10 Essential 1954 Films

As the co-host & co-creator of The Revisionist’s Almanac, a podcast that dives into past Oscars ceremonies to see what The Academy got right & wrong, I often find myself watching thirty or more movies from the same year in a short span of time during the research phase. I’ve already covered the year 1998 during my first article in the “Ten Essential Films” series, but this time we are going to roll back the clock a few additional decades, to a time where black & white and color motion pictures were being made in equal measure. Here are the ten films from the year 1954 that I think are essential to anyone that wants to expand their cinema history knowledge.  

Carmen Jones

d. Otto Preminger

The first of several musicals featured in this list. Carmen Jones was selected into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1992 – an annual process that seeks out films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Carmen Jones stands out from other films of the era thanks to it featuring a cast of predominantly African American actors including Harry Belafonte (he could do it all!), Dorothy Dandridge, and Pearl Bailey. It’s also noteworthy in that Dorothy Dandridge became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her role, ultimately losing to Grace Kelly (The Country Girl). In addition to the talented cast and compelling songs, it’s directed with wonderous precision by the legendary director, Otto Preminger (Anatomy of a Murder, Angel Face).

Creature From The Black Lagoon

d. Jack Arnold

The Universal Classic Monsters of the 30s, 40s, and 50s are well-documented and their legacy continues into the 21st century. This includes iconic figures like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and The Wolf Man, but the Creature from the Black Lagoon might just be the most underrated of the bunch. Jack Arnold’s aquatic creature feature, originally released in black & white 3D, uses its lean 80-minute runtime to maximum effect. It moves briskly through the narrative and the practical creature effects, which could have come off as hokey for the time, hold up quite well compared to other monsters of the era. The film was also clearly an intense inspiration for Oscar-winning Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro, who took his love of the source material and made it into something of his own with 2017’s The Shape of Water, which went on to win Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards ceremony. 

Godzilla

d. Ishiro Honda

We move from one monster to another, this time heading to the Land of the Rising Sun. In 1954, Japan was still dealing with the devastation of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Enter director Ishiro Honda. The Japanese writer/director was able to craft a piece of fiction that captivated the world with its visual flair, as well as dealing with the much heavier thematic elements of the fear and trauma Japanese citizens were struggling with following a nuclear attack in a sensitive and authentic way – something almost every American-made version of Godzilla has struggled to correctly capture since. The influence of Honda’s Godzilla can’t be denied. It established the kaiju genre and is currently named by the Guinness World Records as the longest-running film franchise of all-time. It’s also fitting that on his 70th birthday in 2024, Godzilla won his first Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Takashi Yamazaki’s 2023 surprise hit, Godzilla Minus One. Do yourself a favor and go back to check out where it all started.  

La Strada

d. Federico Fellini

Italian directing giant, Federico Fellini (8 ½ , La Dolce Vita), infused 1954 with so much vibrancy, life, and pain, told through the eyes of Giulietta Masina’s masterful performance as Gelsomina in La Strada. This film is notable for being the first to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Feature in 1957, even though it was released in Italy years before. Many actors, directors, and cinephiles, such as David Cronenberg, Mike Newell, and even Fellini’s contemporary, Akira Kurosawa, have cited La Strada as a landmark moment in film history, influencing much of their own work. Though the film is hard to define in a single genre or film movement, at its core it’s a road film much like that of say Paris, Texas (1984, Wim Wenders). For anyone that wants to expand their horizon and get into classic European films of the mid-twentieth century, Fellini should be your starting point, with this movie right at the top. 

On the waterfront

d. Elia Kazan

This film is an absolute juggernaut. When I think of the term “essential” as I craft these lists, On the Waterfront ticks every single box. Acclaimed director? Check. Multiple Academy Award wins (including Best Picture)? Check. One of the most memorable and talked about individual acting performances in history? Check! The second of my ten essential films of 1954 to land in the United States National Film Registry – the Library of Congress added this in their inaugural year (1989) as one of the first 25 films selected to their illustrious collection. Any discussion about On the Waterfront should begin with Marlon Brando’s universally beloved portrayal of lead character, Terry Malloy, which won him his first Academy Award as Lead Actor. To add a bit of Oscars trivia, Marlon Brando was nominated for Best Actor in four consecutive years (1951-1954), a record that is still unmatched by any other actor in any category. The line, “You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender…” is one of the most often quoted by film lovers. Rober De Niro famously used it again while playing Jake La Motta in Martin Scorsese’s 1980 boxing drama, Raging Bull, and the line was listed at #3 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes in 2005. On top of Brando’s supernova performance, it’s surrounded by three supporting actors (Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger) and one supporting actress (Eva Marie Saint) who all rose to the occasion, matched Brando’s intensity, and all earned Academy Awards nominations of their own. The three supporting men probably canceled each other out in the voting, losing to Edmund O’Brien (The Barefoot Contessa), but Eva Marie Saint took home the gold statue for her vital work. If you haven’t had a chance to see On the Waterfront yet, I would recommend finding the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray version (www.criterion.com) which is jam-packed full of bonus content on top of the 4K restoration of the film itself. 

