Dusting Off Celluloid 1940s: Which Old Movie Would You Like to See?
These are movies, released in the 1940s, widely considered to be one of the best decades in cinema, recommended by poll authors and commentators. Which of these relatively little-known but highly recommended films, all released during the 1940s, would you most like to see (again or for the first time)?
(Where there are comments next to a movie, they were provided by the poll board contributor who nominated the film.)
After voting, see the guidelines or discuss the poll here
Vote for movies released before 1940 here
(Where there are comments next to a movie, they were provided by the poll board contributor who nominated the film.)
After voting, see the guidelines or discuss the poll here
Vote for movies released before 1940 here
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15 titles
- DirectorBjarne Henning-JensenStarsTove MaësKaren PoulsenRasmus OttesenDitte grows up with her grandparents. When the mother moves with Lars Peter, Ditte is taken home to take care of her siblings. She comes to work at Bakkegården, but is thrown out as she awaits children.Ditte is a female counterpart to Pelle the Conqueror by the same author. The film is a humanist depiction of poverty and a young woman's struggle at the bottom of society. It was released around Europe and in America, but frequently censored. (Recommended by pbn/Peter)
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneHenry FondaShirley TempleAt Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe.(Recommended by leavey-2)
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsCharles BoyerIngrid BergmanJoseph CottenTen years after her aunt was murdered in their London home, a woman returns from Italy in the 1880s to resume residence with her new husband. His obsessive interest in the home rises from a secret that may require driving his wife insane.Recommended by Kyle Perez, who writes: A little known film-noir gem called Gaslight (1944). Been waiting to see this one for a while as it boasts an impressive leading cast in Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton and the same director who churned out classics like My Fair Lady, The Philadelphia Story and A Star is born, George Cukor.
- DirectorJean NegulescoStarsJane WymanLew AyresCharles BickfordA kind doctor volunteers to tutor a deaf-mute woman, but scandal starts to swirl when his pupil is raped and falls pregnant.An Oscar nominated film that won the Best Actress Award for Jane Wyman, and also has superb acting by Charles Bickford. It is a very interesting drama about a deaf/mute girl suffering a rape which complicates her education, while the guilty remains free and unknown. (Recommended by Pencho15)
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsJudy GarlandMargaret O'BrienMary AstorYoung love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.Recommended by Dan Dassow, stating that "the film provides a nostalgic view of the beginning of the Twentieth Century in the heartland of America. It also commemorates the 1904 World Fair and Olympics held in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. (The) Film also prominently displays Judy Garland’s vocal and acting talent."
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJoan CrawfordJack CarsonZachary ScottA hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.Recommended by Dibyayan Chakravorty, who describes it simply as "the classic film noir," and, after seeing this film, one realizes that says an awful lot when it comes to this highly acclaimed film.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGreer GarsonWalter PidgeonTeresa WrightA British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II.(Recommended by Dibyayan Chakravorty)
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsHenry FondaDana AndrewsMary Beth HughesWhen a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.A morality tale, starring Henry Fonda, that is as emotionally compelling as it is suspenseful and illuminating, this is the story of a posse who wants to lynch three murder suspects and the few that depart from the posse and oppose killing the suspects. It was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, won as 1943's best film by the U.S. National Board of Review, and was chosen by the U.S. National Film Preservation Board. (Recommended by rubyfruit76)
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsJudy GarlandGene KellyWalter SlezakA girl is engaged to the local rich man, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.Recommended by NDbportmanfan1, who explains, "The film is visually stunning. Presented in technicolor, the set design and costumes were great; The Pirate felt so ahead of its time in this regard."
- DirectorJoseph H. LewisStarsLeo GorceyBobby JordanKenneth HowellNew York City street principles get an East Side kid in trouble at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp.(Recommended by rocky-o)
- DirectorHoward HawksArthur RossonStarsJohn WayneMontgomery CliftJoanne DruDunson leads a cattle drive, the culmination of over 14 years of work, to its destination in Missouri. But his tyrannical behavior along the way causes a mutiny, led by his adopted son.(Recommended by Hoekkie)
- DirectorAlfred L. WerkerStarsLouis HaywardJoan LeslieVirginia FieldOn New Year's Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout the year. Her wish comes true but cheating fate proves more difficult than she anticipated.Recommended by The Movie Smith, who describes it as "a hybrid film-noir / sci fi film with philosophical implications."
- DirectorFritz LangStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BennettDan DuryeaA man in mid-life crisis befriends a young woman, though her fiancé persuades her to con him out of the fortune they mistakenly assume he possesses.This one starring noir regular Edward G. Robinson and the beautiful Joan Bennett and directed by Fritz Lang, a director who many coined to have pioneered the film-noir genre with his dark, German expressionist style with films like M (1931). (Recommended by Kyle Perez)
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsRinaldo SmordoniFranco InterlenghiAnnielo MeleTwo shoeshine boys in postwar Rome, Italy save up to buy a horse, but their involvement as dupes in a burglary lands them in juvenile prison; the experience take a devastating toll on their friendship.(Recommended by ElMaruecan82) ...Like in "Bicycle Thieves" or "Umberto D." the simplest things make the most inspirational statements about humanity (...) in "Sciuscia", the horse is the dream, the exhilarating feeling of freedom inhabiting (two children's) hearts and the cement of a seemingly unbreakable friendship. (...) The film demonstrates how authority, bureaucracy, order can annihilate the most beautiful aspects of humanity, and finally how fragile are the most beautiful virtues. (To read ElMaruecan's full review, go here)
- DirectorTed TetzlaffStarsBobby DriscollBarbara HaleArthur KennedyTo avoid the heat of a sweltering summer night a 9-year-old Manhattan boy decides to sleep on the fire escape and witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him.(Recommended by Madelyn Barrigan)