Miguli


I really should rewatch some of these Hitchcock movies, Vertigo went completrly over my head the first time I saw it

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

Using Siddon"s and gbgoodies' long lists as a jumping off point, i would say:
1) Bridge on the River Kwai(love Lean)
2)Singin' in the Rain
3) Mister Roberts (this would have made a great musical)
4)Sunset Boulevard (gotta include Billy Wilder)
5) A Face in the Crowd

Citizen's Top 5 of the 50s...at least for the moment

In a Lonely Place (1950)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
The Glass Wall (1953)
The Big Heat (1953)
Oklahoma! (1955)

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

I think The Searchers deserves strong consideration.

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

The Searchers
The Bridge on the River Kwai
310 to Yuma
The Wrong Man
Night and the City

I'm okay with these today.

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

Window Water Baby Moving
Nights of Cabiria
Hiroshima mon amour
N.Y., N.Y.
Orpheus

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

Just 5?

OK.

Vertigo
Ikiru
The Night of the Hunter
Sunset Boulevard
The Searchers

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

Damn, I spent a lot of time thinking this over, until I scrolled down to see more than five from some... There are too many great movies to narrow it down to five, but more importantly, it would appear to be glossing over a movie that is just a hair below my #5 for example, but I'll respect the OP.



La Strada
Umberto D
Ace In The Hole

On The Waterfront
The Seventh Seal

Re: Top 5 Films of the 1950s
 

I haven't seen that many but I can go by what I saw.

1. Seven Samurai
2. Singin' in the Rain
3. Touch of Evil
4. 12 Angry Men
5. Vertigo

Honerable mentions:

6. The Searches
7. The Bridge on the River Kwai
8. High Noon

1950
1. Night and the City
2. Harvey
3. Orpheus
4. Where the Sidewalk Ends
5. Sunset Blvd

1951
1. The River
2. Miracle in Milan
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still
4. The Thing from Another World
5. Strangers on a Train

1952
1. Limelight
2. High Noon
3. Ikiru
4. The Quiet Man
5. Singin' the Rain

1953
1. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
2. Stalag 17
3. Wages of Fear
4. Ugetsu
5. Abbot & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1954
1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
2. Rear Window
3. Seven Samurai
4. Them
5. Dial M for Murder

1955
1. The Night of the Hunter
2. Kiss Me Deadly
3. Ordet
4. Confidential Report
5. Bad Day at Black Rock
... 6. Dementia

1956
1. Forbidden Planet
2. A Man Escaped
3. Bob le Flambeur
4. The Searchers
5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

1957
1. Sweet Smell of Success
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai
3. Throne of Blood
4. The Seventh Seal
5. The Abominable Snowman

1958
1. Touch of Evil
2. Mon Oncle
3. The Hidden Fortress
4. Cairo Station
5. Ice Cold in Alex

1959
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles
2. Anatomy of a Murder
3. The Mummy
4. Ben-Hur
5. The Mouse That Roared


Favorite years: 55 & 57. :)