The Best Films of the 1950s list is inspired by the Decades list countdown at Wonders in the Dark. I will duly post the previous decades list (1920s-40s) over the next few weeks but I will start with the 1950s.
As per Sam Juliano's ask, we are allowed up to 30 titles. It is quite hard to narrow the list down to 30 films and this list has changed quite a bit over the last few decades. There are a handful of titles that were not in this list 5 years ago. For now, here goes.
Best Film of the 1950s (roughly in order of preference):
1. Apur Sansar (1959, India, Satyajit Ray)
2. Pickpocket (1959, France, Robert Bresson)
3. Ikiru (1952, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)
4. Tokyo Story (1953, Japan, Yasujirô Ozu)
5. The Wages of Fear (1953, France/Italy, Henri-Georges Clouzot)
6. Seven Samurai (1954, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)
7. The Seventh Seal (1957, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
8. Rear Window (1954, USA, Alfred Hitchcock)
9. Ashes and Diamonds (1958, Poland, Andrzej Wajda)
10. Pyaasa (1957, India, Guru Dutt)
11. Rashomon (1950, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)
12. Pather Panchali (1955, Satyajit Ray)
13. La Strada (1954, Italy, Federico Fellini)
14. Kaagaz ke Phool (1959, India, Guru Dutt)
15. Vertigo (1958, USA, Alfred Hitchcock)
16. Sweet Smell of Success (1957, USA, Alexander Mackendrick)
17. Umberto D. (1952, Italy, Vittorio De Sica)
18. Godzilla (1954, Japan, Ishirô Honda)
19. Death of a Cyclist (1955, Spain, Juan Antonio Bardem)
20. 12 Angry Men (1957, USA, Sidney Lumet)
21. Roman Holiday (1953, USA, William Wyler)
22. The Red Balloon (1956, France, Albert Lamorisse)
23. The 400 Blows (1959, France, François Truffaut)
24. Orpheus (1950, France, JeanCocteau)
25. Rififi (1955, France, Jules Dassin)
26. Los Olvidados (1950, Mexico, Luis Buñuel)
27. The Gunfighter (1950, USA, Henry King)
28. Hiroshima mon Amour (1959, France, Alain Resnais)
29. Fires on the Plain (1959, Japan, Kon Ichikawa)
30. Ace in the Hole (1951, USA, Billy Wilder)
