The Envelope Please

We take a look back over the ten movies that won Best Picture during the 1950s and rank them according to our own personal preferences. Do our lists match up with yours?

The 1950s end with quite the bang as William Wyler's Ben-Hur becomes the most honored film in Academy history. However, do we feel that Ben-Hur warrants the praise that it continues to get to this day? This was a big year for movies and it includes some of our all-time favorites; so tune in to hear which movie we think should have won instead.

We have made it to our first Oscar sweep! Gigi set the record by taking home trophies in all nine of its nominated categories. However, when viewed with our modern-day, 2020 eyes the subject matter can feel a little.. shall we say.. icky. Tune in as we discuss in detail exactly what that "ick" factor is.

David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai led the 1957 Academy Awards winning seven of its eight nominations.. but don't let that fool you! This was an amazing year for other movies as well, so tune in as we highlight other classics such as Witness for the Prosecution, 12 Angry Men and Peyton Place.

1956 was truly a strange year for the Academy Awards. It was the first year where every Best Picture nominee was in color, it was also the first year for the Best Foreign Language Film category, and it is one of only a couple of years where the top awards all went to different films. Tune in as we break down this peculiar year and the big winner: Around The World In 80 Days.

And now we take you on a drastic turn away from the darkness of On The Waterfront to one of the most charming and delightful movies to take the top award: Marty. Originally produced as a tax write-off, Marty would win four Academy Awards and launch the career of its star Ernest Borgnine. 1955 also marked the first posthumous acting nomination for James Dean. Tune in to hear our take.

1954 saw one of the most controversial filmmakers of all time walk away with his second Oscar for Best Director: Elia Kazan. He undoubtedly changed cinema forever, but his actions in front of HUAC tarnished his reputation so much that when he received his Honorary Award decades later only half of the audience applauded him. That being said, On The Waterfront is one of the greatest American movies of all time and features Marlon Brando's Oscar winning performance. Tune in as we break down this historic year!

The second Best Picture movie to claim eight competitive Academy Awards in one night was Fred Zinnemann's From Here To Eternity. This movie also went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the entire 1950s.. and for good reason! Tune in as we break down all the major categories and offer some insight on all the winners.

To celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the Academy Awards we take a look back at the first 25 years of the ceremony to see how it has changed and grown over time. Tune in to find our who we crown as our first King and Queen of the Oscars!

It is finally Oscar's silver anniversary and to celebrate the occasion the Academy decided to honor The Greatest Show On Earth as the best movie of the year.. Yikes! This Cecil B. DeMille spectacle has now gone on to be considered one of the worst Best Picture winners of all time, and it's for very good reason. Tune in to hear our take on this bizarre film.