1940's: Movies I've Seen
Submitted by AJDaGreat on Thu, 10/16/2003 - 05:32
Tags:
Love 'Em
- Adam's Rib (1949)
- All the King's Men (1949)
- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
- The Bicycle Thief (1948)
- Brief Encounter (1945)
- Casablanca (1942)
- Citizen Kane (1941)
- Children of Paradise (1945)
- Double Indemnity (1944)
- Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
- His Girl Friday (1940)
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
- The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
- Late Spring (1949)
- Laura (1944)
- The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
- The Lost Weekend (1945)
- The Maltese Falcon (1941)
- A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
- My Darling Clementine (1946)
- Notorious (1946)
- The Palm Beach Story (1942)
- Rebecca (1940)
- The Red Shoes (1948)
- The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
- Stray Dog (1949)
- The Third Man (1949)
- To Be or Not To Be (1942)
- Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
- White Heat (1949)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Really Like 'Em
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
- Ball of Fire (1941)
- Day of Wrath (1943)
- Detour (1945)
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
- The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945)
- A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
- The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
- My Favorite Wife (1940)
- The Naughty Nineties (1945)
- Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
- Out of the Past (1947)
- The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
- The Philadelphia Story (1940)
- The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
- Red River (1948)
- Road to Morocco (1942)
- Road to Utopia (1946)
- Rope (1948)
- Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
- Sullivan's Travels (1942)
- To Have and Have Not (1944)
Like 'Em
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
- The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
- The Bank Dick (1940)
- Bambi (1942)
- Black Narcissus (1947)
- Buck Privates (1941)
- Crossfire (1947)
- Dumbo (1941)
- The Egg and I (1947)
- Footsteps in the Dark (1941)
- The Great Dictator (1940)
- Heaven Can Wait (1943) (No, it's NOT the original movie that the 1978 Warren Beatty movie is a remake of. It's totally unrelated)
- High Sierra (1941)
- Hold That Ghost (1941)
- I Married a Witch (1942)
- The Inspector General (1949)
- Ivan the Terrible, Part One (1945)
- The Lady Eve (1941) (May move up on a rewatch that it probably deserves)
- The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
- Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
- My Favorite Brunette (1947)
- My Little Chickadee (1940) (W.C. Fields and Mae West... this movie should've been much better)
- A Night in Casablanca (1946)
- Pinocchio (1940)
- The Pirate (1948)
- Road to Rio (1947)
- Road to Singapore (1940)
- Rome, Open City (1945) (Need to rewatch)
- Talk of the Town (1942)
Could Take 'Em or Leave 'Em
- The Big Sleep (1946)
- A Gentleman's Agreeement (1947)
- The Great McGinty (1940) (Sturges's worst is still not horrible)
- So Dear to My Heart (1949) (I actually don't remember this movie at all. But I'm pretty sure I've seen it. I sent it to the middle tier just to be safe)
- Woman of the Year (1942)
Could Do Without 'Em
- Cluny Brown (1946)
- Married Bachelor (1941)
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) (As I recall, the speech about why one character doesn't drink was hilarious, but I think that in general Hitchcock should stay away from comedies. But hey, "Trouble With Harry" wasn't too shabby)
Really Don't Like 'Em
- The Three Caballeros (1945)
- Weekend for Three (1941)
Hate 'Em
- none
Haven't Seen 'Em
- Beauty and the Beast (1946)
- Great Expectations (1946)
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
- Mildred Pierce (1945)
- Paisan (1946)
- Sergeant York (1941)
- She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Author Comments:
I called this the best decade for films on a different list, and it's easy to see why. Look at all the highlights in my top tier, both comedy and non-comedy alike.
Cloned From:
What made you place The Philadelphia Story below Road to Morocco?
I dunno. Philadelphia Story is charming, but I always feel like I'm not laughing as much as I should. Road to Morocco, on the other hand, is absolutely hilarious. It's Bob and Bing at their best, and while the term "masterpiece" might be hyperbolic, I would rather rewatch Road than Philly.
Well, I haven't seen the Morocco one yet, but the one "Road To..." movie I did watch was pretty damn bad.
Hmm... I see that the one you're referring to is "Road to Utopia." I would call that one of the better ones of the series, though not as good as "Morocco." It's definitely a distinct style of humor, and if you don't go for it, then we'll have to agree to disagree.
However, on further reflection, I do think I was a bit hasty to call "Road to Morocco" a masterpiece. It is a damn funny movie in my book, but not all the jokes work, and it doesn't have much else to offer. I will move it down.
I found the humor in Road to Utopia the kind of cute and (to me) irritating humor that reaches and stretches for its laughs rather than letting it occur semi-naturally from the situations. To me, it's like two guys on a trip try to keep each other laughing all the time. I much prefer the kind of humor of, say, Father Goose, where conflicting personalities are placed together in a situation that just calls for hilarious conflicts and situations.
I can understand that. Many of the jokes have their roots in vaudeville routines, which are very theatrical and can sometimes seem forced. I still think most of the jokes are hilarious though.
Tell me, do you like rapid-fire-joke movies like "Airplane!", or is that another example of the kind of humor you're talking about?
Yes, while writing my last post I considered what made me dislike Road to Utopia but love Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Airplane or the like. I think it may be that 'Grail' and Airplane are self-deprecating while Road to Utopia was too guys making jokes, laughing at each other's jokes, and calling each other 'clever and funny' (not literally, of course, that's just what it felt like).
I'm SURE it's more than that, but I can't pick out the other reasons, yet.
Okay. Lemme know if you come up with any brilliant insights. :-)
Don't hold your breath.
Just thought you might like to know..... "So Dear to my Heart" was about a little boy and his lamb. We saw it at school in probably 1953 or 1954. I remember really liking it, but I am sure part of that was because it probably appealed to children (and, of course, the more innocent adults of that age....) However, I have held it in memory with fondness. Thought the note might help job your memory. I don't think I have ever had the opportunity to see it again to refresh my own......... Liked reading your lists. I am not one to dispute...........