List of avant-garde films of the 1950s

This is a list of avant-garde and experimental films released in the 1950s. Unless noted, all films had sound and were in black and white.

TitleDirectorCastNationNotes
1950
The Adventures of JimmyJames BroughtonJames BroughtonUnited StatesMusic by Weldon Kees.[1]
Un chant d'amour Jean Genet Java, André Reybaz France Genet's only film as a director
Eaten Horizons Wilhelm Freddie, Jørgen Roos France Surrealist film
Orphée Jean Cocteau Jean Marais France
Rabbit's MoonKenneth AngerAndré Soubeyron, Claude RevenantFranceColor[2]
SwainGregory Markopoulos, Robert C. Freeman, Jr.Gregory Markopoulos, Mary ZellesUnited StatesBased on Hawthorne's novel Fanshawe. Only a drastically shortened version exists; 24 minutes of 50[3]
Tłum (The Crowd)Walerian BorowczykPoland[4]
1951
Divertissement RococoHy HirshUnited StatesAbstract animation[5]
Ensemble for SomnambulistsMaya DerenCanada[6]
Images pour DebussyJean MitryFranceVisualization of music, semi-abstract water film.[7]
Le film est déja commence? Maurice Lemaître France Lettrist film[8]
Le mort du cerf Dimitri Kirsanoff France
A Treatise on Venom and EternityIsidore IsouIsidore IsouFranceLettrist film[8]
1952
L'anti-concept Gil J. Wolman France Lettrist film[8]
Approaches and LeavetakingsWeldon Kees, Jurgen RueschUnited States[1]
Bells of Atlantis Ian HugoAnaïs NinUnited StatesColor. Semi-abstract images and electronic music by Bebe and Louis Barron accompany a reading by Nin from her 1936 novella House of Incest.[9]
Form Phases IRobert BreerUnited StatesColor, silent abstract animation.[10]
Hand-Mouth CoordinationWeldon Kees, Gregory BatesonUnited States[1]
Hotel ApexWeldon KeesUnited StatesStudy of the demolition of an old hotel[1]
Hurlements en faveur de Sade Guy Debord France Lettrist film
InterimStan BrakhageUnited StatesBrakhage's first film, scored by James Tenney[11]
1953
The Boy and the SeaStan BrakhageUnited StatesSilent, listed by Camper as "not available"[11]
Color CryLen LyeUnited StatesColor, Drawn-on-film animation, music by Sonny Terry[12]
Come CloserHy HirshUnited StatesColor, abstract animation in 3-D[5]
Eaux d'ArtificeKenneth AngerCarmilla SalvatorelliItalyColor, added to the National Film Registry in 1993[13]
The EndChristopher MaclaineUnited StatesEarly Beat generation film[14]
EneriHy HirshUnited StatesAbstract animation, color.[5]
Form Phases IIRobert BreerUnited StatesColor, silent abstract animation.[10]
MandalaJordan BelsonUnited StatesAbstract animation, color[15]
The Pleasure Garden James Broughton Lindsay Anderson, Hattie Jacques, John Le Mesurier United Kingdom
Statues Also Die Chris Marker, Alain Resnais France
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible ReflectionStan BrakhageUnited StatesSilent, listed by Camper as "not available"[11]
1954
DesistfilmStan BrakhageUnited States[11]
The Extraordinary ChildStan BrakhageUnited StatesListed by Camper as "not available"[11]
Form Phases IVRobert BreerUnited StatesColor, silent abstract animation.[10]
GyromorphosisHy HirshNetherlandsAbstract animation[5]
Inauguration of the Pleasure DomeKenneth AngerSamson de Brier, Anaïs NinUnited StatesColor, edited into at least three distinct versions[16]
Un MiracleRobert Breer, Pontus HulténUnited StatesColor, collage animation.[10]
The Way to Shadow GardenStan BrakhageUnited States[11]
1955
Atelier de Fernand LégerWalerian BorowczykPolandFilmed at Fernand Léger's studio in Paris[4]
AviaryJoseph CornellUnited StatesSilent[17]
The BridgeWilliam HeickWeldon KeesUnited StatesPoetic study, based on Hart Crane[1]
Closed Vision Marc'O. France Lettrist film[8]
Dementia, aka Daughter of HorrorJohn ParkerAdrienne Barrett, Bruno VeSotaUnited StatesEssentially silent psychological horror film, music by George Antheil[18]
Une femme coquette Jean-Luc Godard Maria Lysandre, Roland Tolma France
Haitian Film FootageMaya DerenHaitiBegun in 1947; later posthumously edited into The Divine Horsemen[19]
In BetweenStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, music by John Cage[11]
