Best of 1956
by micdub2000 | created - 20 Jul 2018 | updated - 30 Jul 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
G | 175 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A Victorian Englishman bets that with the new steamships and railways he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.
Directors: Michael Anderson, John Farrow | Stars: David Niven, Cantinflas, Finlay Currie, Robert Morley
Votes: 29,713 | Gross: $42.00M
2. The King and I (1956)
G | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson
Votes: 27,926 | Gross: $21.30M
3. Giant (1956)
G | 201 min | Drama, Western
Sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker
Votes: 42,261
4. War and Peace (1956)
PG | 208 min | Drama, Romance, War
Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia, including his disastrous 1812 invasion, serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families.
Director: King Vidor | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Vittorio Gassman
Votes: 10,865 | Gross: $12.50M
5. Friendly Persuasion (1956)
Passed | 137 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The pacifist attitude of a Quaker family is tested as a result of the American Civil War.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Anthony Perkins, Richard Eyer
Votes: 7,744
6. Anastasia (1956)
Unrated | 105 min | Biography, Drama, History
An opportunistic businessman tries to pass off a mysterious impostor as the Grand Duchess Anastasia, and she is so convincing that even the biggest skeptics believe her.
Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Helen Hayes, Akim Tamiroff
Votes: 9,325
7. Moby Dick (1956)
Not Rated | 116 min | Adventure, Drama
The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, James Robertson Justice
Votes: 21,923 | Gross: $10.40M
8. Picnic (1955)
Approved | 115 min | Drama, Romance
Emotions are ignited among the complacent townsfolk when a handsome drifter arrives in a small Kansas community on the morning of the Labor Day picnic.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: William Holden, Kim Novak, Betty Field, Susan Strasberg
Votes: 9,844
9. The Ten Commandments (1956)
G | 220 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson
Votes: 77,916 | Gross: $93.74M
10. Tea and Sympathy (1956)
Approved | 122 min | Drama
A new senior at a boy's prep school, finds himself harassed by the machismo culture of his classmates and the unfeelingly behavior by his father, only being treated with decency by his roommate and with affection by the coach's wife.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Deborah Kerr, John Kerr, Leif Erickson, Edward Andrews
Votes: 3,218
11. Lust for Life (1956)
Approved | 122 min | Biography, Drama
The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald, Pamela Brown
Votes: 12,511 | Gross: $3.48M
12. I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
Passed | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Susan Hayward stars as singer-actress Lillian Roth, whose rise to stardom was nearly destroyed by alcoholism.
Director: Daniel Mann | Stars: Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Eddie Albert, Jo Van Fleet
Votes: 2,490
13. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Passed | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Arnold Stang
Votes: 12,222
14. High Society (1956)
Not Rated | 111 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
With socialite Tracy Lord about to remarry, her ex-husband - with the help of a sympathetic reporter - has 48 hours to convince her that she really still loves him.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm
Votes: 17,537 | Gross: $13.00M
15. Trapeze (1956)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, Romance
A crippled circus acrobat is torn emotionally between two ambitious young trapeze artists, one a talented young American and a less-gifted but beautiful Italian.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado
Votes: 5,228
16. Bus Stop (1956)
Approved | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A naive but stubborn cowboy falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Arthur O'Connell, Betty Field
Votes: 12,776
17. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)
Approved | 153 min | Drama, Romance, War
An ex-soldier faces ethical questions as he tries to earn enough to support his wife and children well.
Director: Nunnally Johnson | Stars: Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones, Fredric March, Marisa Pavan
Votes: 4,106 | Gross: $10.88M
18. The Eddy Duchin Story (1956)
Approved | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life story of the famous pianist and band-leader of the 1930s and 1940s.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Tyrone Power, Kim Novak, Victoria Shaw, James Whitmore
Votes: 2,156
19. Carousel (1956)
Approved | 128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical
Fifteen years after his death, a carousel barker is granted permission to return to Earth for one day to make amends to his widow and their daughter.
Director: Henry King | Stars: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Ruick
Votes: 6,803
20. The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Approved | 99 min | Comedy, Romance
A minority stockholder takes on the crooked board of directors at a billion dollar corporation.
Director: Richard Quine | Stars: Judy Holliday, John Williams, Paul Douglas, Fred Clark
Votes: 2,288
21. The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Approved | 100 min | Biography, Drama, War
A dramatization of the American general and his court martial for publically complaining about High Command's dismissal and neglect of the aerial fighting forces.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger
Votes: 2,303
22. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Thriller
An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda de Banzie, Bernard Miles
Votes: 69,611 | Gross: $10.25M
23. Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
Passed | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Boxer Rocky Graziano's biopic, based on his autobiography, from childhood to his World Middleweight Championship title win at age 28 in 1947.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Paul Newman, Pier Angeli, Everett Sloane, Eileen Heckart
Votes: 9,025
24. The Searchers (1956)
Passed | 119 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
An American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.
Director: John Ford | Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond
Votes: 96,342
25. The Harder They Fall (1956)
Passed | 109 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Sport
An ex-sportswriter is hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.
