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              Curated classic films

    

The 1940s

     Back to the iconic American films you must see to be film literate. For this decade, I am using a different sorting system. In the 1930s post, I listed 50 films in alphabetical order in tiers of 10. For the 1940s, there were more films and more genres that I considered necessary to any classic film library.  You could say American filmmaking had been perfected and this decade illustrated this.  So this time I have selected 100 (and this was hard) iconic films listed in 6 different genres.

     However, some of you may have lives, so I am presenting these films one genre at a time.  Here are 20 essential dramas -- and remember these are not necessarily the "best" critically, but the ones that truly illustrate American culture from this decade.

DRAMAS

1. (1940) Boom Town.  This romantic view of the wildcatters of the early oil industry has 4 big stars -- Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr.  Directed by Jack Conway.

                     2. (1940) The Grapes of Wrath. John Ford's moving, lyrical portrait of Dust Bowl migrants, starring Henry Fonda, is aided by beautiful, black and white photography by Gregg Toland.

3. (1940) Remember the Night.  Fred MacMurray takes pity on Barbara Stanwyck during the holidays. Written by Preston Sturges and directed by Mitchell Leisen.

4. (1941) Citizen Kane.  Orson Welles directs and stars in his portrait of John Foster Kane in his magnum opus.

5. (1941) How Green Was My Valley.  John Ford's stark and moving vision of a Welsh mining family, starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp and Roddy McDowall.

6. (1941) Meet John Doe.  Frank Capra directs Gary Cooper as an ordinary man who is made into a national figure by reporter, Barbara Stanwyck and her boss, Edward Arnold.

7. (1942) Casablanca . Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, directed by Michael Curtiz. Romance and intrigue in French-occupied North Africa.

8. (1942) Now Voyager.  Irving Rapper directs Bette Davis as a woman who breaks free from her mother's domination. With Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, and Gladys Cooper.

9. (1942) Woman of the Year.  Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy prove she can't have it all (but he can). Directed by George Stevens.

10. (1945)The Lost Weekend.  Ray Milland stars in a powerfully honest portrait of an alcoholic. Directed by Billy Wilder.

11. (1945) Mildred Pierce.  Joan Crawford stars as a woman whose business alienates her family.  With Ann Blyth, Zachary Scott and Eve Arden.

12. (1945)The Picture of Dorian Gray.  A man lives an evil life but never ages, whereas his portrait -- well, don't ask. Starring George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Angela Lansbury. Directed by Albert Lewin.

13. (1946)The Best Years of Our Lives.  William Wyler's powerful rendering of postwar adjustment for returning soldiers and their families.  Starring Frederic March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright.

14. (1946) Gilda.  See why Rita Hayworth was a pin-up girl. She sings and dances and Glenn Ford loves/hates her. Directed by Charles Vidor.

15. (1946) It's a Wonderful Life.  James Stewart learns what it means to be a successful human being. With Donna Reed, Thomas Mitchell, Lionel Barrymore. Directed by Frank Capra.

16. (1947) Body and Soul.  Robert Rossen directs John Garfield in one of the great fight films, elevated by a script by Abraham Polonsky and photography by James Wong Howe.

17. (1947) Gentleman's  Agreement.  Gregory Peck is a reporter, posing as a Jew, to study anti-Semitism in post-war America,   Directed by Elia Kazan and also starring John Garfield, Dorothy McGuire, and Celeste Holm.

18. (1948) Call Northside 777.  Henry Hathaway directs James Stewart and Richard Conte in a documentary-style investigation of a murder conviction.

19. (1948) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.  Humphrey Bogart and partners, Walter Huston and Tim Holt, prospect for gold in Mexico. Problems ensue. Directed by John Huston.

20. (1949)The Third Man.  Robert Krasker's shadowy photography of intrigue in postwar Vienna with Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten and a distinctive zither score. Directed by Carol Reed. 

      Before you start thinking how could I have missed all the films that aren't listed, relax.  They were probably put in another category. Stay tuned for future discussions from the Fabulous Forties on the Westerns, the Musicals, the Crime/Suspense/Horror Films, the War-Themed Films, and the Comedies.