All of my favorite movies by decade lists always have 50 titles. Normally that amount of titles is an easy task except this one. The 1940’s was such an inventive golden age of cinema that I could’ve easily done 100 titles.
There are classics and some guilty pleasures thrown in here. As for this list, collaborating directors Powel & Pressburger loom large with three in the top ten. Howard Hawks and John Ford each have three mentions as well.
I’m sure there are ardent film buffs that are going to go apoplectic over placing Citizen Kane at #2. Also, those same critics might go ape over my opting for “The Time of Their Lives” over “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.” Most critics claim that the latter was their best work. However, I truly beg to differ. “The Time of Their Lives” is a much more comedic venue, with an interesting and creative story. For me, “The Time of Their Lives” represents Abbott & Costello at the top of their game.
Public Domain Image Courtesy of Pixabay
After WWII, some French film buffs noticed a darker world view and subject matter in American movies. They dubbed it “Film Noir.”
50. Sahara…d. Zoltan Korda
49. The Bells of St. Mary’s…d. Leo McCarey
48. Stray Dog…d. Akira Kurosawa
47. A Letter to Three Wives…d. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
46. And Then There Were None…d. René Clair
45. Going My Way…d. Leo McCarey
44. The Woman in Green…d. Roy William Neill
43. The Song of Bernadette…d. Henry King
42. Nightmare Alley…d. Edmund Goulding
41. Double Indemnity…d. Billy Wilder
There are quite a few films here for paranormal fans. The paranormal theme was used as a venue for horror, comedy, and drama.
40. Come to the Stable…d. Henry Koster
39. My Darling Clementine…d. John Ford
38. Angel on My Shoulder…d. Archibald Louis Mayo
37. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon…d. John Ford
36. On the Town…d. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
35. I Was a Male War Bride…d. Howard Hawks
34. Sergeant York…d. Howard Hawks
33. My Favorite Wife…d. Garson Kanin
32. I Married a Witch…d. René Clair
31. The Keys of the Kingdom…d. John M. Stahl
It was the decade of World War II, and therefore, war movies were a staple. Some of these films sum up the attitude, resolve, and plight of the greatest generation. The recreation of the raising of the flag in Sands of Iwo Jima stands as a great cinematic moment.
30. Topper Returns…d. Roy Del Ruth
29. Casablanca…d. Michael Curtiz
28. It’s a Wonderful Life…d. Frank Capra
27. Passport to Pimlico…d. Henry Cornelius (UK)
26. Sullivan’s Travels…d. Preston Sturges
25. Anchors Aweigh…d. George Sidney
24. Roma: Città Apertà…d. Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
23. His Girl Friday…d. Howard Hawks
22. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre…d. John Huston
21. The Best Years of Our Lives…d. William Wyler
Italian directors took their cameras into the streets and created what the French called “Cinéma Verité.” This style of bare-bones filmmaking would later become the standard for The French New Wave of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
20. The Time of Their Lives…d. Charles Barton
19. Laura…d. Otto Preminger
18. Miracle on 34th Street…d. George Seaton
17. The Uninvited…d. Lewis Allen
16. Twelve O’clock High…d. Henry King
Be sure to see my other listing of my favorite films from the 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
15. The Fountainhead…d. King Vidor
14. Sands of Iwo Jima…d. Allan Dwan
13. Santa Fe Trail…d. Michael Curtiz
12. Kind Hearts and Coronets…d. Robert Hamer
11. The Angel and the Bad Man…d. James Edward Grant
If the 1940’s belongs to any single actor, then this list grants that award to Cary Grant. Six of his films made it onto this list with three in the top ten.
10. Fantasia…d. Walt Disney & many others
09. I Ladroni della Bicicletta…d. Vittorio De Sica (Italy)
08. Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House…d. H.C. Potter
07. The Bishop’s Wife…d. Henry Koster
06. Arsenic and Old Lace…d. Frank Capra
05. The Shop Around the Corner…d. Ernst Lubitsch
04. Black Narcissus…d. Powell & Pressburger (UK)
03. The Red Shoes…d. Powell & Pressburger (UK)
02. Citizen Kane…d. Orson Welles
01. A Matter of Life and Death…d. Powell & Pressburger (UK) a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven (U.S. Title)
I remember back in the 1970’s, “A Matter of Life and Death” was advertised and listed as “Stairway to Heaven” when it played on TV. Currently, my DVD carries the original British title, and a recent showing on Turner Classic Movies did the same. However, on IMDB’s top box office list, they still use the U.S. title.
How does my list stack up against yours? Have you seen all of these movies? Are you interested in seeing some of them?
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