Film Rankings By Year 1950-1975

Here's how it works: A film's year is simply the year IMDB says it is. Not because IMDB is especially accurate, but just because it happens to be the easiest and most comprehensive resource there is for tracking film dates throughout the world and over the whole history of cinema. Occasionally IMDB will change a year as new information comes to light, when I notice such changes, I'll change the list here accordingly.

The order isn't definitive: ranking works of art is not meant to be a hierarchical activity, but rather an organizational one. It's interesting trivially and comparatively to see what movies came out at the same time, to see the progression of film history. And lists are just plain fun to argue over. They are meant to be conversation starters, not finishers. I don't have any particular criteria for what ranks above what, it's just my own subjective opinion, informed by a reasonable knowledge of film and film history, one that is expanding and deepening all the time.

The rankings change over time: when I see a new movie, I add it to the list here. Sometimes I'll see a movie again and my opinion of it will change, or my feelings about a film will evolve and so I'll move it up or down the list.  These changes are noted as they occur in "This Week in Rankings" posts, though often a single change to a year will lead to a larger shuffling.  These lists are, and always will be, a work in progress.

This is Part Two, 1950-1975.

1950:

1. All About Eve
2. Wagon Master
3. Rashomon
4. In a Lonely Place
5. Gun Crazy
6. Stromboli
7. Sunset Blvd.
8. Winchester '73
9. Harvey
10. Devil's Doorway
11. The Furies

12. Where the Sidewalk Ends

13. The Asphalt Jungle

14. Rio Grande

15. So Long at the Fair

16. Night and the City
17. Born Yesterday
18. Stage Fright

19. Father of the Bride

20. DOA
21. No Man of Her Own
22. The Breaking Point
23. Where Danger Lives
24. The Baron of Arizona
25. September Affair
26. Summer Stock
27. The File on Thelma Jordan
28. Born to be Bad
29. Cinderella
30. Annie Get Your Gun

1951:

1. Early Summer
2. An American in Paris
3. Awaara
4. The Steel Helmet

5. The River
6. Repast

7. The Thing from Another World
8. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
9. Diary of a Country Priest

10. Alice in Wonderland
11. The Idiot
12. The African Queen

13. The Lavender Hill Mob

14. Strangers on a Train
15. The Prowler

16. Ginza Cosmetics
17. Flying Leathernecks

18. The Tales of Hoffman
19. His Kind of Woman
20. Fixed Bayonets!
21. The Tall Target
22. Anne of the Indies
23. Along the Great Divide
24. The Day the Earth Stood Still
25. Ace in the Hole
26. The Mating Season
27. A Streetcar Named Desire
28. Miss Julie
29. Royal Wedding
30. A Place in the Sun
31. Summer Interlude
32. Father's Little Dividend
33. The House on Telegraph Hill
34. Show Boat
35. Mask of the Avenger
36. The Man from Planet X

1952:

1. Singin' in the Rain
2. The Quiet Man
3. Ikiru
4. Bend of the River
5. Park Row
6. Limelight
7. On Dangerous Ground
8. Europa '51
9. Ruby Gentry
10. Othello
11. The Lusty Men
12. Rancho Notorious
13. Monkey Business
14. Mother
15. The Bad and the Beautiful
16. Clash by Night
17. The Narrow Margin
18. The Life of Oharu
19. The Big Sky
20. Angel Face
21. Macao
22. The Crimson Pirate
23. Springfield Rifle
24. Blackbeard, the Pirate

25. Scandal Sheet

26. The Importance of Being Earnest

27. The Sniper
28. Lovely to Look At
29. The Marrying Kind

30. High Noon
31. The Greatest Show on Earth
32. Million Dollar Mermaid
33. Pat and Mike
34. Ivanhoe

1953:

1. The Band Wagon
2. Ugetsu
3. M. Hulot's Holiday
4. Duck Amuck
5. The Sun Shines Bright
6. Tokyo Story
7. Kiss Me Kate
8. Madame de. . .
9. The Big Heat
10. The Naked Spur
11. Give a Girl a Break
12. Mogambo
13. Pickup on South Street
14. The Saga of Anatahan

