The MoFo Top 100 of the Forties: The Countdown

If anyone who was in the HoF with me when I nominated The Best Years of Our Lives remembers anything that I said about it, I said it was my favorite film of that decade. So it shouldn't be a surprise that it was #1 on my list.


I can't deny the fact that I was terribly disappointed at its placement. It should be a little bit higher, but whatever! It is what it is.

__________________
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

The Best Years of Our Lives was my #12, such a well balanced story of the after effects of WWII. It's just as relative today as it was back then. As Vamp said it was her nom, and it won the 9th Hof.

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=44269


Notorious, I think I've seen it? But it's been such a long time that I can't recall much about it. That means I need to watch it again.

The Best Years of Our Lives was my #1. One of the best movies about the effects of war and the struggles of re-entering civilian life.

__________________

[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

Rope has made it way too far.

Best Years of Our Lives was my number 6. It is a truly sensational film.

I will say Notorious is one of those films that has also grown on me with seeing it multiple times. But it's still near the middle of Hitchcocks rankings for me.

It's probably no surprise that Brief Encounter was my #1.

I know from when it was nominated in a hall of fame that some people have objective problems with Laura's behaviour. Considering it rationally, objectively, I would too. However, one of the things I think is so amazing about this film is how completely and successfully subjective it is. A lot of films have voice overs, have a point of view, but there are few films where I felt so very connected to the main character, sympathised with her so completely. It's not even the love story element, but her state of mind - the 'lostness' in the scene when she sits on the park bench or her despair at the station towards the end. I also love the shadows, the acting (Celia Johnson is wonderful), the fact that the main characters are not young and not beautiful (but fall in love nonetheless) and the music. Especially the music.

I think #21 on the countdown is a very respectable showing!

The Shop Around the Corner was my #12, sharp and sweet in just the right amounts - something more modern rom-coms could learn a lot from. Slightly surprised it made it this high as I don't see it talked about a lot.

The Best Years of Our Lives is touching and extremely well-rounded drama with brilliant performances. Despite some saccharine scenes, I had it placed at NO.13. I particularly find it interesting, because it appears to be a thematic precursor to " The Deer Hunter ", one of my favourite films of all time.

Notorious is just another mediocre film by Alfred Hitchcock.

1. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
2. Portrait of Jennie
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray
5. The Big Sleep
8. Le Corbeau
9. Kind Hearts and Coronets
10. The Body Snatcher
12. The Red Shoes
13. The Best Years Of Our Lives
15. Arsenic And Old Lace
16. Children of Paradise
17. Gaslight
18. The Ox-Bow Incident
19. The Lost Weekend
20. Leave Her To Heaven
21. Rome, Open City
23. Dead of Night
24. Magnificent Ambersons
25. Night Train To Munich

HA, more films posted in the time it took me to write-up the last two! The Best Years of Our Lives is a very good film but didn't make my top 25. Notorious I didn't really care for at all. Shadow of a Doubt (since I missed it in my last post) I like better but it didn't make my list either.

I'm expecting maybe 6 more films from my list to show up.

Notorious is yet another Hitchcock masterpiece and I had it at #8. I thought for sure The Best Years of Our Lives was on my list, but it's missing. It was on my list at some point, near the bottom but still, but it must have gotten bumped off at the last minute. Oh, well. It is a great drama.

My List:

2. Shadow of a Doubt (#17)
8. Notorious (#15)
10. Out of the Past (#32)
11. The Philadelphia Story (#37)
12. Stray Dog (#64)
17. Drunken Angel (#54)
18. The Ox-Bow Incident (#39)
19. Sullivan’s Travels (#68)
22. Gaslight (#41)
24. The Lost Weekend (#24)
25. Five Graves to Cairo (1-pointer)

__________________
I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.

The Best Years of Our Lives really dropped after I initially thought it would be in my top 10. It's a beautiful movie that settled in as my #23.

I'm surprised Notirious made it so high even with the Hitchcock factor. It is just ok for me.

Looks like everything but my #18 will make it.


My list-

#2 Children of Paradise (30)
#3 How Green Was My Valley (40)
#4 The Ox-Bow Incident (39)
#5 Letter From an Unknown Woman (28)
#6 The Little Foxes (43)
#7 Brief Encounter (21)
#8 Late Spring (25)
#9 My Darling Clementine (58)
#11 White Heat (42)
#12 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (31)
#14 Kind Hearts and Coronets (26)
#15 Scarlet Street (73)
#19 The Devil and Daniel Webster (46)
#20 Mildred Pierce (45)
#21 Key Largo (77)
#22 Red River (56)
#23 The Best Years of Our Lives (16)
#24 Pride of the Yankees (59)
#25 Sergeant York (50)

I didn't really mention it, but Laura's behaviour was precisely why I had such a strong aversion to this film. I believe that it tried excessively hard to paint the sympathetic look on Laura and her marital infidelity which was a major repelling factor to me. Otherwise, Brief Encounter is a technically well-made film.

I'd have needed to rewatch The Best Years Of Our Lives as it's been far too long, Notorious is okay (even if the chicken cremation does always irk me slightly) but would've probably struggled to make my list had I done one.

The Best Years of Our Lives was #24 on my list. It has numerous iconic scenes but to me, basically everything with Harold Russell stands out the most. Of course it's a sobfest. Notorious is a solid Hitch film with equal parts suspense and sex.





