1940s

  • Kiyoshi Saeki – Kita no san-nin AKA Three Women of the North (1945)

    1941-1950DramaJapanKiyoshi SaekiWar

    Japan’s Last World War Propaganda Film
    The last film produced under the national film policy before Japan’s capitulation in August 1945. “Kita no san-nin” stars an impressive cast of Japanese stars such as Setsuko Hara, Hideko Takamine, Susumu Fujita and Takashi Shimura in a last attempt to boost the public’s support for the war. The film is set at a little airport in the North of the country, where three young women are part of the military radiocommunication unit, supporting the local pilots and airport staff. Their joined effort and their private hardships bring these women together, such as the death of Yoshie’s brother who also used to be Sumiko’s fiancé. By showing the young woman’s efforts as pure and good, the film delivers its propaganda message: endure your hardships for the greater cause.
    The film was only screened once after it’s relase in August 1945 and then – not very suprisingly – locked away by the American occupation forces. The top cast, the melodramatic take on propaganda and some decent action scenes however render it an interesting part of Japanese film history.

    683MB | 1h 09m | 658×462 | avi

    https://nitro.download/view/88A73DF36D7F49B/Kiyoshi_Saeki_-_Kita_no_san-nin_(1945).mkv
    https://nitro.download/view/159C8AE5A9A3752/Kiyoshi_Saeki_-_Kita_no_san-nin_(1945).srt

    Language:Japanese
    Subtitles:English

  • John Ford – She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

    1941-1950DramaJohn FordUSAWestern

    Synopsis:
    After Custer and the 7th Cavalry are wiped out by Indians, everyone expects the worst. Capt. Nathan Brittles is ordered out on patrol but he’s also required to take along Abby Allshard, wife of the Fort’s commanding officer, and her niece, the pretty Olivia Dandridge, who are being evacuated for their own safety. Brittles is only a few days away from retirement and Olivia has caught the eye of two of the young officers in the Company, Lt. Flint Cohill and 2nd Lt. Ross Pennell. She’s taken to wearing a yellow ribbon in her hair, a sign that she has a beau in the Cavalry, but refuses to say for whom she is wearing it.Read More »

  • Gustaf Molander – Rid i natt! AKA Ride This Night (1942)

    1941-1950DramaGustaf MolanderSweden

    Quote:
    “Ride tonight!” – In the south of Sweden, some farmers get into trouble when the German Count is forcing them to perform day labor for him. But a man refuses to bow to the German Count.Read More »

  • Jean Dréville – La ferme du pendu (1945)

    1941-1950DramaFranceJean Dréville

    On a huge farm in the Vendee, the death of the patriarch leaves behind 3 brothers and a sister. The eldest brother refuses to consider dividing the property. In order to cement his hold on the family, he uses his authority to keep his siblings from marrying… La Ferme du pendu is a well-built, intense rural drama portraying the relentless determination of a man whose attachment to the land becomes a destructive obsession. It also serves as a near-documentary depiction of peasant life between the wars. Dréville keeps a certain distance from his characters and avoids all overblown drama. The cast is remarkable: Charles Vanel brings great intensity to the ensemble, but all the roles are perfectly portrayed. La Ferme du pendu was also the first credited film role for Bourvil, playing a small role as a shopkeeper which still allows him to sing his famous song, “Les Crayons” during the wedding scene.Read More »

  • Anonymous – The Apple-Knockers and the Coke (1948)

    1941-1950AnonymousEroticaSilentUSA

    Autotranslated from French:
    At first glance, “The Apple Knockers and the Coke” seems like a small, low-profile film, designed to be eye-catching. But this splendid young woman on the screen seems familiar to us… According to the legend of the time, the one who has fun with an apple and a bottle of Coca-Cola would be Norma Jeane Mortenson, the future Marilyn Monroe. Information which will then be denied.Read More »

  • Pierre Billon – L’homme au chapeau rond AKA The Eternal Husband (1946)

    1941-1950DramaFrancePierre Billon

    An adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Le Eternel Mari”, a somber story of marital infidelity, revenge and near madness, and starring Raimu in his last film appearance.Read More »

  • Kenji Mizoguchi – Waga koi wa moenu AKA Flame of My Love (1949)

    Kenji Mizoguchi1941-1950AsianClassicsJapan

    Quote:
    A woman’s struggle for equality in Japan in the 1880s. Eiko Hirayama leaves Okayama for Tokyo, where she helps the fledgling Liberal Party and falls in love with its leader Kentaro Omoi, just as the party is being disbanded by the government. Eiko and Omoi are jailed because of a fire at a factory instigated by Chiyo, a servant girl from Eiko’s home in Okayama, who was sold to slavery. A few years later the 1889 constitution is proclaimed, Eiko, Omoi, and Chiyo are pardoned, and the Liberal Party is reinaugurated. However Omoi does not campaign for women’s rights. – imdbRead More »

  • Masahiro Makino – Hanako-san AKA Miss Hanako (1943)

    1941-1950JapanMasahiro MakinoMusical

    Masahiro Makino’s attempt at a Busby Berkeley-style musical. Quality is mediocre (much better than the older version we had though), but the film is a true revelation! It combines the elaborate kaleidoscopic choreography of Berkeley musicals with a charming down-to-earth comedy narrative.Read More »

  • Alice O’Fredericks – Det brændende Spørgsmaal (1943)

    1941-1950Alice O'FredericksCrimeDenmark

    After three long years the young secretary Bodil is reunited with her former love, Carsten. Unfortunately, she has in the meantime approached the skirt-chaser Hugo. If she wants to have a future with Carsten she has to find a solution but it’s not easy.Read More »

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