15. The Affairs of Dobie Gillis

16. The Hitch-hiker

17. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
18. Wife
19. The Actress
20. I Love Melvin
21. The Moon is Blue
22. The Wages of Fear
23. Roman Holiday
24. The Blue Gardenia
25. Shane
26. I Confess
27. How to Marry a Millionaire
28. The Wild One
29. The Long, Long, Trailer
30. The Bigamist
31. The Tell-Tale Heart
32. Young Bess
33. From Here to Eternity
34. Never Let Me Go
35. Julius Caesar
36. Plunder of the Sun
37. Niagara
38. Peter Pan
39. Glen or Glenda

1954:

1. Seven Samurai
2. Rear Window
3. Voyage in Italy
4. Johnny Guitar
5. French Cancan
6. Sansho the Bailiff
7. Brigadoon
8. The Sound of the Mountain
9. On the Waterfront
10. A Star is Born

11. Godzilla
12. The Barefoot Contessa

13. Magnificent Obsession

14. The Far Country
15. Senso

16. It Should Happen to You
17. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
18. Track of the Cat
19. Vera Cruz
20. Sabrina

21. Late Chrysanthemums

22. La Strada

23. Dial M for Murder

24. Susan Slept Here
25. Chikamatsu monogatari
26. Executive Suite
27. Creature from the Black Lagoon
28. Them!
29. Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
30. The Caine Mutiny
31. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
32. Dragnet

1955:

1. Night of the Hunter
2. All That Heaven Allows
3. Pather Panchali
4. Kiss Me Deadly
5. Mr. Arkadin
6. Rebel Without a Cause
7. Ordet
8. Lola Montes
9. The Phenix City Story
10. Bad Day at Black Rock

11. It's Always Fair Weather

12. The Trouble with Harry
13. My Sister Eileen
14. Guys and Dolls
15. Floating Clouds

16. Rififi
17. Night and Fog
18. Jupiter's Darling

19. The Ladykillers

20. Moonfleet

21. The Big Combo

22. The Man from Laramie

23. To Catch a Thief

24. The Cobweb

25. Wichita

26. Artists and Models

27. House of Bamboo

28. Yang Kwei-fei
29. Killer's Kiss
30. Land of the Pharaohs
31. Run for Cover
32. Lady and the Tramp
33. Smiles of a Summer Night
34. East of Eden
35. Kismet
36. The Blackboard Jungle
37. Tight Spot
38. Mr. Roberts
39. Daddy Long Legs
40. Marty
41. Samurai II: Duel at Ichioji Temple
42. 5 Against the House
43. Love Me or Leave Me
44. The Quatermass Xperiment
45. Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
46. The Big Knife
47. Record of a Living Being

48. The Seven-Year Itch

49. The Last Frontier
50. Oklahoma!
51. Bride of the Monster
52. The Far Horizons

1956:

1. The Searchers
2. Tea and Sympathy
3. There's Always Tomorrow
4. Written on the Wind
5. Flowing
6. Seven Men from Now
7. Toute la mémoire du monde
8. Aparajito
9. The Killing
10. On the Bowery
11. The Man Who Knew Too Much

12. A Man Escaped

13. Bigger than Life

14. Early Spring
15. The Girl Can't Help It
16. Elena et les hommes
17. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
18. Bob le flambeur
19. While the City Sleeps
20. Street of Shame
21. The Ten Commandments
22. Forbidden Planet
23. The Red Balloon
24. War and Peace
25. Lust for Life
26. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
27. Great Day in the Morning
28. Giant
29. The King and I
30. Around the World in 80 Days
31. High Society
32. The Wrong Man
33. The Killer is Loose
34. Hot Blood
35. Moby Dick
36. Baby Doll

1957:
1957 Awards:

