1940s

  • D. Ross Lederman – The Last Ride (1944)

    USA1941-1950CrimeD. Ross LedermanMystery

    Synopsis:
    A police lieutenant sets out to break up a ring of tire bootleggers–criminals who sell defective tires to customers who can’t get new ones because of the rubber shortage brought about by the war. His task is complicated by the fact that his brother is mixed up in the racket and that they are both in love with the same girl.Read More »

  • Lewis Allen – Desert Fury (1947)

    1941-1950CrimeFilm NoirLewis AllenQueer Cinema(s)USA

    Quote:
    Fritzi Haller is a powerful casino owner in Chuckawalla, Nevada. Her daughter Paula (having quit school) returns at the same time as racketeer Eddie Bendix, who left under suspicion of murdering his wife. Paula and Eddie become involved; each for their own reasons, Fritzi, Paula’s old beau Tom, and Eddie’s pal Johnny try to break up the relationship. Then Eddie’s past catches up with him in an unexpected way.Read More »

  • Lance Comfort – Temptation Harbour (1947)

    1941-1950CrimeDramaLance ComfortUnited Kingdom

    Synopsis:
    A signalman on a quay sees a fight between two men. One of the men is deliberately pushed into the water and the signalman cannot save him, but decides to keep his suitcase which later finds is full of banknotes with a value of £5000.Read More »

  • Gordon Douglas & Henry Levin – Mr. Soft Touch (1949)

    1941-1950CrimeDramaGordon DouglasHenry LevinUSA

    Synopsis:
    Just before Christmas, Joe Miracle, a returning WWII war hero, comes home to learn that gangster Barney Teener has taken over his nightclub and murdered Joe’s partner. Joe loots the club’s safe for $100,000 and then finds sanctuary in a settlement house ran by Jenny Jones. Mistaking him for a down-and-out musician, she helps him understand the importance of her work. “Early” Byrd, a newspaper columnist, learns Joe’s true identity and writes a column that puts Barney on his trail. The gangsters recover the money, after setting fire to the settlement house, but Joe steals it again, and returns to the gutted welfare house disguised as Santa Claus, and gives the money to Jenny to rebuild. There, Tenner and his gang catch up to Joe.Read More »

  • Bailu Feng – Bai yi zhan shi AKA Soldier in White (1949)

    1941-1950Bailu FengChinaChinese cinema under MaoDramaWar

    A heroic People’s Liberation Army nurse continues caring for wounded and getting them safely to hospital even though she has been wounded.Read More »

  • Joseph Losey – The Boy with Green Hair (1948)

    1941-1950ClassicsDramaJoseph LoseyUSA

    ”A strange movie that remains in the memory years after you’ve seen it. It’s silly, sentimental and has a ridiculous premise, but also lasting power. Stockwell is a 12-year-old sent to live in the country with his singing-waiter grandfather O’Brien after his parents are killed in the Blitz. The shock of this turns Stockwell’s hair green, leading the townsfolk to vilify him and forcing the child to understand that a different appearance can be hard, but can make you strong. It’s a fable on racism and the horror of war for children.” – Channel4 comRead More »

  • Henry King – The Song of Bernadette [+commentary] (1943)

    1941-1950ClassicsDramaHenry KingUSA

    Synopsis:
    In 1858 France, Bernadette, an adolescent peasant girl, has a vision of “a beautiful lady” in the city dump. She never claims it to be anything other than this, but the townspeople all assume it to be the virgin Mary. The pompous government officials think she is nuts, and do their best to suppress the girl and her followers, and the church wants nothing to do with the whole matter. But as Bernadette attracts wider and wider attention, the phenomenon overtakes everyone in the the town, and transforms their lives.Read More »

  • Jacques Tati – L’école des facteurs AKA The School for Postmen (1947)

    1941-1950ComedyFranceJacques TatiShort Film

    Synopsis:
    School for Postmen (French: L’École des facteurs) is a short film directed by Jacques Tati in 1947. Tati plays a French postman adamant to prove he can be just as fast as American postmen at delivering mail. The film includes several sight gags that involve his bicycle. He replicated most of the action here in his first major feature film, Jour de fête, released two years later.Read More »

  • Nadezhda Kosheverova & Mikhail Shapiro – Zolushka AKA Cinderella (1947)

    1941-1950FantasyMikhail ShapiroMusicalNadezhda KosheverovaUSSR

    It is one of those happy memories of our childhood, which sometimes is better to leave untouched in order to preserve the first naive impressions. The fabulous atmosphere and unusual interpretation of the story, together with the vivid images of the characters and magnificent game of actors create the truly magnetic effect. Even though the film is shot during the times of post-war hardships, it is filled with such a kindness and sincerity that you want to watch it again and again. At this difficult time Yevgeny Shwarts, Nadezhda Kosheverova and Mikhail Shapiro managed to create a beautiful fairytale, which fills the hearts of viewers with the unforgettable sense of miracle.Read More »

Back to top button