List of avant-garde films of the 1950s

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

Title	Director	Cast	Country	Subgenre/Notes
1950
Rabbit's Moon	Kenneth Anger	André Soubeyron, Claude Revenant		Color. [1]
Tłum (The Crowd)	Walerian Borowczyk			[2]
The Adventures of Jimmy	James Broughton	James Broughton		[3]
Swain	Gregory Markopoulos, Robert C. Freeman, Jr.	Gregory Markopoulos, Mary Zelles		Based on Hawthorne, only a drastically shortened version exists; 24 minutes of 50.[4]
1951
Ensemble for Somnambulists	Maya Deren			[5]
Venom and Eternity	Isidore Isou	Isidore Isou		Letterist film[6]
Divertissement Rococo	Hy Hirsh			Abstract animation.[7]
1952
Approaches and Leavetakings	Weldon Kees, Jurgen Ruesch			[8]
Come Closer	Hy Hirsh			Color. Abstract animation in 3-D.[9]
Hand-Mouth Coordination	Weldon Kees, Gregory Bateson			[10]
Hotel Apex	Weldon Kees			Study of the demolition of an old hotel.[11]
Interim	Stan Brakhage			Brakhage's first film, scored by James Tenney.[12]
1953
Eaux d'Artifice	Kenneth Anger	Carmilla Salvatorelli		Color. Added to the National Film Registry in 1993.[13]
The Boy and the Sea	Stan Brakhage			Silent. Listed by Camper as "Not Available." [14]
The End	Christopher Maclaine			Early beat generation film [15]
Eneri	Hy Hirsh			Abstract animation.[16]
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection	Stan Brakhage			Silent. Listed by Camper as "Not Available." [17]
1954
Desistfilm	Stan Brakhage			[18]
The Extraordinary Child	Stan Brakhage			Listed by Camper as "Not Available."[19]
Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome	Kenneth Anger	Samson de Brier, Anaïs Nin		Color. Edited into at least three distinct versions.[20]
In Between	Stan Brakhage			Color. Music by John Cage[21]
The Way to Shadow Garden	Stan Brakhage			[22]
1955
Mosaik im Vertrauen (Mosaic in Confidence)	Peter Kubelka			Written by Ferry Radax.[23]
Haitian Film Footage	Maya Deren			Begun in 1947; later posthumously edited into The Divine Horsemen[24]
Atelier de Fernand Léger	Walerian Borowczyk			Filmed at Fernand Léger's studio in Paris.[25]
Jesień (Autumn)	Walerian Borowczyk			Animation.[26]
Żywe fotografie (Photographies Vivantes)	Walerian Borowczyk			Animation.[27]
Aviary	Joseph Cornell			Silent.[28]
The Bridge	William Heick	Weldon Kees		Poetic study, based on Hart Crane.[29]
Dementia (1955 film), aka Daughter of Horror	John Parker	Adrienne Barrett, Bruno VeSota		Essentially silent psychological horror film, music by George Antheil[30]
Joanne, Union Square	Joseph Cornell			Silent.[31]
Joanne, Xmas	Joseph Cornell			Silent.[32]
Reflections	Madeline Tourtelot			Color, two distinct versions.[33]
Reflections on Black	Stan Brakhage			[34]
The Very Eye of Night	Maya Deren			Dance film, choreographed by Antony Tudor.[35]
The Wonder Ring	Stan Brakhage			Color; silent.[36]
1956
Together	Lorenza Mazzetti, Denis Horne	Eduardo Paolozzi, Michael Andrews		Experimental semi-documentary [37]
Centuries of June	Stan Brakhage, Joseph Cornell			Color; silent.[38]
Flesh of Morning	Stan Brakhage			Revised in 1986.[39]
Nightcats	Stan Brakhage			Color; silent.[40]
Zone Moment	Stan Brakhage			Color; silent.[41]
1957
Adebar	Peter Kubelka			Early structural—or in Kubelka's terms, "metric"—film.[42]
A to Z	Michael Snow			"Blue and White" Color, silent.[43] [44] [45]
Gyromorphosis	Hy Hirsh			Abstract animation.[46]
Był sobie raz (Once Upon a Time)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Cut-out animation.[47]
Dni Oświaty (Education Days)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Animation.[48]
Nagrodzone uczucia (Requited Sentiments)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Animation.[49]
Strep-tease (Striptease)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Animation.[50]
Angel	Joseph Cornell			Color.[51]
Boy's Games	Joseph Cornell			Silent.[52]
Cappuccino	Joseph Cornell			[53]
Children	Joseph Cornell			Silent.[54]
Cloche a Travers les Feuilles/Claude Debussy	Joseph Cornell			Revised version of "Nymphlight"[55]
Daybreak and Whiteye	Stan Brakhage			[56]
A Fable for Fountains	Joseph Cornell, Rudolph Buckhardt			Begun in 1955; revised as "A Legend for Fountains" in 1965.[57]
Glimpse of the Garden	Marie Menken			Selected for addition to the National Film Registry in 2007[58]
Loving	Stan Brakhage	Carolee Schneemann, James Tenney		Color; silent.[59]
The Man Who Invented Gold	Christopher Maclaine			Partly filmed by Jordan Belson.[60]
Nymphlight	Joseph Cornell			Color.[61]
1958
Schwechater	Peter Kubelka			"Metric" beer commercial.[62]
Défense d'afficher	Hy Hirsh			Abstract animation.[63]
Double Jam	Hy Hirsh			Abstract animation.[64]
Une histoire d'eau	Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut	Caroline Dim, Jean-Claude Brialy		Semi-improvised, proto-Nouvelle vague short.[65]
Dom (House)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Animation; Winner of 1958 Belgium International Experimental Film Competition.[66]
Szkoła (School)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Animated photographs.[67]
Sztandar młodych (Banner of Youth)	Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk			Animation.[68]
Anticipation of the Night	Stan Brakhage			[69]
Beat	Christopher Maclaine			[70]
1959
Les astronautes	Walerian Borowczyk, Chris Marker			Animated.[71]
Chasse des Touches	Hy Hirsh			Abstract animation.[72]
Monsieur Tete	Jan Lenica			Animation.[73]
Cat's Cradle	Stan Brakhage			Color; silent.[74]
Pull My Daisy	Robert Frank, Alfred Leslie	Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso		Beat Generation film, written by Jack Kerouac[75]
Scotch Hop	Christopher Maclaine			[76]
Season of Strangers	Maya Deren			Unfinished; made as part of Haiku Film Project at Woodstock[77]
Sirius Remembered	Stan Brakhage			Color; silent.[78]
Wedlock House: An Intercourse	Stan Brakhage			Silent.[79]
Window Water Baby Moving	Stan Brakhage			Color; silent.[80]

