Introduction
Films of the 1950s were of a wide variety. As a result of the television, the theatres were losing business. Studios and companies sought to put audiences back in theaters and drive-ins They used techniques like widescreen and 3-D film.
Film Genres
The1950s saw a spike in the popularity of movie genres such as: Film Noir -meaning "black movie" in French (Hollywood's film Noir period spanned the early 1940s to the late 1950s), Comedies, Romantic Dramas, Historical Epics and Sagas, and Westerns. New to the 50s was Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the Teen Drama.
The Teen DramasIn the period following WWII when most of the films were filled with the portrayals of “ideal” roles of men and women, but the new generation of young people wanted new and exciting symbols of rebellion. Hollywood responded to audience demands Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation. Some of these films are targeted at adults as well as teenagers. Because of the boom in teen viewers, drive-in movie theaters were also very popular. The late 1940s and 1950s saw the rise of the teen anti-hero - with stars like newcomers James Dean, Paul Newman and Marlon Brando, replacing more proper actors like Tyrone Power, Van Johnson, and Robert Taylor. Teens also liked movies that featured the new music of Rock and Roll. They preferred the movie Rock Around the Clock (1956) that featured disc jockey (DJ) Alan Freed and the music group Bill Haley and His Comets (singing the title song) and many others (such as the Platters, and Freddy Bell and The Bell Boys) - it was the first film entirely dedicated to rock 'n' roll. It was quickly followed by two more similar films featuring Alan Freed (as Himself) -- Don't Knock the Rock (1956) and Rock, Rock, Rock (1956). Both films argued that rock-and-roll was a new, fun, and wholesome type of music. 50s decade also ushered in the age of Rock and Roll and a new younger market of teenagers. Hollywood soon realized that the affluent teenage population could be exploited.
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Romantic Dramas & ComediesAlso the genre of Romantic Drama became popular An Affair to Remember (1957), the story of an ill-fated romance between Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant due to an automobile accident, delaying a rendezvous at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City. One of the decade's best comedies was Harvey (1950), Some of the best '50s comedy movies include Marilyn Monroe, the Blonde Bombshell herself. She appears in several iconic ‘50s comedy movies, including Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch.Other female stars dominated the comedy film genre in the 1950s. Audrey Hepburn stars in Roman Holiday, and Elizabeth Taylor stars in Father of the Bride.
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The Epics
Big productions and spectacle films gained popularity. As a result, many historic and fantasy epics were made. Such as, like The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, The Ten Commandments (1956), and Ben-Hur (1959).
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Sci-Fi
Cold War paranoia, had created an increased interest in science and the increased fear of atomic bomb. These two things had a huge influence on the movies that were made in the 50s. This paranoia and curiosity led to many science fiction, fantasy and mysteries of about outer space or other unnatural events. Most were parodies (metaphors) for Communist invasions. For example, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing from Another World, The War of the Worlds, It Came from Outer Space, and When Words Collide.
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Evolution of Dramatic Films: Internal Conflict
During the 1950s little films about believable characters whose conflicts are more inward than outward became popular. Some say the best films of the 1950s are the ones that focused individual characters and their inner struggles. These films paved the way for the future of film. Examples of these types of films include On the Waterfront (1954), Rebel Without a Cause(1954), Marty (1955), Paths of Glory (1957), and 12 Angry Men (1957). These films have in common two important qualities--directors interested in telling small but important stories and fresh actors who bring new dimensions to characterization and emotional intensity.
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Directors & Actors
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan, was one of the biggest hollywood directors. Kazan brought Marlon Brando, a proponent of method acting, to the attention of the cinema world in the 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire based upon the Tennessee Williams play. But when audiences saw Brando in On the Waterfront (1954), the world took notice. Acting in film would never be the same. Brando became his characters. He brooded, he grimaced, he groaned, he mumbled, he sighed--he was the character.
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Marlon Brando
Brando mastered versatile roles in films such as The Wild One, Julius Caesar, On the Waterfront, Guys and Dolls, The Teahouse of the August Moon, and Sayonara. His performances set the stage for the way actors would be expected to perform in years to come.
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Alfred Hitchcock
Another important 1950s director was Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock explored some of the dark regions of the human heart--obsession, self-destructive behaviors, voyeurism and other creepy human behaviors. For example, Hitchcock’s character in his hit film Rear Window looked out upon the windows of other apartment dwellers, and soon his curiosity with the lives they lead almost destroys him. In Vertigo (1957) the dangerous power of a man to "remake" a woman in the likeness of his ideal woman, leads him to make a fatal choice.
Other Actors and Actresses on the Big Screen
Other actors that became wildly popular in the 50s were actors James Stewart, John Wayne, James Dean, Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, and Clarke Gable. Women played a big role on the big screen as well. Women like Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Shirley McClane, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelley, Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds and Sophia Loren set the bar for the 1950s women. They played wives, mothers, sisters, career women, and vixens creating an ideal image for every women somewhere to strive to be.