1. Funny Face
2. Throne of Blood
3. What's Opera, Doc?
4. The Seventh Seal
5. Pyaasa
6. Cranes are Flying
7. Bitter Victory
8. Run of the Arrow
9. Tokyo Twilight
10. The Incredible Shrinking Man
11. The Tall T
12. The Tarnished Angels
13. A Chairy Tale
14. Witness for the Prosecution
15. Nights of Cabiria
16. The Sweet Smell of Success
17. Show Biz Bugs
18. Decision at Sundown
19. Jet Pilot
20. Steal Wool
21. Curse of the Demon
22. Le notti bianche
23. Ali Baba Bunny
24. China Gate
25. Men in War
26. Kanal
27. The Lower Depths
28. An Affair to Remember
29. Forty Guns
30. The Three Little Bops
31. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
32. Band of Angels
33. 3:10 to Yuma
34. Nightfall
35. Saint Joan
36. Ill Met By Moonlight
37. Il Grido
38. I am Waiting
39. Wild Strawberries
40. The Truth About Mother Goose
41. The Curse of Frankenstein
42. Paths of Glory

43. Silk Stockings

44. The True Story of Jesse James

45. Bridge on the River Kwai
46. Go Fly a Kit
47. The Tin Star
48. Fire Down Below
49. The Rising of the Moon
50. Love in the Afternoon
51. Let's All Go to the Lobby
52. The Edge of the City
53. Les Girls
54. The Enemy Below
55. Time Without Pity
56. Night Passage
57. The Wings of Eagles
58. Les Mistons
59. Peyton Place
60. 12 Angry Men
61. The Brothers Rico
62. The Pajama Game
63. Until They Sail
64. Ducking the Devil
65. A Face in the Crowd
66. NY, NY
67. Birds Anonymous
68. Designing Woman
69. Jailhouse Rock
70. The Three Faces of Eve
71. Tom's Photo Finish
72. Zero Hour!
73. Pal Joey
74. The Man of 1000 Faces
75. 20 Million Miles to Earth
76.  Sayonara
77. The Buster Keaton Story
78. The Comedian
79. Old Yeller

1958:

1. Vertigo
2. Touch of Evil
3. Some Came Running
4. Murder by Contract
5. Mon Oncle
6. The Music Room
7. Ivan the Terrible Part 2
8. The Hidden Fortress
9. The Lineup
10. Bonjour tristesse
11. Man of the West
12. The Wind Across the Everglades
13. Elevator to the Gallows
14. A Night to Remember
15. A Time to Love and a Time to Die
16. Gigi
17. Equinox Flower

18. Ashes and Diamonds

19. Party Girl

20. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
21. Horror of Dracula
22. Bell, Book and Candle
23. The Last Hurrah
24. The Quiet American
25. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

26. The Reluctant Debutante
27. The Left-Handed Gun
28. Two-Headed Spy
29. Indiscreet
30. The Vikings
31. Thunder Road
32. Separate Tables

1959:

1. North by Northwest
2. Rio Bravo
3. Hiroshima mon amour
4. Anatomy of a Murder
5. Sleeping Beauty
6. The 400 Blows
7. Ride Lonesome
8. The World of Apu
9. Pickpocket
10. Floating Weeds
11. Some Like It Hot
12. The Indian Epic
13. Imitation of Life
14. Jazz on a Summer's Day

15. The Horse Soldiers

16. Good Morning
17. Cat's Cradle

18. A Bucket of Blood

19. Our Man in Havana
20. Darby O'Gill and the Little People
21. City of Fear
22. Never So Few
23. Pillow Talk
24. The House on Haunted Hill
25. The Diary of Anne Frank
26. Ben-Hur
27. Plan 9 from Outer Space
28. The Shaggy Dog

1960:

