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1950s Drama Movies

Public list by WPS with 2,222 movies or TV shows/series

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2,216 movies found (page 1/74):

The Ten Commandments(1956)

G
| 3h 40min | Drama, History
3.9/5 (with 624 votes)

Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon discovery of his true heritage, Moses embarks on a personal quest to reclaim his destiny as the leader and liberator of the Hebrew people.

Seven Samurai(1954)

NR
| 3h 27min | Action, Drama
4.3/5 (with 1,498 votes)

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

12 Angry Men(1957)

NR
| 1h 37min | Drama
4.3/5 (with 3,899 votes)

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

The Bridge on the River Kwai(1957)

PG
| 2h 41min | Drama, History, War
3.9/5 (with 945 votes)

The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson , the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1958)

NR
| 1h 48min | Drama, Romance / Love
3.9/5 (with 316 votes)

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

Giant(1956)

NR
| 3h 21min | Drama, Western
3.8/5 (with 286 votes)

Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.

Pather Panchali(1955)

2h 5min | Drama, History
4.1/5 (with 158 votes)

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.

The African Queen(1952)

3.7/5 (with 392 votes)

At the start of the First World War, in the middle of Africa’s nowhere, a gin soaked riverboat captain is persuaded by a strong-willed missionary to go down river and face-off a German warship.

Tokyo Story(1953)

2h 17min | Drama
4.1/5 (with 429 votes)

The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.

The Seventh Seal(1957)

NR
| 1h 36min | Fantasy, Drama
4.1/5 (with 1,365 votes)

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

The Wages of Fear(1953)

PG-13
| 2h 33min | Drama, Thriller, Adventure
4.0/5 (with 366 votes)

In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.

Paths of Glory(1957)

NR
| 1h 28min | Drama, War
4.1/5 (with 1,309 votes)

A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.

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Throne of Blood(1957)

1h 48min | Drama, History
4.0/5 (with 336 votes)

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Ikiru(1952)

2h 23min | Drama
4.2/5 (with 448 votes)

Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.

The Caine Mutiny(1954)

NR
| 2h 4min | Drama
3.6/5 (with 132 votes)

When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardize his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.

Dunkirk(1958)

2h 14min | Drama, War
3.4/5 (with 26 votes)

A British Corporal in France finds himself responsible for the lives of his men when their officer is killed. He has to get them back to Britain somehow. Meanwhile, British civilians are being dragged into the war with Operation Dynamo, the scheme to get the French and British forces back from the Dunkirk beaches. Some come forward to help, others were less willing.

Witness for the Prosecution(1957)

NR
| 1h 56min | Drama, Mystery, Crime
4.1/5 (with 559 votes)

When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is supposed to be on a diet of bland, civil suits—but the lure of the criminal courts is too much for him, especially when the case is so difficult.

A Streetcar Named Desire(1951)

PG
| 2h 5min | Drama
3.8/5 (with 584 votes)

A fading southern belle tries to build a new life with her sister in New Orleans.

All About Eve(1950)

2h 19min | Drama
4.1/5 (with 651 votes)

From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.

The Quiet Man(1952)

NR
| 2h 9min | Romance / Love, Comedy, Drama
3.7/5 (with 210 votes)

An American man returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love and conflict.

Sansho the Bailiff(1954)

2h 4min | Drama
4.1/5 (with 152 votes)

In medieval Japan, a woman and his children journey to find the family's patriarch, who was exiled years before.

Wild Strawberries(1957)

1h 31min | Drama
4.1/5 (with 693 votes)

Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.

Animal Farm(1954)

G
| 1h 12min | Animation, Drama
3.5/5 (with 197 votes)

A successful farmyard revolution by the resident animals vs. the farmer goes horribly wrong when corrupt pigs hijack it for their personal gain. Based on the socialist George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm”, a critique of Stalinist authoritarianism.

A Night to Remember(1958)

NR
| 2h 3min | Drama, Action, History
3.8/5 (with 103 votes)

The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.

Aparajito(1956)

1h 50min | Drama, History
4.0/5 (with 97 votes)

Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off, with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother. This tenderly expressive, often heart-wrenching film, which won three top prizes at the Venice Film Festival, including the Golden Lion, not only extends but also spiritually deepens the tale of Apu.

Fear and Desire(1953)

1h 2min | Drama, War
2.7/5 (with 210 votes)

After their airplane crashes behind enemy lines, four soldiers must survive and try to find a way back to their battalion. However, when they come across a local peasant girl the horrors of war quickly become apparent.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick - With Frank Silvera, Paul Mazursky, Virginia Leith, David Allen, Dave Allen

Ivanhoe(1952)

NR
| 1h 46min | Adventure, Romance / Love
3.5/5 (with 68 votes)

Sir Walter Scott's classic story of the chivalrous Ivanhoe who joins with Robin of Locksley in the fight against Prince John and for the return of King Richard the Lionheart.

Early Summer(1951)

NR
| 2h 15min | Drama
3.9/5 (with 65 votes)

A 28-year-old single woman is pressured to marry.

East of Eden(1955)

PG
| 1h 55min | Drama, Romance / Love
3.8/5 (with 311 votes)

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

Julius Caesar(1953)

NR
| 2h | Drama, History
3.6/5 (with 82 votes)

The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for the idealist and the republic.

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