Best of 1951
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71 titles
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyAnthony MannStarsRobert TaylorDeborah KerrLeo GennAfter fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsMichael RenniePatricia NealHugh MarloweAn alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsVivien LeighMarlon BrandoKim HunterDisturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartKatharine HepburnRobert MorleyIn WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJames MasonCedric HardwickeJessica TandyThe story of the final years of the respected World War II German general, Erwin Rommel.
- DirectorChristian NybyHoward HawksStarsKenneth TobeyMargaret SheridanJames ArnessScientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.
- DirectorBrian Desmond HurstStarsAlastair SimJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonEbenezer Scrooge, a curmudgeonly, miserly businessman, has no time for sentimentality and largely views Christmas as a waste of time. However, this Christmas Eve, he will be visited by three spirits who will show him the error of his ways.
- DirectorCharles LamontStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloNancy GuildTwo bumbling private eyes help a man, wrongly accused of murder who has become invisible, to clear his name.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsGene KellyLeslie CaronOscar LevantThree friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonStarsAlec GuinnessStanley HollowaySidney JamesA meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsGregory PeckSusan HaywardRaymond MasseyAfter King David sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing from the palace roof, he enters into an adulterous affair which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel.
- DirectorGeorge SidneyStarsKathryn GraysonAva GardnerHoward KeelThe daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairy tale romance is threatened after his luck turns sour.
- DirectorAnatole LitvakStarsRichard BasehartGary MerrillOskar WernerAs the US Army approaches Nazi Germany, they recruit German prisoners of war to spy behind German lines.
- DirectorRudolph MatéStarsRichard DerrBarbara RushPeter HansenAs a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsRichard WidmarkJack PalanceReginald GardinerA company of Marines races against the clock to find a Japanese rocket base.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsKirk DouglasEleanor ParkerWilliam BendixOn one day in the 21st Precinct squad room, assorted characters form a backdrop for the troubles of hard-nosed Detective Jim McLeod.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsAudie MurphyBill MauldinDouglas DickTruncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who stuggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsPaul DouglasJanet LeighKeenan WynnThe Pittsburgh Pirates' brash and abusive manager receives the help of an angel to win games and become a better person in the process.
- DirectorStuart HeislerStarsGinger RogersRonald ReaganDoris DayMarsha Mitchell, a traveling dress model, stops in a southern town to see her sister who has married a Ku Klux Klansman. Marsha witnesses the KKK commit a murder and helps District Attorney Burt Rainey bring the criminals to justice.
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsFred AstaireJane PowellPeter LawfordA brother and sister dance act encounter challenges and romance when booked in London during the Royal Wedding.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsAlec GuinnessJoan GreenwoodCecil ParkerAn altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsGregory PeckVirginia MayoRobert BeattyDuring the Napoleonic wars, a British Navy Captain has adventures in Central American waters.
- DirectorNicholas RayIda LupinoStarsIda LupinoRobert RyanWard BondRough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.
- DirectorWalter LangStarsDanny KayeGene TierneyCorinne CalvetAn American entertainer impersonates a wealthy aviator and flirts with his lookalike's neglected wife.
- DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsHumphrey BogartLee J. CobbMärta TorénA cynical American expatriate gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against French occupation.
- DirectorLaslo BenedekStarsFredric MarchMildred DunnockKevin McCarthyAn over-the-hill salesman faces a personal turning point when he loses his job and attempts to make peace with his family.
- DirectorClyde GeronimiWilfred JacksonHamilton LuskeStarsKathryn BeaumontEd WynnRichard HaydnAlice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesMicheál MacLiammóirRobert CooteThe Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
- DirectorIrving CummingsStarsJane RussellGroucho MarxFrank SinatraAn innocent bank teller, suspected of embezzlement, is aided by an eccentric, wisecracking waiter.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsDavid WayneHoward Da SilvaMartin GabelIn this Americanization of the 1931 German thriller, both the police and the criminal underworld stalk a mysterious serial killer who preys on little girls.