1. Psycho
2. L'Avventura
3. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
4. Shoot the Piano Player
5. The Savage Innocents
6. Breathless
7. Sergeant Rutledge
8. The Bellboy
9. Les bonnes femmes
10. The Enchanting Shadow
11. The Apartment
12. Late Autumn
13. Peeping Tom
14. The Bad Sleep Well
15. Spartacus
16. La Dolce Vita
17. The Grass is Greener
18. Comanche Station
19. Ocean's Eleven
20. Bells are Ringing
21. Eyes Without a Face
22. Tunes of Glory
23. Cimarron
24. 13 Ghosts
25. Once More with Feeling
26. Exodus
27. Inherit the Wind
28. The Magnificent Seven
29. The Time Machine
30. The Rat Race
31. House of Usher
32. The Alamo
33. Swiss Family Robinson
34. The Amazing Transparent Man
35. Pollyanna

1961:

1. A Woman is a Woman
2. Lola
3. Last Year at Marienbad
4. Yojimbo
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's
6. Two Rode Together
7. Viridiana
8. West Side Story
9. One, Two, Three
10. The End of Summer
11. Blast of Silence
12. The Innocents
13. Mother Joan of the Angels
14. Underworld, USA
15. The Pit and the Pendulum
16. La Notte

17. Judgement at Nuremburg

18. King of Kings

19. The Hustler

20. The Guns of Navarone
21. Mysterious Island
22. The Absent-Minded Professor
23. The Parent Trap
24. 101 Dalmatians
25. The Colossus of Rhodes

1962:

1. An Autumn Afternoon
2. L'Eclisse
3. Window Water Baby Moving
4. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
5. The Manchurian Candidate
6. Lawrence of Arabia
7. Hatari!
8. Cleo from 5 To 7
9. The Exterminating Angel
10. La jetée
11. Sanjuro
12. Harakiri
13. Advise and Consent
14. Le Doulos
15. My Life to Live
16. Two Weeks in Another Town
17. Hell is for Heroes
18. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
19. Le Procès de Jeanne d'Arc
20. The Longest Day
21. Mamma Roma
22. The Trial
23. Ride the High Country
24. The Miracle Worker
25. Carnival of Souls
26. The Tale of Zatoichi
27. Jules and Jim
28. Lolita
29. Antoine and Colette
30. Tower of London
31. To Kill a Mockingbird
32. Mutiny on the Bounty
33. Days of Wine and Roses
34. Dr. No

1963:

1. The Birds
2. Charade
3. Contempt
4. 8 1/2
5. The Leopard
6. High and Low
7. The Love Eterne
8. Donovan's Reef
9. The Nutty Professor
10. Shock Corridor
11. Bye Bye Birdie
12. The Great Escape
13. Muriel
14. Jason and the Argonauts
15. The Bakery Girl of Monceau
16. Mothlight
17. From Russia with Love
18. Tom Jones
19. Les Carabiniers
20. Le Petit soldat
21. Suzanne's Career
22. The Haunting
23. Hud
24. X: the Man with X-Ray Eyes
25. 55 Days at Peking
26. Cleopatra
27. The Courtship of Eddie's Father
28. The Incredible Journey
29. The Terror

30. The Sword in the Stone

31. Son of Flubber

1964:

1. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. I am Cuba
4. Zulu
5. Yearning
6. My Fair Lady
7. Marnie
8. Mahanagar
9. Culloden
10. Charulata
11. The Train
12. Masque of the Red Death
13. Man's Favorite Sport?
14. Gertrud
15. The Naked Kiss
16. A Hard Day's Night
17. Goldfinger
18. Band of Outsiders
19. Woman in the Dunes

20. Mary Poppins
21. Beyond the Great Wall

22. A Married Woman
23. Cheyenne Autumn
24. Viva Las Vegas
25. The World of Henry Orient
26. The Story of Sue San
27. The Tomb of Ligeia
28. Onibaba
29. A Fistful of Dollars
30. A Shot in the Dark
31. The Fall of the Roman Empire
32. Paris When it Sizzles
33. Becket
34. Robin and the 7 Hoods

1965:

