Chapter 1
The silver screen shakes off the dust
Chapter 2
The year jazz and pop changed forever
Chapter 3
The golden glow of the living room screen
Chapter 4
Pages of rebellion and suspense
YOUR GOAL
Master of The year pop culture grew up
Ch 1 · The silver screen shakes off the dust
schopenhauer The Tingler
Scream for your life, scream for your life! The movie seats are buzzing tonight!
schopenhauer Alfred Hitchcock perfected the modern action-thriller with a mistaken-identity masterpiece.
schopenhauer François Truffaut's debut film The 400 Blows launched the French New Wave movement.
BETA
schopenhauer Match classic movies, music, and TV shows to learn how 1959 defined pop culture.
Fun Fact
Chariot race track: The massive arena set built for the 1959 film Ben-Hur was the largest single film set ever constructed up to that time.
Glossary
hays code (noun)
A strict set of moral guidelines that censored the content of American motion pictures. In 1959, the hit comedy Some Like It Hot bypassed these restrictions, severely weakening the system's authority.
A strict set of moral guidelines that censored the content of American motion pictures. In 1959, the hit comedy Some Like It Hot bypassed these restrictions, severely weakening the system's authority.
Quiz
Which 1959 minimalist French crime film directed by Robert Bresson deeply influenced the French New Wave?
Quiz
Why did the 1959 comedy film Some Like It Hot release without the official approval of the Hollywood Production Code?
schopenhauer Francois Truffaut pioneers a revolutionary style of filmmaking in Paris
Quiz
How many horses were used to film the legendary nine-minute chariot race in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur?
schopenhauer Director Alfred Hitchcock revolutionized action cinema with his thriller North by Northwest
Quiz
In Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 thriller North by Northwest, where does the famous climax scene take place?
Quiz
Who starred alongside Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in the 1959 comedy classic Some Like It Hot?
Quiz
Which 1959 epic film won a historic 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture?
Quiz
Which French director's 1959 debut film, The 400 Blows, kicked off the French New Wave?
Quiz
Which famous designer created the iconic kinetic typography opening title sequence for North by Northwest in 1959?