1950s: Sidney Lumet, Marlon Brando, Hitchcock

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
Robert E. Wise’s thoughtful science-fiction film featuring the most famous phrase in the history of science-fiction; “Klaatu Barada Niktu”, as well as state-of-the art visual effects and a score by Bernard Herrman. The classic cult film was the first of many Cold War inspired science-fiction films and also featured the first modern robot, Gort.

On The Waterfront (1954)
Ex-boxer Terry Malloy is doing small work for the corrupt union leader Johnny Friendly. Amongst Friendly’s workers is also Terry’s brother, Charlie. One of Terry’s jobs turns up to be an indirect cause of a murder. When Terry meets the victim’s sister, Edie, he learns about his guilt and slowly builds up his character for a settlement. The message in “On The Waterfront” is strong, even though it may seem impossible. The average Joe should always stand up against organized crime and exploitations from superiors. Marlon Brando is practically carrying this movie by himself, and it helped boost his career into further stardom. The movie won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

12 Angry Men (1957)
A courtroom drama which tells the story of twelve jurors who are gathered together in a steamy room to debate upon the guilt or innocence of a young boy accused of killing his father in a moment of rage. Before the jurors leave the room, everyone must agree on a unified decision on wether the accused is innocent or guilty. At first, only one juror have doubts that the accused is not guilty beyond reasonable doubt. As he tries to persuade the other members to re-examine the evidence, we learn the story of the other jurors and their background. “12 Angry Men” is directed by Sidney Lumet, and stars Henry Fonda and Jack Warden, among others.

Vertigo (1958)
Detective John Ferguson and a cop hunts a criminal over some rooftops. They slip and the cop falls to his death. The feeling of being powerless about not being able to do anything about this situation makes Ferguson develop a fear of heights, or vertigo. Ferguson is contacted one day by a man that wants him to spy on his wife Madeleine and find out what she is really doing. He says that the wife is no longer herself, that she has assumed the identity of a widow who committed suicide, and is scared that she might end up doing the same thing. “Vertigo” is one of Hitchcock’s most discussed films, in which he invented the famous combination of forward zoom and reverse tracking shot to convey the sense of vertigo to the audience.

Touch of Evil (1958)
Directed by and starring Orson Welles as the corrupt police captain Hank Quinlan and Charles Heston as narcotics agent Mike Vargas on honeymoon. The script was written in only two weeks, and is considered one of the last examples of film noir from the classic era.

Ben-Hur (1959)
A dramatic story about the friendship between the roman Messala and the jew Ben-Hur, a young man which fills his life with thoughts of revenge after he is blamed for an assassination on a highly positioned roman. Ben-Hur is sentenced for life, but gets a chance to kill his former friend Messala, which have now become an officer. At this point the famous chariot race starts, which set the standard for all action sequences to come. It is rumoured that the race alone cost a million dollars to make, a huge sum in 1959. “Ben-Hur” is directed by William Wyler and stars Charles Heston. It won 11 Oscars, breaking the record set by “Gone With The Wind”.