Top 10 Movies of the 1940s

This decade saw
Hollywood reflect the changes in

society and technology in some
landmark films. Rosebud. Welcome to

watchmojo.com. And today in this
installment of our series on the

greatest movies of all time,
we're counting down our picks

for the top 10 movies of the
1940s. Here's looking at you kid, for

our series of the best movies of
all time, we chosen 10 movies

per decade based on their iconic
status, critical acclaim, box

office success and watch
ability. And just so you know,

we're not necessarily choosing
the movies your film studies

professor would pick, so sit
back and relax as we explore the

highest highs and lowest lows of
a tumultuous decade.

Fire! Number 10 The Great Dictator.
Never one to shy away from

controversy. Charlie Chaplin
released this anti Nazi film at

the start of World War Two.

Banana, satirizing Hitler and
his regime. The movie follows a

Jewish barber as he attempts to
avoid imprisonment by Nazi

troops. Though it was banned in
some parts of Europe. The Great

Dictator eventually earned
millions at the box office

landed five Oscar nominations
and signal Chaplains complete

move to talking pictures

shows is in the name of
democracy,

let us all unite. Hurray!

Number nine, the Treasure of the
Sierra Madre

As long as it's all fine the noble
brotherhood will last but when the

piles of gold begin to grow.
That's when the trouble starts.

No one ever said that being a
gold prospector is easy. And

when it's further complicated by
distrustful partners and

dangerous banditos, it can be
downright life threatening.

I got three of em, credit me with three

How many you'd get? A couple I guess.

I'm one up on you bet I got more than
you did Pop.

I got three nice shooting eh?

Look at that bullet hole about
two inches from where my head was that was close eh?

Featuring Humphrey Bogart and
Tim Holt as two penniless

Americans looking for their
fortune in Mexico. This john

Houston adventure is a darkly
humorous character study on

greed and morality that won
several Oscars and inspired

countless filmmakers.

Throw that old light on over here,
wait to pick it up and go our way

You go anyway without my gun and go
quick.

Knock Knock Number eight, The Philadelphia
Story

You really hate me don't you Conner?

No I don't

like you very much, though. This
is less of a love triangle and

more of a love square. Katharine
Hepburn plays a socialite with

more suitors than she can
successfully manage, including

her ex husband played by Cary
Grant. Oh you

want to get even with your ex
bride Huh?

I'll have a car pick them up
at noon tomorrow, North

Philadelphia.

Cast to perfection. It's a
smartly written classic romantic

comedy that allowed audiences to
reconnect with Hepburn as a star

and kept the Hepburn Grant
machine moving while also taking

home two Academy Awards.

Ah, that's

the old redhead no bitterness,
no recrimination, just a good

swift left to the jaw. Aha.

Number seven, Fantasia. This
animated Disney epic was a

deviation from the standard
cartoon fare of the time,

pushing the envelope by blending
abstract sequences and classical

music. Theme music playing.

As a feature length film, it
relied heavily on aesthetics and

the experience, including the
use of fantasound audio to get

the impression of a live
orchestra. It was met with a

so so response from commercial
audiences and mixed reviews from

critics. But Fantasia eventually
went down in history as a

cinematic Marvel.

I guess nobody knew Harry like
he did.

Like I did. Number six, the
Third Man.

Take Mr. Hawley Martin home.

Hawley Martins

the eh, the writer?

Set in a war ravaged Vienna. The
film is a dark crime thriller

with an innovative score. An
American author is on a hunt to

figure out who may or may not be
responsible for the death of his

friend.

I've wondered about it 100
times. If it really was an

accident. Dramatic music playing. What difference does
it make? He's dead isn't he?

Shot in stark black and white
and often at odd angles. Its

visual style matches its
mysterious storytelling style to

produce film noir of the highest
order. Guitar music playing.

Going far? Nah, just a couple of miles. I'd have
walked her if my dogs wasn't pooped

out.

Number five, The Grapes of
Wrath.

We lived here 50 years, same
place.

Everybody's got to get off.
Everybody's leaving.

going out to California. The
Great

Depression hit the world hard,
including the hard worn farmers

of the Midwest. The film based
on John Steinbeck's milestone

and Pulitzer Prize winning novel
follows the Joad family as they

travel west towards California
in search of better

opportunities and a chance at
life

Sure don't look none too prosperous.

Although bleak and harsh in
nature, the academy award

winning film and its actors
accurately captured the

difficulties for many of
America's poor at a time when

economic conditions were at
their worst. They can't

wipe us out they can't lick us

we'll go on forever Pah cause

we're the people.