1. Pierrot le fou
2. Chimes at Midnight
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas
4. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
5. Red Beard
6. Simon of the Desert
7. The War Game
8. For a Few Dollars More
9. The Naked Prey
10. Alphaville
11. Red Line 7000
12. Bunny Lake is Missing
13. Thunderball
14. Samurai Spy
15. Mudhoney
16. The Cincinnati Kid
17. Sons of the Good Earth
18. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
19. Major Dundee
20. Inside Daisy Clover
21. Sword of the Beast
22. Repulsion
23. Cat Ballou
24. Dr. Zhivago
25. The Heroes of Telemark
26. Shenandoah
27. Temple of the Red Lotus
28. The Hill
29. Darling
30. In Harm's Way
31. The Sound of Music
32. That Darn Cat!

1966:

1. Au hasard Balthazar
2. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
3. Andrei Rublev
4. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
5. The Battle of Algiers
6. 7 Women
7. El Dorado
8. Blow-Up
9. Come Drink with Me
10. Masculin féminin
11. The Sword of Doom
12. The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
13. Tokyo Drifter
14. What's Up, Tiger Lily?
15. Torn Curtain
16. Made in USA
17. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
18. Closely Watched Trains
19. Hunger
20. Persona
21. Harper
22. Fahrenheit 451
23. The Glass-Bottom Boat
24. Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
25. A Man for All Seasons
26. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
27. Grand Prix
28. The Trouble With Angels
29. Khaartoum

1967:

1. Playtime
2. The Young Girls of Rochefort
3. Dragon Gate Inn
4. The Red and The White
5. Don't Look Back
6. Two for the Road
7. Point Blank
8. The One-Armed Swordsman
9. Wavelength
10. Week End
11. Le Samouraï
12. Bonnie and Clyde
13. Belle de jour

14. Samurai Rebellion

15. La Collectioneuse

16. Scattered Clouds
17. The Graduate
18. You Only Live Twice
19. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
20. The Dirty Dozen
21. The Story of a Discharged Prisoner
22. La Chinoise
23. Eye Myth
24. Who's that Knocking at My Door?
25. Cave of the Silken Web
26. Wait Until Dark
27. The Assassin
28. Cool Hand Luke
29. Barefoot in the Park
30. The Fearless Vampire Killers
31. Beach Red
32. In the Heat of the Night
33. Casino Royale
34. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
35. The Jungle Book

1968:

1. Once Upon a Time in the West
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. The Lion in Winter
4. Rosemary's Baby
5. Night of the Living Dead
6. Petulia
7. Golden Swallow
8. Hell in the Pacific
9. High School
10. The Color of Pomegranates
11. Stolen Kisses
12. Barbarella
13. Bullitt
14. The Immortal Story
15. Kill!
16. Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
17. Planet of the Apes
18. Oliver!
19. The Odd Couple
20. Where Eagles Dare
21. The Producers
22. The Thomas Crown Affair
23. Ice Station Zebra
24. Romeo and Juliet
25. The Love Bug
26. No Way to Treat a Lady
27. Journey to Jerusalem

1969:

1. My Night at Maud's
2. Age of Consent
3. Army of Shadows
4. Dead End
5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
6. The Sorrow and the Pity
7. The Wild Bunch
8. Muhammed Ali: The Greatest
9. Z
10. Take the Money and Run
11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
12. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman
13. Topaz
14. Have Sword Will Travel
15. True Grit
16. The Singing Thief
17. Midnight Cowboy
18. Easy Rider
19. Vengeance is a Golden Blade
20. Paint Your Wagon

1970:

1. Gimme Shelter
2. Claire's Knee
3. Le cercle rouge
4. The Heroic Ones
5. Woodstock
6. The Conformist
7. Vengeance!
8. Patton
9. Brothers Five
10. The Wild Child
11. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
12. The Chinese Boxer
13. MASH
14. Catch-22
15. Dodes'ka-den
16. Five Easy Pieces
17. The Cheyenne Social Club
18. The Wandering Swordsman
19. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
20. The Boys in the Band
21. Rio Lobo

