Decades of Cinema - 10 Best of the 1940's

After covering the 1920's (list found here) and the 1930's (here), it's time to move into a pretty iconic decade of cinema, the 1940's. These are my ten favorite achievements released during those ten years.

10. The Lost Weekend

Director Billy Wilder unleashed this Best Picture winning film on the world in 1945, telling the troubling story of a man losing his battle with alcoholism. It feels a bit over-the-top and melodramatic at times, but it is still an impeccably crafted work that certainly gets its point across, showing the damage that can be done by the disease.

9. The Treasure of Sierra Madre

A classic western adventure film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre tells the story of three men on a search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains. Thematically the film focuses on the way greed corrupts humanity, turning men once in cahoots against each other and having one of these characters be played by Humphrey Bogart only enhances the relevancy of this film nearly 70 years after its release.

8. The Third Man

A noir that thrives on its atmosphere, The Third Man is a film I would recommend even if it were watched with the volume muted and no subtitles. Just literally seeing the movie is a hell of an experience thanks to the cinematography alone, but when you add in the performances and that brilliant musical score? Dynamite cinema.

7. Bicycle Thieves

A man desperate to find work in Rome shortly after the conclusion of World War II receives an offer to hang advertising around the city, but owning a bicycle is a requirement for the position. After his wife Maria sells a valuable possession to a pawn shop in order to acquire one, things are looking up for this poverty stricken family until the bike is stolen on his very first day on the job.

A heartbreaking yet beautiful film, and certainly one of the greatest landmarks from the 1940's.

6. It's a Wonderful Life

I may be beginning my transformation into a bitter, old man, but I still absolutely cherish Christmas and what it represents. I think about the warmth and comfort of being indoors as winter rages on outside, a mug of coffee in my hand while watching films that perfectly suit the season. It's a Wonderful Life is without a doubt one of the greatest holiday cinematic achievements of all time, a staple for many every single year and it's easy to understand why. 

5. Citizen Kane

I'm sure for many having this one listed at only #5 of its decade is blasphemy, as Citizen Kane is widely regarded as perhaps the greatest film of all time. I may not hold it in that high of esteem but its still impossible not to admire the stunning craft of this work by Orson Welles. 

4. Rome, Open City

Released in 1945, Rome, Open City depicts the all too real events of what took place in a Nazi occupied Rome only a year earlier, so yeah, it's safe to say the power of this film was still hauntingly fresh. Seeing this one for the first time only a couple of years ago, I was blown away by the pain depicted in the movie so I can't even imagine how hard it would have been to see it having gone through the actual experiences personally. A tremendous achievement by Roberto Rossellini.

3. Shadow of a Doubt

One of two Hitchcock films to make the top three on this list, Shadow of a Doubt is a chilling movie about a charming man affectionately referred to as "Uncle Charlie" by the relatives he is staying with and the daughter of the family, also named Charlie, who sees something dark and sinister behind his facade. Brilliantly performed and having that exquisite Hitchcock touch to the whole experience, Shadow of a Doubt is a top notch film.

2. Casablanca

Hey, you guys ever heard of this one? I decided to get a little unpredictable and obscure with my number 2 selection, a little film that has flown under the radar for over 70 years called Casablanca. 

No, seriously though, this is considered a cinematic treasure for a well deserved reason. Bogart and Bergman are timeless and perfect in a frame together.

1. Rope

Decided to end the 1940's with a little bit of color. Prior to seeing Rope, I had heard it was a bit of a lesser Hitchcock when compared to his other, iconic releases, so imagine how I felt when I was floored by this absolute masterpiece. Best known for being experimental by taking place in real time and using editing trickery to appear to only use one single continuous shot throughout (which was a trick recently utilized by the Best Picture winning Birdman), I was drooling over the perfectly executed long takes and loving the sinister concept of a party going on literally around a dead body hidden right under their noses. Rope is, without a doubt, my favorite film from the 1940's.

Next up, the 1950's. Thanks for checking out my lists, would love to hear some of your favorites from these decades. 

100 Favorite Films - #60 - #51

A continuation of my list counting down my 100 favorite films of all time.


60. Rope (1948)

When the name Alfred Hitchcock is mentioned, instantly the mind races through classics like Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and The Birds, and understandably so, but Rope is a masterful film that seems to not get enough credit. During the very first scene of the movie, we witness a murder, a tragedy for no real purpose beyond the thrill the two killers get from doing it.

