Author’s Note: I apparently did this in July of 2009 but didn’t list my top ten favorites. It simply had my favorite film and then a few honorable mentions that would have been in the top five.
I started a series of lists that rank my top ten favorite movies by decade. I started with the 1920s and will be working my way toward the new millennium.
To compile this list, I took my ranked films from IMDb, which I grade after every movie viewing, and sorted them from highest to lowest. Then looking at each movie in each decade I came up with my favorite ten.
I have included some honorable mentions to show what the top ten were up against. We will continue with the 1940s.
1940s
Honorable Mentions: The Philadelphia Story (1940), Rebecca (1940), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), and Bicycle Thieves (1948)
10. Gilda (1946) – One of the most sensuous characters in movie history, Rita Hayworth oozes sex as the femme fatale title character. Not earning any major award nominations, Gilda is a great mix of tense film noir and hard-edged romance drama with powerful performances from Hayworth and Glenn Ford. Another memorable moment of the movie is Hayworth’s performance (although dubbed by Anita Ellis) during “Put the Blame on Mame.” Although not an award show darling film, critics showed a great liking for the movie and it has increased its legacy through references and being featured in other films since its debut.
9. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – Considered one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, as a stand-alone feel-good drama, Miracle on 34th Street is an audience favorite that shouldn’t be overlooked. Edmund Gwenn gives one of the most convincing performances of all time as the questionable Kris Kringle. Winning Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Gwenn), Best Original Story Writing, and Best Screenplay, the film was also up for Best Picture. The American Film Institute included it on the 100 Cheers and 10 Top 10 Fantasy lists. Miracle on 34th Street was also nominated to AFI’s 100 Movies, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, and 100 Scores lists. In 2005, the Library of Congress selected this film to its National Film Registry for preservation due to it being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
8. Double Indemnity (1944) – Written by detective fictionist Raymond Chandler and director Billy Wilder, this is a paramount example of the film noir genre, setting the standard for decades as to what a gritty crime story should look like. The original story the film is based on was involved in a multi-studio bidding war but wouldn’t be made for eight years after the Hays Office sent out a warning to not make the film due to its “low tone and sordid flavor” that would harden the impressionable audience members. While garnering high praise from critics, Double Indemnity received seven Oscar nominations but lost in all categories. The film entered the National Film Registry in 1992 and was among AFI’s 100 Movies and 100 Movies Anniversary winners. Having to contend with two legends of the screen in Edward G. Robinson and Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck portrays the cold-hearted wife who wants her husband dead for the insurance money with magnificent effect.
7. The Maltese Falcon (1941) – While Double Indemnity set one of the standards that all film noirs would be compared to, John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon is considered the first major work in the genre. Bogart’s representation of the hard-hearted, quick-witted, morally ambiguous detective Sam Spade, Mary Astor as his femme fatale, and Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut, rounding out the characters couldn’t be more perfectly cast. Like another movie included later on this list, the cinematography was ground-breaking at the time. Accomplishing a rare feat in film, this of The Maltese Falcon is actually the third version to be made. The original was released ten years prior to the Hays Code preventing such lewd material from reaching the silver screen and the second, more light-hearted comedy version was released in 1946 under the title Satan Met a Lady. The Maltese Falcon received three Oscar nominations in the Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay categories with no wins acquired, was among the inaugural selections to the Library of Congress National Film Registry, and has been hailed as one of the greatest films of all time by critic Roger Ebert and Entertainment Weekly. Among its many other praises from critics and film groups alike, AFI has included this film among its 100 Films, 100 Thrills, 100 Quotes, 100 Films Anniversary Edition, and 10 Top 10 Mystery lists, and it was also nominated for AFI’s 100 Heroes and Villains twice and a second dialogue line for 100 Quotes.
6. The Third Man (1949) – Another film noir to make this list, albeit one from Britain cinema, this Orson Welles-starring, Carol Reed-directing murder mystery sets a perfect tone with its brilliant performances, moody tone and cinematography, and unforgettable music, created with only a zither. All aspects of the film come together to give it the right touch of drabness that personifies post-World War II Vienna. The Third Man received the top prizes at that year’s Cannes Film Festival and British Academy Awards, as well as receiving an Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography. In 1999, the British Film Institute selected it as the best British film of the 20th century. Total Film magazine ranked it the fourth best film of all time. It has also made many AFI lists, including 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Heroes and Villains, and 10 Top 10 Mystery. It also received nominations on AFI’s 100 Quotes, 100 Scores, and 100 Movies Anniversary Edition lists. There is also a Third Man Museum in Vienna dedicated to the movie.