Jesień (Autumn)Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation[4]
Joanne, Union SquareJoseph CornellUnited StatesSilent[17]
Joanne, XmasJoseph CornellUnited StatesSilent[17]
Mosaik im Vertrauen (Mosaic in Confidence)Peter KubelkaAustriaWritten by Ferry Radax[20]
A Portrait of Ga Margaret Tait United Kingdom
Orchard StreetKen JacobsUnited StatesColor, silent[21]
ReflectionsMadeline TourtelotUnited StatesColor, two distinct versions[22]
Reflections on BlackStan BrakhageUnited States[11]
Sunday in Peking Chris Marker France
Untitled film of Geoffrey Holder’s WeddingStan Brakhage, Larry JordanUnited States[11]
The Very Eye of NightMaya DerenUnited StatesDance film, choreographed by Antony Tudor[19]
The Wonder RingStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
Żywe fotografie (Photographies Vivantes)Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation[4]
1956
Centuries of JuneStan Brakhage, Joseph CornellUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
Flesh of MorningStan BrakhageUnited StatesRevised in 1986[11]
Little Cobra DanceKen JacobsJack SmithUnited States
NightcatsStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
RecreationRobert BreerNoël BurchUnited StatesColor, semi-abstract animation with narration.[10]
Saturday Afternoon Blood SacrificeKen JacobsJack SmithUnited States
TogetherLorenza Mazzetti, Denis HorneEduardo Paolozzi, Michael AndrewsUnited KingdomExperimental semi-documentary[23]
Zone MomentStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
1957
8 x 8: A Chess Sonata in 8 Movements Jean Cocteau, Marcel Duchamp, Hans Richter United States
A to ZMichael SnowCanada"Blue and white" color, silent[24][25][26]
AdebarPeter KubelkaAustriaEarly structural — or in Kubelka's terms, "metric" — film[27]
Adventures of *John Hubley, Faith HubleyUnited StatesColor, music score by Benny Carter. Semi-abstract animation.[28][29]
AngelJoseph CornellUnited StatesColor[17]
Był sobie raz (Once Upon a Time)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandCut-out animation[30]
Boy's GamesJoseph CornellUnited StatesSilent[17]
CappuccinoJoseph CornellUnited States[17]
ChildrenJoseph CornellUnited StatesSilent[17]
Cloche a Travers les Feuilles/Claude DebussyJoseph CornellUnited StatesRevised version of Nymphlight[17]
Daybreak and WhiteyeStan BrakhageUnited States[11]
Dni Oświaty (Education Days)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation[4]
A Fable for FountainsJoseph Cornell, Rudolph BuckhardtUnited StatesBegun in 1955; revised as "A Legend for Fountains" in 1965[17]
Glimpse of the GardenMarie MenkenUnited StatesSelected for addition to the National Film Registry in 2007[31]
Nagrodzone uczucia (Requited Sentiments)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation[30]
Jamestown BaloosRobert BreerUnited StatesColor, semi-abstract combination of animation and live action.[10]
LovingStan BrakhageCarolee Schneemann, James TenneyUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
Strep-tease (Striptease)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation[30]
A Man and His Dog Out for AirRobert BreerUnited StatesAbstract animation, shown with Last Year at Marienbad in its first New York run.[10]
The Man Who Invented GoldChristopher MaclaineUnited StatesPartly filmed by Jordan Belson[32]
NymphlightJoseph CornellUnited StatesColor[17]
1958
Anticipation of the NightStan BrakhageUnited States[33]
BeatChristopher MaclaineUnited States[32]
Broadway by LightWilliam KleinFrance, United States
Défense d'afficherHy HirshFranceColor[5]
Dom (House)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation; Winner of 1958 Belgium International Experimental Film Competition[30]
Free Radicals Len Lye United Kingdom
Une histoire d'eauJean-Luc Godard, François TruffautCaroline Dim, Jean-Claude BrialyFranceSemi-improvised, proto-Nouvelle vague short[34]
A MovieBruce ConnerUnited StatesIconic collage film.[35]
SchwechaterPeter KubelkaAustria"Metric" beer commercial
Szkoła (School)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimated photographs[4]