Seen - 86/86
My List
1. Dumbo (35)
5. A Matter of Life and Death (34)
6. Heaven Can Wait (63)
7. The Red Shoes (38)
8. Pinocchio (23)
9. Fantasia (20)
10. The Devil and Daniel Webster (46)
11. Red River (56)
13. Yankee Doodle Dandy (66)
14. The Little Foxes (43)
16. A Letter to Three Wives (76)
17. Meet Me in St. Louis (48)
18. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (31)
19. Kind Hearts and Coronets (26)
20. Sullivan's Travels (68)
23. Miracle on 34th Street (53)
24. The Best Years of Our Lives (16)

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

notorious is a very solid film

Brief Encounter was my #1: One of my favorite film period, the best love story ever told, Celia Johnson is absolutely magnetic, the narrating of how she thinks is a stylistic innovation that works perfectly within the film, just a masterpiece.

The Shop Around the Corner my #3: The second watch made me see the movie in an whole other way. It's a feel good movie that isn't simplistic. What's great about it I think isn't the plot, but the ''feel'' of the film, the relationship between the boss of the shop and his employees, I can't really say why, but it makes me feel good to watch this film.

__________________
I do not speak english perfectly so expect some mistakes here and there in my messages

I agree with you about "Encounter". And the mood is captivating: suspenseful but hopeful. Celia Johnson's acting was brilliant. No one could have done it better. If you've seen The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Johnson played the head mistress. Another fine performance of a completely different character.

Trevor Howard also nailed his part, which really put him on the map. Then four years later, his masterful part in The Third Man really established him as a major star.

No wonder you loved the movie. They used the music of Rachmoninoff. They didn't fool around!..

~Doc

I liked The Best Years of Our Lives a good amount, it never quite crossed into favourite territory but i do understand the love for it. Always surprised when people are lukewarm on Notorious, i think it's a complete masterpiece and along with Vertigo and North By Northwest it's my joint favourite Hitch. It starts off slow and isn't exactly a typical Hitch film but it builds and builds to Hitch's best ending and has excellent performances and visuals. Think it's at least better than Rope IMO, which is way too high for me. I had it at #5.

Seen: 45/86
My List: 13/25

01.
02. Letter From An Unknown Woman
03. The Shop Around The Corner
04. How Green Was My Valley
05. Notorious
06.
07.
08.
09.
10.
11.
12.
13. Bambi
14. Day of Wrath
15. My Darling Clementine
16. Shadow of a Doubt
17. Meet Me In St. Louis
18. Red River
19.
20. Nightmare Alley
21.
22.
23. The Philadelphia Story
24. Pinocchio
25.

All right, we're really getting down to business here! Two off of my list, back-to-back!
16. The Best Years of Our Lives---I love this movie very much. Thanks for including the scenes from it, mark. Several of my favorites scenes right there. Harold Russell obviously not putting his arms around Cathy O'Donnell was so heartbreaking. I liked how she loved him no matter what and the scene where she helped him get gear off and tucked into bed was love personified. And the scene you posted with Dana Andrews at the airplane graveyard may be my favorite scene in the whole movie. Frederic March doesn't seem to get much talk-up when the movie is discussed (I'm not saying here, just people I know personally) but I thought he was the center of strength in the movie and totally deserved his Oscar.

15. Notorious---One of my top Hitchcock films. Just love everything about it. The intensity between Grant and Bergman, her marrying Rains to get the evidence about him despite her being in love with Grant, how cold Grant is to her, Rains' evil mother played by Leopoldine Konstantin, whom I've never seen in another movie, but that's all right because she was classic here, plotting Bergman's death and getting Rains to agree to it. And the end where . Heh, heh, heh.

#3 Arsenic and Old Lace
#6 Yankee Doodle Dandy
#8 Sergeant York
#9 The Pride of the Yankees
#10 The Shop Around the Corner
#11 The Best Years of Our Lives
#13 The Philadelphia Story
#14 Red River
#15 Notorious
#17 The Big Sleep
#19 Great Expectations
#22 The Ox-Bow Incident
#23 Pinocchio

Fourteen more to go and I have a pretty good idea that several of mine will not make it and two that I'd bet the farm will. Getting really exciting!

__________________
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

I had The Best Years of Our Lives on my list. Talk about heart breaking.

Have not seen The Best Years of Our Lives and definitely sounds like one I should see.

Have seen Notorious and rather enjoyed it, though it has been a while since seeing it.

No new appearances to my list.


Seen: 56/86

My List:
#1 Top 3
#2 Top 3
#3 Top 5
#4 Arsenic and Old Lace (18)
#5 Top 5-10
#6 The Big Sleep (22)
#7 Top 10
#8 Shocked to see it make it
#9 The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (33)
#10 High probability of still mankig it
#11 Could go either way
#12 Odd Man Out (55)
#13 Shocked if it DOESN'T make the list
#14 Pinocchio (23)
#15 Kind Hearts and Coronets (26)
#16 Now, Voyager (78)
#17 The Suspect (70)
#18 Waterloo Bridge (93)
#19 A new favorite, don't see it making it
#20 highly doubted it was gonna make the list
#21 The Pride of the Yankees (59)
#22 Little Foxes (43)
#23 This REALLY should make it - hopefully
#24 Gilda (72)
#25 Arch of Triumph (1 Pointer)