Director: Mark Robson | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, Mike Lane
Votes: 9,048
26. Attack (1956)
Approved | 107 min | Action, Drama, War
In 1944, an American Infantry company sets up an artillery observation post, but tensions between Captain Cooney and Lieutenant Costa run high.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Jack Palance, Lee Marvin, Eddie Albert, Robert Strauss
Votes: 5,837
27. The Ladykillers (1955)
Not Rated | 91 min | Comedy, Crime
Five oddball criminals planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.
Director: Alexander Mackendrick | Stars: Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom
Votes: 31,411
28. Baby Doll (1956)
Approved | 114 min | Comedy, Drama
An immature, naive teenage bride holds her anxious husband at bay while flirting with an amorous Sicilian farmer.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Karl Malden, Carroll Baker, Eli Wallach, Mildred Dunnock
Votes: 8,296
29. The Proud and Profane (1956)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Romance, War
In the Pacific during WWII, a Roman Catholic widow falls for a tough lieutenant colonel.
Director: George Seaton | Stars: William Holden, Deborah Kerr, Thelma Ritter, Dewey Martin
Votes: 654
30. The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Approved | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The young Benny Goodman is taught clarinet by a Chicago music professor. He is advised by bandleader Kid Ory to play whichever kind of music he likes best, but to make a living, Benny begins by joining the Ben Pollack traveling band.
Director: Valentine Davies | Stars: Steve Allen, Donna Reed, Berta Gersten, Barry Truex
Votes: 1,298
31. Helen of Troy (1956)
Approved | 118 min | Drama, History, Romance
The Iliad's story of the Trojan war, told from the Trojan viewpoint.
Directors: Robert Wise, Raoul Walsh | Stars: Stanley Baker, Rossana Podestà, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Sernas
Votes: 2,508 | Gross: $6.98M
32. Alexander the Great (1956)
Not Rated | 141 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life and military conquests of Alexander III of Macedon (July 20/21, 356 - June 10/11, 323 B.C.), commonly known as Alexander the Great.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Barry Jones
Votes: 4,121
33. The Littlest Outlaw (1955)
Not Rated | 73 min | Drama, Family
Little Pablito is the 10-year-old son of a cruel horse trainer who's responsible for training a Mexican general's horse to jump for the grand race. The trainer's methods cause the horse to ... See full summary »
Director: Roberto Gavaldón | Stars: Pedro Armendáriz, Joseph Calleia, Rodolfo Acosta, Andrés Velázquez
Votes: 311
34. The Conqueror (1956)
Approved | 111 min | Adventure, Biography, History
Mongol chief Temujin battles against Tartar armies and for the love of the Tartar princess Bortai. Temujin becomes the emperor Genghis Khan.
Director: Dick Powell | Stars: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 3,869 | Gross: $4.50M
35. All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Passed | 89 min | Drama, Romance
An upper-class widow falls in love with a much younger, down-to-earth nurseryman, much to the disapproval of her children and criticism of her country club peers.
Director: Douglas Sirk | Stars: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel
Votes: 16,641
36. The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
Approved | 85 min | Action, Adventure, Family
During the Civil War Union spy Andrews and his men volunteer to steal a Confederate train and drive it to Union territory while destroying the Confederate railway system along the way.
Director: Francis D. Lyon | Stars: Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter, Jeff York, John Lupton
Votes: 1,374
37. Come Next Spring (1956)
Approved | 92 min | Drama, Romance
In 1920s Arkansas, after a 12 year absence, reformed alcoholic Matt Ballot returns to his abandoned family but has to win them back and regain his hometown's respect too.
Director: R.G. Springsteen | Stars: Ann Sheridan, Steve Cochran, Walter Brennan, Sherry Jackson
Votes: 672
38. The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)
Approved | 97 min | Action, Drama, War
During World War II, German ships are "safely" docked upriver at Bordeaux, but the British send a team of kayakers to attack them.
Director: José Ferrer | Stars: José Ferrer, Trevor Howard, Dora Bryan, Christopher Lee
Votes: 1,997
39. The Brave One (1956)
Approved | 100 min | Drama, Family
A young boy named Leonardo adopts a bull after saving it during a storm, but their friendship is soon threatened by the legal owners of the animal who claim ownership of it and ship it off to the bullring to face a legendary bullfighter.
Director: Irving Rapper | Stars: Michel Ray, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Elsa Cárdenas, Carlos Navarro
Votes: 1,093
40. The Bad Seed (1956)
Approved | 129 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Rhoda Penmark seems like your average, sweet eight-year-old girl. After her rival at school dies in mysterious circumstances at the school picnic, her mother starts to suspect that Rhoda was responsible.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Gage Clarke, Jesse White
Votes: 15,782
41. Away All Boats (1956)
Approved | 114 min | Drama, War
The story of a U.S. Naval ship and its crew in the Pacific, from 1943 to 1945.
Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: Jeff Chandler, George Nader, Lex Barker, Julie Adams
Votes: 1,627
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