While the story taking place on screen is chilling enough, the innovative style of Rope is part of the reason I fell totally in love with it. Hitchcock used a series of long takes, each roughly ten minutes in length, and then the picture was edited in a way that it appears as if the camera never once cuts. It as if we are a fly on the wall and were able to witness something deranged, and the camera pans around and brings us incredible frames that bring exactly what we need to see into focus at that moment. A masterpiece of tension building and technical wonder.


59. Rashomon (1950)

For the most part I am still shamefully unfamiliar with the work of Akira Kurosawa, but Rashomon is one I know very well and a film that has left a powerful mark on cinema as a whole. The structure of the storytelling was game changing at the time, as the plot revolves around multiple people telling their differing version of events regarding the same incident, and the end result is a remarkable film about morality and the untrustworthy nature of storytelling.


58. Baraka (1992)

No narrative, no voiceover, yet nothing short of spectacular. Baraka is a documentary film that explores themes with surprising depth and clarify despite merely being a series of powerful imagery from across the world. The themes being explored need no explanation because if you are watching closely, they will reveal themselves in meaningful, unforgettable ways.


57. Fargo (1996)

The Coen brothers have mastered the art of crafting films that are both dark comedies and thematically rich dramas, and Fargo is a sublime example of this. At times jarringly heartbreaking yet also hilariously scripted and performed, Fargo manages to deliver a little bit of everything over the course of 98 incredible minutes.


56. Inception (2010)

Ultra ambitious and massive in scope, Christopher Nolan transitioned from Gotham to a science fiction marvel involving the ability to enter dreams and thus alter real life. I remember vividly how in love with the Inception trailer I was, practically watching it on repeat for months leading up to its summer release. The actual film did not disappoint.


55. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Instantly I knew I was in love with Mulholland Drive yet if you would have asked me why after the first time I saw it, the answer would have been similar to "It's creepy and weird and I love it." Vague, sure, but the picture is so confounding I still to this day find it difficult to put into words what I extract from the experience. What David Lynch crafted here is likely not something often referred to as "mediocre" or "average", because it has all the makings of a polarizing work that you either cherish or admonish for its abstract nature. Count me among those that hold it in high regard.



54. Donnie Darko (2001)

Speaking of head scratching cinema, from the very same year as Mulholland Drive comes my next film, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. A very young Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead role as Donnie, and the film revolves around his search for meaning and understanding after experiencing bizarre visions warning him of an approaching Doomsday. The most often reaction to this film after a first viewing is also to search for meaning and understanding, and it took a few revisits for me to form an opinion of what actually occurs in the end. I find Donnie Darko to be a meaningful and fascinating cinematic journey.



53. Gone Girl (2014)

My Review of Gone Girl

If it weren't such a recently released film, I honestly might have it ranked even higher, but it demands a second viewing for me to cement down my initial thoughts, which were that this is quite possibly the finest work by director David Fincher to date. Gone Girl is a dark, gloomy, beautifully made thriller that also serves as a very clever satire of both the struggles of marital life and of the landscape of American media. I was wrapped up in this one from beginning to end, and Rosamund Pike is a revelation, a performance that reminded me of a perfect combination of old and new Hollywood. I feel like she both could scare the piss out of me here yet also time travel to 60 years ago and star along side Jimmy Stewart in a Hitchcock film. So good.



52. Hana-Bi (Fireworks) (1997)

Written by, directed by, edited by and starring Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, the man does it all and what he poured his heart and soul into is a beautiful film called Hana-Bi, released in the United States under the title Fireworks. Kitano plays a cop named Nishi who feels compelled to quit the force after his partner is badly injured during an incident and is relegated to a wheelchair. With his retirement, Nishi now has the time to look after his ailing wife Miyuki who is fighting a battle with leukemia, and the film explores their relationship along with the added tension of Nishi owing money to the Yakuza with no means to pay them back.

This is a film I credit for my love of cinema, as I saw it at a time when I didn't understand what an art form the medium could be, and Hana-Bi really opened my eyes.



51. Back to the Future (1985)

What do I really need to say about this one? A blast to the past from director Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future is a film I was raised on since childhood, a VHS tape that I wore down from so many viewings. The film was and continues to be a massive success and it deserves it, as it remains an important piece of pop culture and a quotable, beloved film even roughly thirty years later.

50 down, 50 to go. Above is an image from a film that will appear on my next list of ten.