1940s

  • Roy Del Ruth – It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

    Roy Del Ruth1941-1950ComedyRomanceUSA

    It was remade in Bollywood twice… Pugree (1948) and Dil Daulat Duniya (1972).

    It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) is a motion picture comedy, directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Victor Moore, Ann Harding, Don DeFore, Charles Ruggles and Gale Storm. Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story, losing to Valentine Davies for another Christmas-themed story, Miracle on 34th Street.Read More »

  • William Castle – Undertow (1949)

    William Castle1941-1950Film NoirUSA

    Hal Erikson, AMG wrote:
    Undertow stars Scott Brady as a gambler just out of wartime military service. No longer interested in wagers and speculations, Brady wants only to open up a mountain vacation lodge. Before this can take place, Brady is framed for murder, and forced to hide out in the home of Peggy Dow. With the help of Dow and a policeman friend, Brady searches for the real murderer. Watch carefully in Undertow and you’ll spot new Universal contractee “Roc” Hudson as a plainclothes detective.Read More »

  • Fred Zinnemann – Act of Violence (1948)

    Fred Zinnemann1941-1950250 Quintessential Film NoirsFilm NoirThrillerUSA
    Act of Violence (1948)
    Act of Violence (1948)

    Synopsis: A former prisoner of war, Frank Enley is hailed as a hero in his California town. However, Frank has a shameful secret that comes back to haunt him when fellow survivor Joe Parkson emerges, intent on making Frank pay for his past deeds.Read More »

  • Lewis Milestone – The North Star (1943)

    Lewis Milestone1941-1950DramaUSAWar
    The North Star (1943)
    The North Star (1943)

    The North Star (also known as Armored Attack in the US) is a 1943 pro-resistance war film starring Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Walter Huston, Walter Brennan and Erich von Stroheim It was produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It was directed by Lewis Milestone, written by Lillian Hellman and featured production design by William Cameron Menzies. The music was written by Aaron Copland, the lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and the cinematography by James Wong Howe. The film also marked the debut of Farley Granger.

    The film is about the resistance of Ukrainian villagers, through guerrilla tactics, against the German invaders of the Ukrainian SSR. The film is considered to be pro-Soviet propaganda at the height of the war.Read More »

  • Orson Welles – Macbeth (1948)

    Orson Welles1941-1950ClassicsDramaUSAWilliam Shakespeare
    Macbeth (1948)
    Macbeth (1948)

    Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.Read More »

  • Lewis Allen – The Unseen (1945)

    Lewis Allen1941-1950Film NoirMysteryUSA
    The Unseen (1945)
    The Unseen (1945)

    Quote:
    A secretive widower hires a governess for his children, a willful boy and impressionable girl. Strange occurrences and the governess’s curiosity lead her to unlock the secrets of the mysterious and uninhabited brownstone next door.Read More »

  • Alfred Hitchcock – Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)

    Alfred Hitchcock1941-1950ComedyRomanceUSA
    Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
    Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)

    A couple who have been married for three years are shocked to learn that their marriage is not legally valid.Read More »

  • Francesco De Robertis – Fantasmi del mare (1948)

    1941-1950Francesco De RobertisItalyWar
    Fantasmi del mare (1948)
    Fantasmi del mare (1948)

    IMDB:
    Evocation of a dramatic episode of the Second World War told by an old guard. Boarded as a non-commissioned officer on the battleship sailed from Pola and headed south. In time of danger, the man is forced to sacrifice the lives of seven sailors and the son of the Captain, his good friend, in order to save the rest of the crew.Read More »

  • Jean Dréville – Copie conforme AKA Carbon Copy (1947)

    Jean Dréville1941-1950ComedyCrimeFrance
    Copie conforme (1947)
    Copie conforme (1947)

    Quote:
    A smooth criminal, who turns to be Manuel Ismora, and his gang successfully and peacefully pull off con after heist. Elsewhere a timid office worker, Gabriel Dupon, is pressured by his boss into making a sale. A chain of events causes him to get mixed up with the criminal, and get arrested. Lack of evidence ensures Dupon’s release, but brings him to the attention of the criminal who persuades him into cooperation. Ismora exploits the fact that Dupon looks so much like him that they could be – carbon copies.Read More »

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