The 1950s is one of my favorite decades for films but it often gets overlooked. It’s not all Leave it to Beaver wholesomeness as some might have you believe. There were some thrilling and provocative movies that came out of this era. It was a particularly difficult time for Hollywood as it was facing two major competitors: television and foreign film. Households across the country were staying home to watch their favorite shows. Meanwhile, the Production Code, a list of strict rules mandating how films treated sex, crime and other issues of morality, was still in full force. This greatly affected what filmmakers could show on screen. Foreign films were not controlled by this Code and offered stories that were more adult and risqué than what American filmmakers was offering.