★ = recommended, ♥ = personal favorite

Hamlet (1948)

• starring Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Jean Simmons, Stanley Holloway
• directed by Laurence Olivier
• 155 minutes, black-and-white
• Won 4/7 Oscars, including Best Actor (Olivier)
  • This was the first British or non-American film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
  • Laurence Olivier became the first person ever to direct themselves to a Best Actor Oscar.

All the King's Men (1949)

• starring Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge
• directed by Robert Rossen
• 109-110 minutes, black-and-white
• Won 3/7 Oscars, including Best Actor (Crawford) and Best Supporting Actress (McCambridge)

All About Eve (1950) ♥

• starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter
• directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• 138 minutes, black-and-white
• Won 6/14 Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor (Sanders), Best Director and Best Screenplay
  • The first of only two films to receive 14 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
  • This film holds the record for the greatest number of female acting Oscar nominations (two for Best Actress and two for Best Supporting Actress).
  • The first time two actresses from one film were both nominated for Best Actress.

An American in Paris (1951) ♥

• starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Nina Foch
• directed by Vincente Minnelli
• 113 minutes, color
• Won 6/8 Oscars, including Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography (Color)

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

• starring Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, Lyle Bettger
• directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• 152 minutes, color
• Won 2/5 Oscars, including Best Screenplay

From Here to Eternity (1953) ♥

• starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine
• directed by Fred Zinnemann
• 118 minutes, black-and-white
• Won 8/13 Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor (Sinatra), Best Supporting Actress (Reed), Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
  • One of two Best Picture winners to receive nominations in all four acting categories.

On the Waterfront (1954) ♥

• starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint
• directed by Elia Kazan
• 108 minutes, black-and-white
• Won 8/12 Oscars, including Best Actor (Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Saint), Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)

Marty (1955) ♥

• starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell
• directed by Delbert Mann
• 90-94 minutes, black-and-white
• Won 4/12 Oscars, including Best Actor (Borgnine), Best Director and Best Screenplay
  • This is the shortest Best Picture winner.

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

• starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine
• directed by Michael Anderson
• 175-183 minutes, color
• Won 5/8 Oscars, including Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography (Color)
  • This film created the idea of "cameo roles" as a means of inviting established stars to participate in a production.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) ♥

• starring William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa
• directed by David Lean
• 161 minutes, color
• Won 7/8 Oscars, including Best Actor (Guinness), Best Director and Best Screenplay