In a Lonely Place, USA, 1950, 91 min. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy. Directed by Nicholas Ray. Grahame finds herself falling in love with volatile screenwriter Bogart, only his temper could be a problem. That and there's a possibility he may be have murdered someone. Intelligent drama has a lot to say about trust, relationships, writing, and Hollywood, much of it pessimistic, all of it fascinating.

All About Eve, USA, 1950, 138 min. Starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. One of Davis's best known roles has her as a mature actress who takes an ingénue under her wing, only to find that the young woman isn't quite as innocent as she seems. Crackling dialogue trips off of the tongues of Davis and the highly talented supporting cast.

Sunset Boulevard, USA, 1950, 110 min. Starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Eric Von Stroheim. Directed by Billy Wilder. Triumphant combination of drama, noir, and delicious black comedy in the story of struggling writer Joe Gillis (Holden) who finds himself enmeshed in the twisted world of mad former silent movie queen Norma Desmond (Swanson). Hollywood in-jokes and cameos abound, but you don't need to be a diehard film buff to enjoy this masterpiece.

Rashomon, Japan, 1950, 88 min. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa's portrayal of a rape/murder told from assorted viewpoints, including that of the murder victim! So effective, the title has become linguistic shorthand for any situation described from multiple perspectives.

Forbidden Games, France, 1951, 87 min. Starring Brigitte Fossey, Georges Poujouly, Louis Herbert. Directed by René Clement. Touching story of a young French girl orphaned in an air raid early in World War II, who is taken in by a family of peasants and forms a quick bond with their young son. The two children then find their own unique way of dealing with the death they have had to face at so young an age.