The Academy Awards have become something more than a mere symbol of annual, cinematic triumph. To an actor or actress, the award can mean the validation of a career. To a film, it is entrance to the pantheon of immortality. The Oscars no longer simply acknowledge history -- they make it. This series tracks the evolution of the award and the effect it has had on the motion picture industry. In this episode, "The Epic Years," viewers take a look at the films of the mid-'50s, a time when movies got even bigger and Academy awards were taken by such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, en Hur, and The Ten Commandments.

~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide