Top 10 Films of the 1940s

I haven't seen very many films from the 40s outside of the ones I listed. I hardly remember watching Maltese Falcon sadly, so I didn't put it on. The Best Years of Our Lives? How Green was My Valley? Never seen them. Treasure of the Sierra Madre is something I need to see ASAP! I put Late Spring as one as a kind of testament to Ozu. Citizen Kane can go whereever actually. I don't even know what to think about that film anymore. I'm totally indifferent to it even though I've heard all the justifications for its greatness. The Grapes of Wrath would be 11 probably. And HGF is my favorite Hawks film ever. It's also the best version. The others are awful.

Currently:

1. Double Indemnity (1944, Wilder)
2. Bicycle Thieves (1948, De Sica)
3. It's a Wonderful Life (1946, Capra)
4. Shadow of a Doubt (1943, Hitchcock)
5. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, Huston)
6. Casablanca (1942, Curtiz)
7. His Girl Friday (1940, Hawks)
8. Laura (1944, Preminger)
9. Nororious (1946, Hitchcock)
10. Brief Encounter (1945, Lean)

Wow. You need to see The Best Years of Our Lives, How Green Was My Valley, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre as soon as possible. Those are definitive works from major directors.

Yeah, Ozu would without a doubt top my list of world cinema, as would Vittorio De Sica, Ernst Lubitsch, and others, but I kept it to American/British films.

His Girl Friday is also my favorite Hawks film!! It's one of my favorite films of all time, and it's coming up on my Top 100!

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"I want a film I watch to express either the joy of making cinema or the anguish of making cinema" -Francois Truffaut

I think this may be the best list thus far. If someone wants to start watching movies from this era and doesn't know where to start-this is where.

^ Luckily I'm not too f*cked then.

I have to watch f*cking Bicycle Thieves too.

Also, I heard P. T. Anderson based some stuff from TWBB off of TofSM.

Yeah, Bicycle Thieves makes an appearance on Sight & Sound's best movies list every decade. And that's about the only 'movie ranking' list that has any meaning to me, because it's composed by great movie critics and historians and other directors.

The entire opening scene of There Will Be Blood is quoted directly from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

BT is ranked #14 on They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? What am I doing? The 40s is a lost decade for me. So ashamed.

But hey! Reifenstahl's Opfergang was made in the 40s!

I would like to see Double Indemnity and Shadow of a Doubt next.

Powell and Pressburger's stuff is a must-see (my personal favourite is The Red Shoes but A Matter of Life and Death is also wonderful).

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You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never. (The Red Shoes, 1948)

I'll go for Zorro and wolfman...because when they were remade in 20th century...they were again big hits.

Just so you know, the 1940s were in the 20th century.

hey what about Fantasia really I dont think Ive ever seen any thing from the 1940's but Fantasia and THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED

Agreed. Fantasia definitely deserves a spot, if not in the top 10, definitely in the top 20.

I thought she was trying to say that she fell asleep for the film.

I believe you're right. Read too quickly. Oh well, my post still stands.

I haven't seen many movies from the 1940's but 1 of my all time favourite Classic Disney films is from the 1940's & it is, Bambi. I absolutely love that movie so much. It's such a sweet movie but it also quite sad.

I'll go with-

1. Citizen Kane
2. The Third Man
3. Out of the Past
4. Les Enfants Du Paradis
5. Sullivan's Travels
6. My Darling Clementine
7. Late Spring
8. The Red Shoes
9. Day of Wrath
10. Kind Hearts and Coronets

he was right i did fall asleep (the first time I watched) but did end up finishing the movie on a different rainy day, but yes I still believe it deserves a spot in the top 10 or 20 like you said

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Well, my opinion isn't worth too much here.

Maybe some of the more knowledgeable folks can offer up their opinions of Fantasia.

Why do you think that? You seem reasonable I think your opinion is worth wile here and Im sure others feel the same way