SpatiodynamismeTinto Brass, Nicolas SchöfferFranceColor, silent. A visual document of Schöffer's CYSP-1, the first cybernetic sculpture.[36]
Sztandar młodych (Banner of Youth)Jan Lenica, Walerian BorowczykPolandAnimation[30]
The Very Eye of NightMaya DerenUnited States
1959
Les astronautesWalerian Borowczyk, Chris MarkerFranceAnimated[4]
Chasse des TouchesHy HirshFranceAbstract animation[5]
Cat's CradleStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
Diary of an Unknown Soldier Peter Watkins United Kingdom
EyewashRobert BreerUnited StatesColor, silent mixture of abstract animation and live action; exists in two versions.[10]
Hiroshima mon amour Alain Resnais Eiji Okada, Emmanuelle Riva France Written by Marguerite Duras
Monsieur TêteJan LenicaFranceAnimation[30]
Odds and Ends Jane Conger Shimane Belson United States
Pull My DaisyRobert Frank, Alfred LeslieAllen Ginsberg, Gregory CorsoUnited StatesBeat Generation film, written by Jack Kerouac[37]
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film Richard Lester United Kingdom
Scotch HopChristopher MaclaineUnited States[32]
Season of StrangersMaya DerenUnited StatesUnfinished; made as part of Haiku Film Project at Woodstock[19]
Shadows John Cassavetes Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd United States
Sirius RememberedStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, silent[11]
Wedlock House: An IntercourseStan BrakhageUnited StatesSilent[11]
Window Water Baby MovingStan BrakhageUnited StatesColor, silent[11]

References
  1. "Kees Kino program" (PDF).
  2. Lewis, David. "Rabbit's Moon". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  3. Markopoulos filmography
  4. "Culture.pl Borowczyk profile". Archived from the original on 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  5. "CVM, Hy Hirsh CV".
  6. Lewis, David. "Ensemble for Somnambulists". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  7. Letterboxd entry
  8. "Situationist Archive". Situationist Archive. Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  9. Open Culture page
  10. "Harvard Film Archive: Robert Breer, Kinetic Poet of the Avant-Garde". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  11. "Stan Brakhage Filmography". www.fredcamper.com.
  12. "The Len Lye Foundation - Color Cry, 1953". www.lenlyefoundation.com.
  13. "INTERVIEW WITH KENNETH ANGER". June 4, 2009.
  14. "The End (Christopher Maclaine, 1953) | The Bioskop Presents …".
  15. "Jordan Belson Filmography". www.centerforvisualmusic.org.
  16. "Coilhouse » Blog Archive » Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome's Surreal Ritual".
  17. "Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2012.
  18. Kuersten, Erich (July 9, 2009). "Acidemic - Film: "The Half-Lit Night of the Insane" DEMENTIA: DAUGHTER OF HORROR".
  19. "In the Mirror of Maya Deren presskit" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2013.
  20. Rotterdam Film Festival entry
  21. Jacobs, Ken (10 January 2016). "Orchard Street".
  22. "The Flaherty Seminar, "The Flaherty Preservation Initiative"".
  23. "BFI Screenonline: Together (1956)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  24. "Austrian Film Museum: 1 Snow Sound and Silence".
  25. "Canyon Cinema : Film".
  26. "CFMDC entry".
  27. Kontraste Festival entry Archived 2013-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
  28. "MOMA entry".
  29. "Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1957 |". cartoonresearch.com.
  30. "Lenica profile at culture.pl". Archived from the original on 2013-08-25. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  31. "theplant.info". www.theplant.info.
  32. "Chicago Reader Movie Review of the films of Christopher Maclaine, by Fred Camper". www.fredcamper.com.
  33. Camper, Fred. "Anticipation of the Night". Chicago Reader.
  34. "notcoming.com | Une histoire d'eau". notcoming.com.
  35. "Bruce Conner: The Art Of Montage". Film.
  36. "Spatiodynamisme (1958)" – via letterboxd.com.
  37. "photo-eye | Magazine -- Is Pull My Daisy Holy?". www.photoeye.com.
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