Movies - TV
15 Best Films Of The 1940s
By AUDREY FOX
A Matter of Life and Death
“A Matter of Life and Death,” tells the story of a World War II pilot who miraculously survives a plane crash, only to find out that he lived because heaven made a clerical error. When heaven tries to correct their mistake, the pilot gets a chance to make a case for his continued survival, making this movie sublimely human and philosophically moving.
Beauty and the Beast
Cocteau’s adaption of the classic French fairy tale has a visually compelling elegance and unique flourishes, like the choice to use the same actor to play the Beast and the spurned lover. The New York Times described the film as "a fabric of gorgeous visual metaphors, of undulating movements and rhythmic pace, of hypnotic sounds and music [...]".
Ball of Fire
“Balls of Fire” is a snappy modernization of “Snow White,” with Barbara Stanwyck as a night club singer who winds up in the home of Professor Potts — played by Gary Cooper — and his eccentric scholar roommates. The film is a silly and joyous romantic comedy that sees Stanwyck and Cooper at their best, alongside a cast fulll of chemistry.
The Shop Around the Corner
Like an early version of “You’ve Got Mail,” this film tells the story of two hostile co-workers who begin writing anonymous love letters without knowing that they’re writing to each other. The movie stars James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, and while the two have excellent chemistry, the film’s charms extend far beyond its leading couple.
Letter from an Unknown Woman
On its surface, this film is a romance about a young woman that falls in love with an older man who at first doesn't notice her but eventually falls in love with her. However, it has an overwhelming melancholy, leading the Chicago Reader to describe it as “a breathtaking, bitter, exquisitely orchestrated exploration of love and selfishness […]”
Continue Reading
15 Best Films Of The 1940s
Read More
15 Best Films Of The 1930s
The 15 Best Historical Romance Movies Ranked