1943
Shadow Of A Doubt.* Uncle Charly's secret! Joseph Cotten in one of his best.
(And that's saying something for an actor that was in Citizen Kane, The Third Man, etc.)
The Ox-Box Incident. Lynch mob out west. Drama, Henry Fonda stars.
More The Merrier.* Housing shortage comedy with Jean Arthur as the girl living with 2 guys.
Heaven Can Wait.* Don Ameche requests hell over heaven in Lubitsch comedy.
Day of Wrath (Danish). Old woman curses her accusors before being burnt to death as witch.
1944
Laura. *Otto Preminger film noir classic with one of the great man (Dana Andrews) sees woman (Gene Tierney) for the first time scenes.
Double Indemnity. Barbara Stanwyck (with Fred McMurray) wants hubby's life insurance money. Billy Wilder directs.
DIRECTOR: Billy Wilder is the great director of black comedies. Some say some go too far. I am not one of those!
Hail The Conquering Hero.* Or is he, in this Preston Sturges comedy. Eddie Bracken stars.
Miracle of Morgan's Creek. * Betty Hutton's pregnant , but who's the pop? Another Sturges classic.
Henry V. Laurence Olivier directs, stars, etc. In this Shakespeare history.
Murder My Sweet.* Dick Powell as hard-boiled Philip Marlowe, detective.
Hairy Ape. William Bendix as stoker in version of O'Neil play.
MAN MEETS WOMAN SCENES. 3 that are the bet in filmdom are Hairy Ape, Laura (both this year) and Bride of Frankenstein.
National Velvet. Spunky girl (Liz Taylor) and Mickey Rooney enter the Grand National Horse Race.
The Uninvited. Dead mother's ghost haunts newlyweds in this dreamy drama.
1945
Children of Paradise.* (Fr.) Theater mime falls in love.
Ivan The Terrible. * Eisenstein bio of 16th century Ivan IV.
Dead of Night. * (Brit.) Gathered group tells dreams that come true. What's going on here?
And Then There Were None.* Agatha Christie mystery of group of 10 then 9 then 8 then 7 then...
Spellbound. Psychiatric mystery with Dali dream sequences. Hitchcock directs.
Lost Weekend. *Ray Milland in the grip of alcohol addiction. Billy Wilder directs.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Elia Kazan directs story of girl trying to escape the tenements.
I Know Where I'm Going. (Brit.) Headstrong girl gets stranded and rethinks her life.
Mildred Pierce Joan Crawford as mom.
Detour Low budget film noir of hitchiker and bad girl.
1946 ****(great foreign films in 45-46)
Great Expectations.* (Brit.) Best version of Dickens? Story of boy coming into means but from who?
It's A Wonderful Life. * Capra Christmas classic about Savings & Loan George Bailey, small town, and angel
Open City. * (It.) Drama of Italian underground in WW2.
Beauty and the Beast. * Jean Cocteau's version of the fairy tale.
Notorious. Post WW2 tale of spies in S. America. Hitchcock directs Grant and Bergman.
The Best Years Of Our Lives 3 Wounded WW2 vets try to readjust to civilian life.
My Darling Clementine.* John Ford western with OK Corral gunfight.
The Killers. Hemingway story of mystery of murdered fighter.
Stairway To Heaven (Brit.) Combat pilot on trial in Heaven's court.
Brief Encounter.* (Brit.) Train station romance is one of the all time best British love stories. Script by Noel Coward.
Gilda. Legendary beauty Rita Hayworth at her sexiest best.
1947
Miracle On 34th Street* Real or fake Santa tests little girls belief in Christmas classic. Superb film for any time.
Monsieur Verdoux. * Black comedy of husband who murders wives for $$$.
The Ghost & Mrs Muir Sophisticated love story with him a sea captain from the beyond.
Body And Soul John Garfield in classic boxing story.
Crossfire Violent vet chased by police.
Odd Man Out (Brit.) Rebel leader chased by police.
Double LifeActor, Ronald Coleman plays (or is) Othello.
Out Of The Past Robert Mitchum bewitched by a beauty in this film noir.
1948 ****
Fallen Idol. * (Brit.) Boy sees servant framed for murder.
Unfaithfully Yours.* Sturges comedy of jealous symphony conductor - husband, Rex Harrison with the greatest -into the eye -zoom on film.
State Of The Union* Spencer Tracy (wife, Hepburn) runs for president. One of Frank Capra's best.
Treasure Of The Sierra Madre Bogart searches for treasure. Deserves awards but 'no stinkin badges!' John Huston directs.
Red River. * Trail boss, John Wayne on Cattle Drive, directed by John Ford. One of the best films for both Johns.
Lady From Shanghai* Mysterious Rita Hayworth trapped in a hall of mirrors climax - one of the most fascinating film finale scenes of all time. Orson Welles directs.
Red Shoes (Brit.) Ballerina is torn between composer and dancer. Oliver Twist (Brit.) Best version of Dickens urchin tale. David Lean directs.
Foreign Affair Romance in post WW2 Berlin. Jean Arthur and Marlene Dietrich in Billy Wilder comedy.
Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House A nightmare of a project for Cary Grant and the Mrs, Myrna Loy. Comedy.
One Touch Of Venus Piece of fluff about Venus statue, Ava Garner, that comes to life makes up for the films misses with her incredible beauty.
1949 ****
FILMMAKING REACHES A PEAK: Note the complexity and sophistication of the best films made from 1948's State Of The Union and Miracle On 34th St. to 1949's The Third Man and The Bicycle Theif to 1950's All About Eve and Sunset Boulvard. This is a little appreciated era of subtle well crafted masterpieces with '49 a standout year!
The Third Man* Certainly one of the all time best. Post WW2 Vienna and Harry's dead? Joseph Cotten and that zither star.
The Bicycle Thief.* (It.) Bike means everything in tough times. And somebody has stolen it. An all time great film.
Jour De Fette.* (Fr.) Not since the silents has there been slapstick films like those of Jacques Tati. Here he plays a postman trying to modernize.
Kind Hearts And Coronets.* Wicked family inheritance comedy with all 8 murder victims played by Alec Guinness in a tour de force performance.
All The Kings Men Broderick Crawford plays a charismatic Huey Long type politician.
White Heat Gangster James Cagney ends it with "Top of the world Ma!"
Intruder In The Dust William Faulkner's story about murder in a small Southern town.
Champion Kirk Douglas as mean boxer in and out of the ring.
FILMS ON SPORTS. Note that more classic films have been written on the sport of boxing than any other. It's man battling man theme often metamorphs to man battling himself and/or the world.
The Heiress. Henry James story of daughter's love for boy versus father's inheritance.
Secret Garden New girl fixes garden then crippled boy .
The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow / The Wind In The WillowsA double bill of animated children's classics from Disney.
On The Town. On leave sailors, Sinatra and Kelly, sing and dance on location in New York.
Letter To Three Wives All 3 receive letter from woman who has run off with one of their husbands.
Adam's Rib. Tracy & Hepburn as married lawyers on opposite sides in a trial.
On To Musea's Guide to the Movies part 2 or