5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – If you haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life yet, stop what you’re doing right now, go to your local Blockbuster (if you can find one), and rent this movie. Forget that it’s generally considered a Christmas movie. Certainly it belongs in the pantheon of holiday favorite films, but it is also a heartfelt and inspiring tear-jerker of a movie. Directed by the iconic Frank Capra, whose filmmaking career garnered a total of 53 Oscar nominations and 14 wins including two Best Picture and three Best Director statues, It’s a Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as George Bailey, who when attempting to commit suicide on Christmas Eve is shown by his guardian angel Clarence what impact George has made because of his existence. Initially a financial disappointment, time has been kind to the feature, with it topping AFI’s most inspirational films list. Other AFI lists acknowledging the importance of It’s a Wonderful Life include 100 Movies, 100 Passions, twice on 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, and 10 Top 10 Fantasy. At the Academy Awards, It’s a Wonderful Life received five nominations, but won none of them. The Library of Congress included the movie among its 1990 inductees to the National Film Registry and for decades it has topped many favorite film lists among national and international media outlets. Seneca Falls holds a It’s a Wonderful Life festival every December, opened The Hotel Clarence named after the guardian angel, and recently opened a It’s a Wonderful Life Museum.
4. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) – Another John Huston/Humphrey Bogart collaboration, this is one of the first American films to be shot almost entirely on location outside the United States. The source of one of the most misquoted film lines of all time, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre exemplifies the moral descent mankind will tailspin into when greed and distrust creep into a friendship. Huston won the Academy Award for directing and writing. Walter Huston, the director’s father, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor the same year. It was also nominated for Best Picture, but lost. Director Stanley Kubrick listed The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as his fourth favorite movie of all time. AFI recognized the movie by placing it on its 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Quotes, and 100 Movies Anniversary lists. It also received nominations on the 100 Heroes and Villains and 100 Scores lists. In 1990, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was selected to the National Film Registry.
3. The Great Dictator (1940) – In Charlie Chaplin’s first true “talkie,” the legendary filmmaker wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the first major motion picture to satirize Nazism and Adolph Hitler, resulting in a masterpiece of film. The Great Dictator was also Chaplin’s greatest financial success. The film’s out-of-character plea regarding war and oppression is one of the most moving moments this form of art has ever captured on celluloid. It was winless in five categories at the Academy Awards, losing in Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Outstanding Production. The Library of Congress included The Great Dictator in its 1997 class to the National Film Registry. It was ranked at 37 on AFI’s 100 Laughs list.
2. Citizen Kane (1941) – Six sentences isn’t enough to extol the litany of great things Orson Welles’s directorial debut provided the history of cinema. A few of the innovations Citizen Kane provided for the film industry include narrative techniques, cinematography, camera angles, use of shadow and light, and experimentation with editing and sound. To be blunt, it completely changed the way movies were watched. A critical darling when first released, the movie did not do well at the box office, but since then it has frequently topped Best Of lists, including AFI’s 100 Movies and 100 Movies Anniversary lists, Sight & Sound, Editorial Jaguar, FIAF Centenary List, France Critics Top 10, Cahiers du cinéma 100 films pour une cinémathèque idéal, Kinovedcheskie Russia Top 10, Romanian Critics Top 10, Time Out Magazine Greatest Films, and Village Voice 100 Greatest Films. Citizen Kane was among the National Film Registry’s inaugural group in 1989. It received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography, but ended up winning only in the Best Original Screenplay category.
1. Casablanca (1942) – The winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, Casablanca has become a legendary film due to its flawless characters and memorable dialogue. Shot in sequence due to only half the script being completed at the start of filming, the movie reunites The Maltese Falcon stars Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre with Ingrid Bergman, Claude Raines, and Paul Henreid. While not a true film noir, the movie does implement many of director Michael Curtiz’s lighting and camera styles to give it a brooding tone. Casablanca expertly combines elements of romance, drama, suspense, and humor resulting in a classic for audiences of both sexes and all ages. Due to its wide audience appeal, the film finds itself on countless lists of great films. Along with the three Oscars it received, it was nominated in another five categories. In its first year of induction, the National Film Registry included Casablanca amongst the films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The Writers Guild of America deemed the screenplay the best of all time. AFI repeatedly have selected Casablanca to its 100 Years lists, including 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Passions, 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Songs, 100 Quotes (with six lines making it on the list), 100 Cheers, and 100 Movies Anniversary.
Despite restrictions from the Hays Office and having to endure budget cuts due to the war, Hollywood was still able to make some remarkable movies that have endured and become greater as time marches on. Some of the most memorable and paramount films were produced during this period. Legends of the big screen struck it big in this decade and are still considered the most identifiable products of Tinseltown to this day. With the advent of television, the decline of the studio system, and the unclear threats of a Cold War, Hollywood would never again see the height of theater attendance as it did during the 1930s and 40s.
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