Before we leave the 1940’s for good, here are not the best movies of the decade, but the ones that stick most in my mind, for some reason:
Jud Süß (1940), for making me feel what it’s like to hate the Jews
Santa Fe Trail (1940), for its shocking defense of slavery
Fantasia (1940), for making me cry
The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan’s Travels (1941), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), really anything by Preston Sturges
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), for that motorcycle scene at the beginning, also A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), really anything by Powell & Pressburger
Day of Wrath (1943), for being the most metal movie of the decade
Mission to Moscow (1943), for showing that there really were some genuine Communists in Hollywood
Victory Through Air Power (1943), for Walt Disney’s insane ambition of changing the course of the war
Henry V (1944), for delivering the St. Crispin’s Day speech at the exact right moment in history
Dead of Night (1945), for being the only genuinely scary movie of the entire decade
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945), and A Walk in the Sun (1945), for setting the standard in war movie realism
Good News (1947), for that musical number that just makes me really happy
Railroaded! (1947), T-Men (1947), Raw Deal (1948), really anything by Anthony Mann
Rope (1948), for being maybe my favorite movie of all time
The Fall of Berlin (1949), for taking the Jerry Bruckheimer approach to Stalin worship
Passport to Pimlico (1949) and The Fountainhead (1949), for being unfashionably libertarian, then and now.
