Directed by John Ford • 1941 • United States
Starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Donald Crisp
John Ford’s majestically moving portrait of a Welsh coal-mining family unfolds from the perspective of its youngest son, Huw (Roddy McDowall), as he looks back on his hardscrabble Victorian-era childhood growing up in a time of immense social change. Famously beating out no less than CITIZEN KANE for the Academy Award for best picture, HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY—which also won Oscars for best cinematography and best supporting actor (Donald Crisp)—beautifully balances heart-tugging sentiment with a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the vanishing of a traditional way of life.
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger • 1948 • United Kingdom
Starring Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring
THE RED SHOES, the singular fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is cinema’s quintessential backstage drama, as well as one of the most glorious Tech...
Directed by Akira Kurosawa • 1950 • Japan
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori
A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, RASHOMON is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accou...
Directed by Jean Renoir • 1951 • France, United Kingdom, India, United States
Starring Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields
Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature, shot entirely on location in India, is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the fi...