Safe to say, the world had more serious matters to consider in the 1940s. Yet, somehow this decade resulted in two films that have dominated the Best Films of All Time list for the longest time – Casablanca and Citizen Kane. In addition, a shining example of Neorealism cinema debuted in this decade with Bicycle Thieves. Plus, quite a few 1940s noir films still top many all time film noir lists.
As WWII was fought mostly in Europe and some parts of Asis
and North Africa, it isn’t surprising that majority of this list is made up of
American films (6/10 films). The 4 non-American films in the list were released
in 1945 or after, which makes sense with the end of WWII and the post-war
recovery.
Top 10 Films of the 1940s (roughly in order of
preference):
1. Citizen Kane (1941,USA, Orson Welles)
2. Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy, Vittorio De Sica)
3. Rome: Open City (1945, Italy, Roberto Rossellini)
4. Double Indemnity (1944, USA, Billy Wilder)
5. Casablanca (1994, USA, Michael Curtiz)
6. Sullivan’s Travels (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
7. The Great Dictator (1940, USA, Charles Chaplin)
8. The Third Man (1949, UK, Carol Reed)
9. Late Spring (1949, Japan, Yasujirô Ozu)
10. I
Walked with a Zombie (1943, USA, Jacques Tourneur)
Honourable mentions:
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, UK, Robert Hamer)
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