Salon Directory › 123 › 50s (12 stories)

50s

"The Notorious Bettie Page"
This tender look at the life of Bettie Page -- played by a fearless, gorgeous Gretchen Mol -- gets intimate without demystifying the pinup icon.
By Stephanie Zacharek Apr 13, 2006
"The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio"
Julianne Moore's '50s-era housewife digs beneath the stereotypes and reminds us that before feminism was a movement, it was a vibe of self-determination.
By Stephanie Zacharek Sep 28, 2005
The haunted 50s
In his new book about being middle-aged, James Atlas explores subjects writers rarely tackle: Limitation and loss.
By David Bowman Apr 17, 2005
Burying the '50s
Conservatives want America to return to the Doris Day era. But as the films "Far From Heaven" and "Down With Love" prove, those days are so gone, the only thing left to do is make costume dramas about them.
By Laura Miller May 28, 2003
"The Quiet American"
A rich adaptation featuring Michael Caine honors Graham Greene's prescient story about a love triangle in '50s Vietnam.
By Stephanie Zacharek Jan 29, 2003
"The Iron Giant"
Even against the warmer, rounder tones of traditional animation, Brad Bird's computer-
generated metal man practically breathes.
By Stephanie Zacharek Oct 17, 2000
Dinner at 8
Where, oh where, are the children who can mix a decent vodka gimlet?
By Jodi Greenbaum Jul 11, 2000
Back to the '50s
Five favorite novels from a decade that was wilder than you think.
By E.L. Doctorow Jul 26, 1999
Fujiyama Mama
Wanda Jackson, the queen of rockabilly, erupted last weekend before a small crowd of reverent Denver fans.
By David Hill Jul 20, 1999
50,000,000 Backstreet Boys' fans can be wrong
The sweat-drenched rock 'n' rollers of the '50s knew all about good and evil. Forty years later, the Backstreet Boys are singing love songs to their moms. How did pop music get this insipid?
By Ira Robbins Jun 8, 1999
Exile in "Pleasantville"
Director Gary Ross fetishizes the '50s in this high-concept parable about the dangers of conformity.
By Charles Taylor Oct 23, 1998
The Ways We Were
"Our Secret Century" unearths American social history from forgotten films.
By Scott Rosenberg Sep 9, 1996
Salon Directory › 123 › 50s (12 stories)

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