| 1950 |
1950 The Titan: Story of Michelangelo Documentary N/R, 70 Minutes
Director: Richard Lyford More Info
Starring: Fredric March This Academy Award winner for Best Documentary features Fredric March narrating the story of the life of Michelangelo through the use of his paintings and sculpture. |
| 1951 |
1951 Kon-Tiki Documentary N/R, 73 Minutes
Director: Thor Heyerdahl More Info
Starring: Ben Grauer, Thor Heyerdahl Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary, this is the story of Thor Heyerdahl's trip on a raft from South America to Tahiti proving that it was possible for ancient sailing boats to cross the Pacific Ocean. |
| 1952 |
1952 The Sea Around Us Documentary N/R, 61 Minutes
Director: Irwin Allen More Info
Starring: Don Forbes This winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary is based on Rachel Carson's study that explored the oceans of the world and its inhabitants. |
1952 This Is Cinerama Documentary G, 116 Minutes
Director: Merian C. Cooper More Info
Starring: Lowell Thomas This was a great documentary at the time of its release. Narrated by Lowell Thomas, it demonstrates the advances of the Cinerama format over previous, older, formats. Additionally, stereo sound was introduced. Scenery is great-from Niagara Falls to a roller coaster ride to a trip across country from the nose of a B-25 plane. |
| 1953 |
1953 The Living Desert Documentary N/R, 72 Minutes
Director: James Algar More Info
Starring: Winston Hibler Disney's first true-life adventure feature received the Academy Award for its instructive examination of the Great American Desert. Winston Hibbler narrates, as he does for several Disney documentaries. |
| 1954 |
1954 The Unconquered Documentary N/R, 55 Minutes
Director: Nancy Hamilton More Info
Starring: Katharine Cornell, Helen Keller, Polly Thompson This Academy Award-winning documentary tells the amazing story of Helen Keller who became blind and deaf from an illness at the age of 1 1/2 years. The documentary was made when Helen was 74 years old, and her early life is told through film clips and stills. Camera shots of her life at the time of the filming include her walks along a 1,000 foot handrail around her yard, performing daily tasks, and reading her Braille Bible. Narrated by Katharine Cornell. |
1954 The Vanishing Prairie Documentary N/R, 71 Minutes
Director: James Algar More Info
Starring: Winston Hibler This Academy Award winner from Disney Studios is an excellent documentary about wildlife on the American prairie. Winston Hibler narrates. |
1954 Victory at Sea Documentary N/R, 98 Minutes
Director: Isaac Kleinerman More Info
Starring: Alexander Scourby This feature-length documentary is a distillation of the original 26 episode series first aired on TV in 1952-53, and still seen from time-to-time in syndication. The film/series covers outstanding newsreel footage of the history of naval combat in World War II from the outbreak in 1939 to "VJ" day in 1945. Famous composer Richard Rogers wrote the great score that also became a hit album. |
| 1955 |
1955 The African Lion Documentary N/R, 75 Minutes
Director: James Algar More Info
Starring: Winston Hibler In this excellent Disney documentary, the African lion is studied in its native habitat. Winston Hibler narrates. |
1955 Night and Fog Foreign / Documentary N/R, 32 Minutes
Director: Alain Resnais More Info
Starring: Michel Bouquet Combining black-and-white newsreel clips with colorful footage of the present, this powerful documentary vividly depicts the dehumanization of Nazi Concentration Camps during the Holocaust. |
| 1956 |
1956 Secrets of Life Documentary N/R, 75 Minutes
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1956 The Silent World Documentary N/R, 86 Minutes
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| 1957 |
1957 Albert Schweitzer Documentary N/R, 80 Minutes
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1957 The James Dean Story Documentary N/R, 82 Minutes
Director: Robert Altman More Info
Starring: Martin Gabel This documentary is narrated by Martin Gabel and includes outtakes from Dean's films as well as film footage from public performances. Boring. |
1957 Perri Documentary N/R, 75 Minutes
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| 1958 |
1958 Jazz on a Summer's Day Documentary N/R, 85 Minutes
Director: Bert Stern More Info
The Who's Who of the Jazz world were present at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, and Bert Stern did an excellent job in filming the highlights. Highlights of the America's Cup races of that year, which occurred nearby, are also shown. |
1958 White Wilderness Documentary N/R, 73 Minutes
Director: James Algar More Info
Starring: Winston Hibler Disney Studios was given the Academy Award for Best Documentary. It is an excellent film about life in the Arctic with beautiful scenery. |
| 1959 |
1959 Serengeti Shall Not Die Foreign / Documentary N/R, 85 Minutes
Director: Bernhard Grzimek More Info
This Academy Award winner for Best Documentary shows, in beautiful photography, the Serengeti National Park and its surroundings, as well as the struggles of the film's Director and his brother in preserving this paradise with its varied animals. |
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