I'm trying to find my sister. I
have reason to believe that

she's here in San Francisco with
a man by the name of Thursby, Floyd

Thursby.

Number four, the Maltese Falcon.

Why were you tailin Thursby?

I wasn't, Myles wasn't but
there's a reason. We had a

client. Who's your client? Sorry, I

can't tell you that.

A detective is tasked with
solving the murder of his

partner finding a mysterious
Falcon statue dealing with some

shady characters and a not that
trustworthy love interest.

Sam did you kill him?

Who put that bright idea in your
head?

Both critics and audiences
heralded this John Houston

masterpiece as the
quintessential murder mystery of

its time with Humphrey Bogart,
Sam Spade leading the charge

When your'e slapped you'll take
it and like it

Its artistic use of camera
angles, along with its gritty,

Detective driven plot, and
masterful melodrama still makes

it a cinematic favorite.

What is it?

The ah, stuff that dreams are made of. What you'd
stop it for? I want you to take a

good look at that face. Number
three.

It's a Wonderful Life. Thanks, see I

I don't want one for one night I

want some for 1001 nights.

It's a timeless feel good film
there to remind you of the value

of life headlined by Jimmy
Stewart. This Frank Capra

classic follows a man as he
comes to terms with the meaning

of his existence, as well as the
importance of family and

friendship. Jenny, Tommy. Look at you.
Oh, I could eat you up.

It's a Wonderful Life initially
lost money, but it's since

become essential holiday viewing
that keeps audiences coming back

generation after generation.
Look daddy, teacher says everytime

a bell rings an Angel gets his wings.
Of all the Gin joints and all the towns

in all the world, she walks into mine.

Number two, Casablanca

Here's looking at you kid.

The tumult of the era found its
way into many movies, and this

is one of the most notable.
Humphrey Bogart plays the owner

of a club in Casablanca,
Morocco, which sees its fair

share of expatriates and
refugees seeking solace from the

growing hostility of the Nazi
regime.

Well, I told Strasser that you wouldn't
find the letters here, but I

told my men to be especially
destructive, you know how that

impresses Germans?

In addition to its stellar
storytelling and impeccable

acting, there's romance, danger,
Bogey and Ingrid Bergman. It's a

recipe for a classic that you'll
regret not experiencing.

Maybe not today, maybe not
tomorrow, but soon for the rest

of your life.

What about us?

You'll always have Paris.

Before we unveil our pick for
best movie of the 1940s here are

a few honorable mentions.

YOu handle just

automobile insurance or all kinds? All kinds
fire, earthquake, theft, public

liability, group insurance,
industrial stuff, and so on.

Right down the line.

Accident Insurance?

Accident Insurance? Sure Mrs.
Diedricksen.

I've given you every chance to
make something of yourself. I gave

up my own job when you asked me.
I gave up the best years of my

life and what have you done? You
flopped, couldn't even hold that

job in the drugstore.

It's a lovely room, isn't it? Loveless room
you've ever seen. Everything is

kept just as Mrs. de Winter liked
nothing has been altered since

that last night.

I'm the kid that's all the handy
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy. I'm

glad I am. I am a real life
Yankee Doodle made my name and

fame and boodle just as Mr Doodle
did by riding on a pony.

Rosebud.
Number one, Citizen Kane,

I sympathize with you Charles
foster Kane is a scoundrel. His

paper should be run out of town
a committee should be formed to

boycott him.

Widely considered the greatest
film ever made. This Tour de

Force tells the life story of an
immensely wealthy newspaper

magnate through flashbacks.

What were Kane's last words? Do
you remember Boys? Huh? Yes?

What were the last words he said
on earth? Maybe he told us all

about himself on his deathbed.
Yeah, maybe he didn't?

Pretty clearly based on the life
of William Randolph Hearst, the

era's biggest publishing mogul.
The film was the brainchild of

Orson Wells who painstakingly
created a masterpiece.

I expect to lose a million
dollars next year. You know,

Mr. Thatcher that at the rate of
a million dollars a

year?

I'll have to close this place in 60
years.

By utilizing groundbreaking,
cinematic and storytelling

techniques. Wells ensured
Citizen Kane won the Oscar for

Best Original Screenplay, and
stood apart from its

contemporaries for generations.
Do you agree with our list?

What's your favorite movie of
the 40s? For more thrilling top

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