The film industry finally faced up to the challenge of television in the 1950's by firstly changing the dimensions of cinema screens and secondly by making better movies. The bad old days of producing movies on an assembly line were numbered. Of course, this revolution didn't happen straight away. In fact, at the end of the decade, some major film-makers were still holding out against change. But for the first time, Hollywood really opened its doors to independent movie makers like Otto Preminger and Stanley Kramer. Yet at the same time, some of the old masters of movie-making were given the green light to produce
more entertaining, more expensive and more personal productions. No less than 150 of the best and most interesting films of the 1950's are discussed in this book:
Movies such as: The Actress, The Barefoot Contessa, The Caine Mutiny, Desk Set, The Enforcer, Funny Face, The Greatest Show On Earth, How To Marry a Millionaire, Ivanhoe, Jumping Jacks, The King and I, etc. Full cast and production credits are provided for all but a handful of these 150 movies. In fact, the print
edition of this book runs to around 350 pages. In addition to the full production credits, each movie is also reviewed by the editor. Many of the film makers have also provided quotes from contemporary reviewers. Some of these quotes are surprisingly critical. The film industry is one of the very few big business organizations which will gladly provide critical reviews of their own products. I have tried to use this material wisely even when it conflicted with my own far more favorable assessments,
more entertaining, more expensive and more personal productions. No less than 150 of the best and most interesting films of the 1950's are discussed in this book:
Movies such as: The Actress, The Barefoot Contessa, The Caine Mutiny, Desk Set, The Enforcer, Funny Face, The Greatest Show On Earth, How To Marry a Millionaire, Ivanhoe, Jumping Jacks, The King and I, etc. Full cast and production credits are provided for all but a handful of these 150 movies. In fact, the print
edition of this book runs to around 350 pages. In addition to the full production credits, each movie is also reviewed by the editor. Many of the film makers have also provided quotes from contemporary reviewers. Some of these quotes are surprisingly critical. The film industry is one of the very few big business organizations which will gladly provide critical reviews of their own products. I have tried to use this material wisely even when it conflicted with my own far more favorable assessments,
