Sunday, May 29, 2005

the greatest films of all time part 3 - 1940's

i know i am gonna get some flak for this list, but hey the best are the best. i love the 40's by the way. my favorite era is american cinema from the 40's and 50's so this list and the next are going to be dominated by the usa. that being said it's odd to start with. . .

10. The Bicycle Thief (1948)

directed by vittorio de sica
in between the time i saw this for the first time and the second time, i witnessed my own father being viciously humiliated and the impact it had on me seeped through every frame of this film on second viewing.

9. Rebecca (1940)

directed by alfred hitchcock
hitchcock's only film to win best picture at the oscars, it's also one of his most complex character studies. with some thrills of course.

8. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

directed by alfred hitchcock
another underrated hitchcock, although it's still highly rated. joseph cotten is perfect as the creepy uncle that comes to visit theresa wright. if you haven't seen it, you're stupid.

7. To Be or Not to Be (1942)

directed by ernst lubitsch
a comedy about a drama troupe that has to pass itself off as nazi generals in order to survive in occupied poland. a slapstick comedy about hitler and the nazis. made before the war was even over. seems unbelievable that they would do that, but they did and man is it hilarious. just came out on dvd finally so check it out.

6. Red River (1948)

directed by howard hawks
one of my favorite westerns ever. in general, i kind of hate westerns, but something about this one bucks the trend. maybe it's montgomery clift, who i love being thrown in with the duke. it certainly can't be the cattle drive storyline or walter brennan acting crankety because that's in a hundred other westerns.

5. The Lost Weekend (1945)

directed by billy wilder
billy wilder. easily one of the top 3 filmmakers of all time. so many good movies it's ridiculous and you'll be seeing a couple more before these lists are through. why more people don't know ray milland i'll never know but watch this movie and you'll never forget him.

4. Sullivan's Travels (1941)

directed by preston sturges
when veronica lake dresses up as a boy, it's ridiculously sexy. does that make me gay?

3. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

directed by william wyler
you may recall me touting mr. wyler as the best director of all time on "ultimate film fanatic", and here is exhibit a. his finest movie, a 3 hour epic about people coming back from the war and having to fit back into society.

2. Casablanca (1942)

directed by michael curtiz
yeah, yeah i know it's a boring choice, but wait till you see number 1. it's amazing though and there's a reason why it's a boring choice, because you can't argue with it.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)

shocker right? well fuck you it's brilliant.

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