- DirectorGeorge StevensStarsMontgomery CliftElizabeth TaylorShelley WintersA poor boy gets a job working for his rich uncle and ends up falling in love with two women.
- DirectorBretaigne WindustRaoul WalshStarsHumphrey BogartZero MostelTed de CorsiaA crusading district attorney finally gets a chance to prosecute the organizer and boss of Murder Inc.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsRichard BasehartGene EvansMichael O'SheaThe story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility.
- DirectorJean RenoirStarsPatricia WaltersNora SwinburneEsmond KnightThe growing pains of three young women contrast with the immutability of the holy Bengal River, around which their daily lives unfold.
- DirectorFrederick De CordovaStarsRonald ReaganDiana LynnWalter SlezakA college professor attempts to salvage his personal and professional reputation by using a laboratory chimpanzee to prove that environment trumps heredity in behavioral development.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsMoira ShearerRobert RounsevilleLudmilla TchérinaA melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsGene EvansRobert HuttonSteve BrodieA ragtag group of American stragglers battles against superior Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War.
- DirectorEdgar G. UlmerStarsRobert ClarkeMargaret FieldRaymond BondAs a mysterious planet hurls itself toward Earth, an enigmatic extraterrestrial scout arrives on a remote Scottish island with unknown intentions.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsCary GrantJeanne CrainFinlay CurrieDr. Noah Praetorius falls in love with Deborah, a student who discovers that she is pregnant by her old boyfriend.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsJean PetersLouis JourdanDebra PagetIn order to recover his ship impounded by the British, former pirate captain LaRochelle agrees to spy on the notorious Caribbean Sea pirates Blackbeard and Anne Providence.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsLucille BallJohn AgarPatricia MedinaUsing a magic flying carpet and a handful of friends, the son of a murdered Caliph must fight the usurper in order to win the throne of the Caliphate.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsPaul DouglasRichard BasehartBarbara Bel GeddesAn unhappy man threatens suicide by standing on the ledge of a high-rise building for 14 hours.
- DirectorLesley SelanderStarsMarguerite ChapmanCameron MitchellArthur FranzFive astronauts successfully fly to Mars where they encounter seemingly friendly and advanced inhabitants who harbor covert plans to use their ship to invade Earth.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsGary CooperMari AldonRichard WebbAfter destroying a Seminole fort, American soldiers and their rescued companions must face the dangerous Everglades and hostile Indians in order to reach safety.
- DirectorZoltan KordaStarsCanada LeeSidney PoitierCharles CarsonIn the back country of South Africa, black minister Stephen Kumalo (Canada Lee) journeys to the city to search for his missing son, only to find his people living in squalor and his son a criminal. Reverend Msimangu (Sidney Poitier) is a young South African clergyman who helps find his missing son-turned-thief and sister-turned-prostitute in the slums of Johannesburg.
- DirectorFelix E. FeistStarsRuth RomanSteve CochranLurene TuttleAn ex-convict and a woman fall in love, after she shoots her police Lt. boyfriend dead in self defense, and falsely leads him to believe that he did the shooting.
- DirectorRobert ParrishStarsBroderick CrawfordBetty BuehlerRichard KileyJohnny Damico botches a murder case and is suspended from the force. In reality, he is put undercover to identify the mysterious boss of the NY waterfront who has murdered everyone in his way. Will Johnny be next in line?
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsGene TierneyJohn LundMiriam HopkinsEllen McNulty loses her hamburger joint and goes to see her son, who marries a socialite at the same time. Due to her modest background and a case of mistaken identity, Ellen poses as the newlyweds' cook.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsKirk DouglasJan SterlingRobert ArthurA frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.
- DirectorGeorge WaggnerStarsJohn WaynePatricia NealWard BondDuring WWII, a submarine's second in command inherits the problem of torpedoes that don't explode. When on shore, he is eager to win back his ex-wife.
- DirectorArthur PiersonStarsJeffrey LynnDonald CrispMarjorie ReynoldsAfter failing to be re-elected, politician Blake Washburn returns home and becomes editor of the local newspaper. When he notices the influence the paper has on the public, he uses it to appeal to potential voters in the next election.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsGeorge MontgomeryGale StormJerome CourtlandIn 1874, unable to eliminate a gang of notorious outlaws, the Texas Rangers hire two former convicts to assist with the tracking and the destruction of the Sam Bass gang.
