Five Favorite Films of 1951

Definitely a tricky year to make a top 5 of, but here we are! As always, these are my personal favorites. Take a look if you so desire.


5. Death Of A Salesman

My favorite adaptation of the play, and that's almost entirely due to Fredric March -- an actor I feel gets ignored by movie fans far more than he should be. This isn't a flashy drama, but a very understated and depressing one that, again, works so well only because of March's lead performance.


4. The Thing From Another World

Though the 1982 John Carpenter version (simply titled 'The Thing') is better, I still have a soft spot for this sci-fi/horror film about an Air Force unit stationed in the Arctic which comes across a violent alien lifeform. I like the cold setting, the overlapping dialogue, and early slasher-esque plot. Awesome movie.


3. Ace In The Hole

One of my favorite Billy Wilder films, following a sleazy journalist who inserts himself into a life-threatening story he's writing about with the sole purpose of exploiting the situation. Kirk Douglas is AMAZING, giving one of the best performances of the 1950s, and the story is filled with sharp and biting social commentary. It's a great and difficult movie.


2. Scrooge

I was raised on the 1984 George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol, but this really is the best film adaptation of the story. It handles the story more fluidly, delving into aspects of the Scrooge character that haven't been handled as well in pretty much any other version. It's a great story, and the way it's handled here is excellent in every way.


1. The Day The Earth Stood Still

Probably the greatest science fiction social commentary ever made, The Day The Earth Stood Still is just as powerful and timely now as it ever was. This was an important film that helped change the cinematic landscape throughout the '50s, using metaphor and allegory generously to tell the story of how far humanity needs to come to deserve the gifts life has to give. My description sounds lame, but this is one of the best sci-fi films ever made, and I still watch it with some regularity.


Honorable mentions:
- The African Queen
- Alice In Wonderland
- Detective Story
- A Place In The Sun
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Strangers On A Train