22. Too Late the Hero

23. Little Big Man

24. The Aristocats

1971:

1. A Touch of Zen
2. Two-Lane Blacktop
3. A New Leaf
4. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
5. The French Connection
6. Walkabout
7. The Last Movie
8. Two English Girls
9. Socrates
10. The American Dreamer
11. Dirty Harry
12. The Last Picture Show
13. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
14. A Clockwork Orange
15. Duel
16. Bananas
17. Harold and Maude
18. The Duel

19. Trafic
20. Shaft

21. Duel of Fists
22. The Big Boss
23. The Pursuit of Happiness

24. The Lady Hermit

25. Diamonds are Forever
26. Get Carter
27. The Shadow Whip
28. Carnal Knowledge
29. The Sword
30. Bedknobs and Broomsticks

1972:

1. Cabaret
2. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan
3. The Wold Shadow
4. Aguirre: The Wrath of God
5. Hapkido
6. The Godfather
7. The Heartbreak Kid
8. Solaris
9. Eat the Document
10. The Way of the Dragon
11. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
12. Tout va bien
13. The Boxer from Shantung
14. Play It Again, Sam
15. Fist of Fury
16. The Water Margin
17. Deliverance
18. Love in the Afternoon
19. What's Up, Doc?
20. Frenzy
21. Cries and Whispers
22. Five Fingers of Death
23. The Cowboys
24. Sleuth
25. The 14 Amazons
26. Snoopy Come Home
27. The Man of La Mancha
28. Shaft's Big Score

1973:

1. F for Fake
2. Mean Streets
3. Badlands
4. The Age of the Medici
5. The Long Goodbye
6. The Sting
7. The Fate of Lee Khan
8. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
9. Don't Look Now
10. Sleeper
11. The Holy Mountain
12. Enter the Dragon
13. Emperor of the North
14. The Three Musketeers
15. Lady Snowblood
16. The House of 72 Tenants
17. American Graffiti
18. Spirit of the Beehive
19. Day for Night
20. Coffy
21. Paper Moon
22. The Paper Chase
23. Fantastic Planet
24. The Friends of Eddie Coyle
25. Blood Brothers
26. The Exorcist
27. High Plains Drifter
28. The Last Detail
29. Serpico
30. Live and Let Die

31. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
32. The Way We Were
33. Robin Hood

34. Save the Tiger
35. Shaft in Africa

1974:

1. Celine and Julie Go Boating
2. Chinatown
3. A Woman Under the Influence
4. The Godfather Part II
5. Gone in 60 Seconds
6. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
7. Dark Star
8. Phantom of the Paradise
9. Lancelot du lac
10. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
11. Cockfighter
12. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
13. That's Entertainment!
14. The Four Musketeers

15. Caged Heat

16. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
17. The Young Dragons
18. Blazing Saddles

19. Five Shaolin Masters
20. The Stars are Beautiful

21. Heroes Two

22. Every Man for Himself and God Against All

23. The Conversation
24. Thunderbolt & Lightfoot

25. Cartesius

26. Rabid Dogs
27. Hearts and Minds
28. Edvard Munch
29. The Longest Yard
30. The Sugarland Express
31. Games Gamblers Play
32. Busting
33. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
34. The Parallax View
35. Young Frankenstein
36. Murder on the Orient Express
37. The Front Page
38. Lenny
39. Herbie Rides Again
40. The Man with the Golden Gun

1975:

1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
2. Jaws
3. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
4. Barry Lyndon
5. Sholay

6. Picnic at Hanging Rock
7. The Passenger
8. The Man Who Would Be King

9. Nashville
10. Love and Death
11. Death Race 2000
12. The Spiritual Boxer
13. Mirror
14. Farewell, My Lovely
15. The Valiant Ones

16. The Flying Guillotine
17. Dersu Uzala
18. All Men are Brothers
19. Shampoo
20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
21. Dog Day Afternoon
22. The Dragon Tamers
23. The Wind and the Lion
24. The Rocky Horror Picture Show