1949 — The Third Man
Following WWII, the story of adrift men seeking meaning became a popular theme explored in the melancholy black and white of film noir. The Third Man’s postwar life Vienna is a tired and desperate city where crooks and cover-ups abound. Hollis, a pulp writer, takes a phone call from an old acquaintance, Harry Lime, who has given him a job. When Hollis arrives in Vienna, he learns that Lime has died abruptly after being hit by a car. Hollis, who has a nose for crime, notices that the facts don’t line up. All witnesses to the crime say a third person assisted in dragging Lime’s body away; the police report only cites two.
1949 — The Third Man
1950 — Sunset Blvd.
Sunset Blvd., the ultimate Hollywood film, remains one of the best character studies ever told. When down-on-his-luck writer Joe (William Holden) stumbles onto former silent cinema queen Norma Desmond’s fortress-like house, he finds himself caught within her own shattered psyche and yearnings of yesteryear. Seeing Joe’s writing as an opportunity to make a return — in a part appropriate for a lady much younger than her — Norma goes through rigorous training to be back in the spotlight. Norma, who is temperamental, sad, and emotionally unstable, would give anything to make a comeback — and she does.
1950 — Sunset Blvd.