Film Shots Of The Decade: 1940s Edition
A look at film shots released between 1940 and 1949.
Having curated my Film Shots of the Decade series from other decades— see here for Film Shots of the 1960s, Film Shots of the 1970s, Film Shots of the 1980s, Film Shots of the 1990s, Film Shots of the 2000s, and Film Shots of the 2010s), I thought it would be fun to go even further back in time to… the 1940s.
The 1940s were… “interesting”, to say the least. World War 2 was underway; Europe was under attack; America and Japan wouldn’t get involved right away. Over in Hollywood, the Hays Code reigned supreme in its censorship.
And yet, this era yielded some true gems of cinema— and I haven’t even included Citizen Kane!
As with past entries, the goal was not to select the definitive “best shots ever” from the “best films ever”. They are simply shots from movies that I like made during this time period.
As with an earlier list of shots arranged in alphabetical order, there are two rules for selecting the films— and thereby, the shots:
One film from each year;
The same director cannot be featured twice.
What films from the 1940s era do you like best? What shots do you love from them? If your favorite films and shots aren’t included, please share your answers in the comments!
His Girl Friday — Howard Hawks, 1940
The Lady Eve — Preston Sturges, 1941
To Be Or Not To Be — Ernst Lubitsch, 1942
Shadow of a Doubt — Alfred Hitchcock, 1943
The Uninvited — Lewis Allen, 1944
Brief Encounter — David Lean, 1945
La Belle et la Bête — Jean Cocteau, 1946
That’s some real Freudian imagery right there that’s missing in the Disney version. And the Disney version is the poorer for it.
The Lady from Shanghai — Orson Welles, 1947
The Red Shoes — Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1948
The Third Man — Carol Reed, 1949
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Long live the movies!
D.L. Holmes