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<\/a>By Geoffrey Huchel<\/strong><\/p>\nThe 1940s certainly had its share of achievements in film; Technicolor became more prominent following the success of GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ.; hundreds of feature length films were produced; Humphrey Bogart made his most memorable films in this decade (see below); and Alfred Hitchcock made his American debut with the horror film REBECCA. The genre most distinctive of the decade was film noir. <\/p>\n
Film noir is film marked by a mood of cynicism, fatalism, and peril. The term was originally applied to American thriller or detective films. Notable film noirs of the decade include MILDRED PIERCE (1945), with Joan Crawford in her Oscar winning role, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) with Lana Turner, and WHITE HEAT (1949) with James Cagney. 1942 breathed new life into the horror genre. CAT PEOPLE (1942), with Simone Simon and Tim Conway, and THE WOLF MAN (1941), with Lon Chaney, JR. and Claude Rains, were two notable films of that genre. Disney released some its most timeless classics- PINNOCHIO (1940), FANTASIA (1940 and DUMBO (1942).<\/p>\n
This decade in film is by far my favorite. With the slew of popular titles that were released throughout the decade, it was really difficult for me to choose which to highlight. After careful consideration, the following made the cut, while others may be mentioned in a future piece.<\/p>\n
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940) Running Time: 1 hr 52 mins<\/strong><\/em> REBECCA (1940) Running Time: 2 hrs 10 mins<\/strong><\/em> CITIZEN KANE (1941) Running Time 1 hr 59 mins<\/strong><\/em> THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins<\/strong><\/em> CASABLANCA (1942) Running Time: 1 hr 42 mins<\/strong><\/em> MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944) Running Time:1 hr 53 mins<\/strong><\/em> Plot: In the year leading up to the 1904 World\u2019s Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons on life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) 2 hrs. 6 mins<\/strong><\/em> [si-contact-form form=’2′]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [AdSense-A] By Geoffrey Huchel The 1940s certainly had its share of achievements in film; Technicolor became more prominent following the success of GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ.; hundreds of feature length films were produced; Humphrey Bogart made his most memorable films in this decade (see below); and Alfred Hitchcock made his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17984],"tags":[18789],"class_list":["post-74814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment-news","tag-ringside-report-looks-back-at-1940s-films"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=74814"}],"version-history":[{"count":-2,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74814\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=74814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=74814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=74814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDirected by George Cukor
\nWith: Cary Grant
\nKatharine Hepburn
\nPlot: When a rich woman\u2019s ex-husband and a tabloid reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
\nFun Fact: Winner of 2 Oscars at the 1941 Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading role and Best Writing, Screenplay<\/p>\n
\nDirected by: Alfred Hitchcock
\nWith: Laurence Olivier
\nJoan Fontaine
\nPlot: A self-conscious bride is tormented by the memory of her husband\u2019s dead first wife.
\nFun Fact: Winner of 2 Oscars at the 1941 Academy Awards for Best Picture
\nand Best Cinematography.<\/p>\n
\nDirected by: Orson Welles
\nWith: Orson Welles
\nJoseph Cotten
\nAgnes Moorehead
\nRuth Warrick
\nPlot: Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.
\nFun Facts: Won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay at the 1942 Academy Awards. It\u2019s considered by many critics, filmmakers and fans to be the greatest film of all time.<\/p>\n
\nDirected by: John Huston
\nWith: Humphrey Bogart
\nMary Astor
\nPlot: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette.
\nFun Fact: Was nominated for 3 Oscars at the 1942 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Writing, Screenplay.
\nDescribed as one of the best examples of actionful and suspenseful melodramatic story telling in cinematic form.<\/p>\n
\nDirected By: Michael Curtiz
\nWith: Humphrey Bogart
\nIngrid Bergman
\nPaul Henreid
\nClaude Rains
\nPlot: A cynical nightclub owner protects an old flame and her husband from Nazis in Morocco.
\nFun Facts: Won 3 Oscars at the 1944 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay. Its lead characters and memorable lines have become iconic and the film ranks near the top of lists of the greatest films in history.<\/p>\n
\nDirected by: Vincent Minnelli
\nWith: Judy Garland
\nMargaret O\u2019Brien
\nMary Astor
\nLucille Bremer<\/p>\n
\nFun Facts: Was ranked 10th on American Film Institute\u2019s Greatest Movie Musicals. Margaret O\u2019Brien received an Academy Juvenile Award for her work.<\/p>\n
\nDirected by: John Huston
\nWith: Humphrey Bogart
\nWalter Huston
\nPlot: Fred Dobbs and Bob Curtin, two Americans searching for work in Mexico, convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.
\nFun Facts: Won 3 Oscars at the 1949 Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay.<\/p>\n