Rear Window

d. Alfred Hitchcock

We’re onto our third film now to be part of the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, with it being selected in 1997. I’m starting to get the feeling that 1954 was a landmark year for film. Alfred Hitchcock is a name synonymous with the language of film. Known by both casual movie watchers and hardcore cinephiles alike, it’s fascinating to look back on his career and realize that he lost all five times he was nominated as Best Director at the Oscars, even though his 1941 film, Rebecca, took the grand prize and won Best Picture. While Psycho would be my pick for the film most associated with Hitchcock, a compelling case could be made that Rear Window is his most impressive film from a technical, directorial standpoint.  It stars two legends of the screen, James Stewart and Grace Kelly, as well as a memorable supporting performance by Thelma Ritter. Hitchcock is able to use the limited nature of the story setting (a single apartment) to maximum effect, slowly ratcheting up the tension as the mystery unfolds. The way Hitchcock delves into voyeurism was light years ahead of its time, taking another fifty years to be matched with Michael Haneke’s Cache (2005). Rear Window is slick, tightly paced, and watching it again reinforces why Alfred Hitchcock was one of one as the master of mystery and suspense. 

Sabrina

d. Billy Wilder

At my core, I’m a sucker for a well-crafted and endearing romantic comedy. 1954’s Sabrina is one I can go back to time and time again. It always leaves me with that warm and fuzzy feeling. Most of that is due to the radiance and star-power of Audrey Hepburn. The two men vying for her heart are played perfectly by Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, two actors known for the ability to deliver quality performances with an admirable consistency, given the number of films they both appeared in throughout their careers. The film wouldn’t completely work though if not for the crisp and breezy script, directed exquisitely by Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole). For those keeping a running count on films in this list that are part of the Library of Congress’ National Registry, we are up to four! Sabrina was selected in 2002. If you like the sound of this movie and go looking for it to watch/stream, be sure to avoid the pitfall of accidentally stumbling across the 1995 remake starring Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, and Julia Ormond. It’s harmless, but pales in comparison to the original. 

Seven Samurai

d. Akira Kurosawa

If someone were to ask you to name a film that changed the trajectory of the medium and bred a litany of copycats (I’m looking at you, A Bug’s Life), which would instantly come to mind? I can say with total certainty that Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai would be one of the first I’d answer with. The nearly three-and-a-half-hour Japanese samurai epic has rightfully ended up on nearly every major publication’s list of the greatest films ever made since it was made in 1954. The idea of assembling a team to battle a villain in the name of justice hadn’t really been seen on screen in any substantial way before Seven Samurai. In the years since, we’ve seen this idea recycled in nearly every genre of film, whether it’s 1960’s The Magnificent Seven (an obvious replica), 1977’s Star Wars, or even 2012’s The Avengers. Each of these incredible films owes a debt of gratitude to Kurosawa and co. for not just setting the bar, but for creating it. In addition to having a master behind the camera meticulously crafting the structure, Seven Samurai is blessed with some of the best ensemble acting of any film, led by Japanese acting royalty, Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune. The film also boasts a final hour where the careful nature of the first two acts sets up an explosion of action that will leave you on the edge of your seat, even after seeing it numerous times. Seven Samurai is an action-adventure masterpiece whose legacy only continues to grow with each passing decade. 

A Star is Born

d. George Cukor

It’s easy in 2024 to look back on A Star is Born and roll your eyes at the idea of this exact story being told four times on film (1937, 1954, 1976, 2018). Don’t let four versions of the same story distract you from the fact that all four are excellent films, with each of the four having an audience in the film community as their favorite. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that Bradley Cooper-directed 2018 rendition, starring Lady Gaga, and featuring some breathtaking songs, is my personal favorite. Even though that’s the one I go back to most frequently, George Cukor’s 1954 take on the story, starring Judy Garland and James Mason is a Technicolor delight. The soundtrack is filled with hits, one after another, sung beautifully by the powerful pipes Judy Garland was born with, no pun intended. This film was also added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2000, the fifth film on this list with that distinction.  

White Christmas

d. Michael Curtiz

For my final pick as an essential film of 1954, I decided to go with the Bing Crosby-starring White Christmas. Even if you haven’t seen the film, it’s impossible to escape the holiday season without hearing the central song countless times on the radio. Fun fact: Bing Crosby originally sang the titular song in 1942’s Holiday Inn, more than a decade before this Christmas classic hit the screen. While this is admittedly not one of my favorite holiday films, I felt its inclusion was necessary since it still has a legion of die-hard fans and Bing Crosby’s legacy has remained intact as one of the central musical figures of that time. 

Was your favorite 1954 film included in this list? Is there something you deem as an essential watch that didn’t make my cut? Let me know.