by Jared Garrett

Created on: April 10, 2008

It may be news to some people, but yes, there were fantasy films in the 50s. Heck, there were fantasy films earlier, with the Wizard of Oz being released in 1939. But can we cull, from the admittedly limited list available, the classic fantasy films from the 1950s?

Yes, we can. What's interesting is that the coolest, most entertaining and well-wrought fantasy films during this decade were mostly films made in Europe or Japan.

Here's a list of the best fantasy films from the 1950s, in no particular order.

*Sjunde inseglet, Det.
This movie, also called The Seventh Seal, is one of legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's best. He wrote the screenplay as well as directed the movie. The movie finds a Swedish knight who is on his way back from the Crusades returning to his home. When he arrives, he sees that his country is being destroyed by the plague and fundametalists.

Then Death shows up and the knight, played by Max von Sydow, challenges death to play chess. If the knight wins, he gets to live.

While the subject is morbid and dour, the film doesn't wallow in melancholy and depression. There are moments of humor and humanity, particularly when the knight meets a family and the knight's squire makes some of his spot-on comments.

The Seventh Seal entertains, makes us think and is unforgettable. The iconic death character is the inspiration for most modern movies' take on the Grip Reaper personified.

All in all, a great flick.

*Harvey
If you don't know this movie, stop reading and go get it from your video dealer. This is the famous, award-winning movie featuring James Stewart as a man who is befriended by a six-foot rabbit. Okay, it's not a real rabbit, but is instead a spirit that has taken the form of a rabbit. The movie starts out as a comedy of errors and we are not sure what to think of Stewart's Elwood Dowd, but soon we see that this movie is getting to the heart of family relationships.

The movie is based on a Pulitzer-prize winning play by Mary Chase, who also penned the screenplay. Josephine Hull won an Oscar for her portrayal of Stewart's sister, and Stewart himself was nominated for an Oscar as well.

We don't want to give anything away, but this is an absolute classic and is often required viewing in film classes. So give it a shot.

*Throne of Blood
Okay. This movie was released in the States in 1961, but since it was originally released in 1957, it belongs in this article.

Akira Kurosawa may have been the most visionary, remarkable Japanese director of all time. Throne of Blood, or Kumonosu Jo, is his magnificent Japanese rendition of Shakespeare's MacBeth. It qualifies as fantasy because of the ghosts, prophecies and the main character's superstitions.

Marvelously acted and produced, Throne of Blood is captivating in its portrayal of a feudal lord in Japan being manipulated by a viciously ambitious woman. A classic through and through.

*Orphee
Written and directed by Jean Cocteau, Orphee, or Orpheus, is the film of the myth of a man who must travel to the Underworld to rescue his beloved.

The story is simple, but it is the telling of this story by Cocteau that is phenomenal. Ambiguous, visually stunning, sublimely intimate, Orphee is a journey into imagination and questions about life, death, love and the world we live in. It questions beliefs and what we think we know.

These four fantasy films of the 1950s are highly regarded as some of the greatest films in cinematic history. They compel the audience to thought and engage the viewer with remarkable images and storytelling. So go and add these titles to your online movie queue and get ready for an amazing cinematic experience.

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