- DirectorMichael GordonStarsGlenn FordGene TierneyEthel BarrymoreIn 1871 a convict escapes, with other prisoners, to kill the man that framed him, but has second thoughts after meeting the man's beautiful future wife.
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanStarsJune HaverWilliam LundiganFrank FayTwo married New Yorkers purchase an old, run-down building full of colorful tenants.
- DirectorH. Bruce HumberstoneStarsDavid NivenVera-EllenCesar RomeroA chorus girl gets a ride from millionaire Bruno's driver. The cash-strapped theater director thinks, she's Bruno's girlfriend and makes her the lead. She meets Bruno, thinking he's a reporter. More confusion follows.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsKirk DouglasVirginia MayoJohn AgarA U.S. Marshall and two deputies rescue a cattle rustler from a lynch mob led by a local cattle baron convinced that the rustler also killed his son.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsBing CrosbyJane WymanAlexis SmithForeign correspondent Pete Garvey has 5 days to win back his former fiancée, or he'll lose the orphans he adopted.
- DirectorGeorge ShermanStarsVan HeflinYvonne De CarloAlex NicolIn 1866 Wyoming, a frontier scout tries to prevent a war between the Sioux and the U.S. after the Army builds a road and a fort on territory previously ceded to the Sioux by treaty.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsBette DavisGary MerrillEmlyn WilliamsA mystery writer becomes involved in a tangled web of murderous deception not unlike the plots of her novels.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsRichard WidmarkDana AndrewsGary MerrillThe new commander of a Navy Underwater Demolition Team--nicknamed "Frogmen"--must earn the respect of the men in his unit, who are still grieving over the death of their former commander and resentful of the new one.
- DirectorRichard SaleStarsClaudette ColbertMacdonald CareyZachary ScottThe Halsworths' nearly-final divorce suddenly gets complicated when Miriam's old flame comes to town.
- DirectorFletcher MarkleStarsRay MillandJohn HodiakNancy ReaganBerkeley university professor adjusts (using alcohol) to tragic fire deaths of wife & son.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsBurt LancasterCharles BickfordSteve CochranThe triumph and tragedy of Native American Jim Thorpe, who, after winning both the pentathlon and decathlon in the same Olympics, is stripped of his medals on a technicality.
- DirectorJohn BoultingStarsRobert DonatMaria SchellRenée AshersonA chronicle of the life of William Friese-Greene, a British inventor and early pioneer in cinema.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsTyrone PowerSusan HaywardHugh MarloweA stagecoach stop employee and a stranded woman traveller find themselves at the mercy of four desperate outlaws intent on robbing the next day's gold shipment.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSpencer TracyPat O'BrienDiana LynnJim Curtayne, formerly a successful defense attorney who is now a recovering alcoholic, attempts a comeback when he defends a neighbor's son facing a homicide charge.
- DirectorHugo HaasStarsHugo HaasBeverly MichaelsAllan NixonA lonely widowers life changes when he marries a young woman who resents his frugal ways and hatches a plan to murder him.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsLizabeth ScottJane GreerDennis O'KeefeA female ex-convict meets a handsome man and they start dating, but she jeopardizes their relationship by not telling him that she was in prison--and he doesn't reveal his involvement with her parole officer.
- DirectorLéo JoannonJohn BerryAlfred J. GouldingStarsStan LaurelOliver HardySuzy DelairStan inherits a yacht and a South Pacific island. Ollie and Stan sail there with 2 other men. They shipwreck on a new atoll and settle there. An ex-fiancee joins them. They declare an independent nation and problems arise.
- DirectorClarence BrownDon HartmanJohn SturgesStarsEthel BarrymoreKeefe BrasselleGary CooperComprised of eight unrelated episodes of inconsistent quality, this anthology piece of American propaganda features some of MGM Studios' best directors, screenwriters and actors; it is narrated by Louis Calhern.