References

1. Lewis, David. "Rabbit's Moon". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
2. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
3. Kees Kino program
4. Markopoulos filmography
5. Lewis, David. "Ensemble for Somnambulists". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
6. Internet Archive entry
7. Moritz, William. "Hy Hirsh Biography". iota. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
8. Kees Kino program
9. iota center, Hy Hirsh Biography
10. Kees Kino program
11. Kees Kino program
12. Brakhage filmography
13. Electric Sheep; Interview with Kenneth Anger
14. Brakhage filmography
15. Bioskop entry
16. iota center, Hy Hirsh Biography
17. Brakhage filmography
18. Brakhage filmography
19. Brakhage filmography
20. Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome’s Surreal Ritual
21. Brakhage filmography
22. Brakhage filmography
23. Rotterdam Film Festival entry
24. In the Mirror of Maya Deren presskit
25. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
26. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
27. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
28. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
29. Kees Kino program
30. "Yes! I am Here!"
31. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
32. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
33. The Flaherty Seminar, "The Flaherty Preservation Initiative"
34. Brakhage filmography
35. In the Mirror of Maya Deren presskit
36. Brakhage filmography
37. BFI screenonline entry
38. Brakhage filmography
39. Brakhage filmography
40. Brakhage filmography
41. Brakhage filmography
42. Kontraste Festival entry
43. Austrian Film Museum: 1 Snow Sound and Silence
44. Canyon Cinema entry
45. CFMDC entry
46. iota center, Hy Hirsh Biography
47. Lenica profile at culture.pl
48. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
49. Lenica profile at culture.pl
50. Lenica profile at culture.pl
51. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
52. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
53. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
54. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
55. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
56. Brakhage filmography
57. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
58. The Plant Journal
59. Brakhage filmography
60. Fred Camper essay
61. Jeanne Liotta: Joseph Cornell
62. BeerVlog entry
63. iota center, Hy Hirsh Biography
64. iota center, Hy Hirsh Biography
65. notcoming.com entry
66. Lenica profile at culture.pl
67. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
68. Lenica profile at culture.pl
69. Chicago Reader article
70. Fred Camper essay
71. Culture.pl Borowczyk profile
72. iota center, Hy Hirsh Biography
73. Lenica profile at culture.pl
74. Brakhage filmography
75. Photo Eye-Magazine, "Is Pull My Daisy Holy? by John Cohen
76. Fred Camper essay
77. In the Mirror of Maya Deren presskit
78. Brakhage filmography
79. Brakhage filmography
80. Brakhage filmography