All rights reserved. Fantasia - (1940, James Algar) (Disney Animated film, Deems Taylor - Narrator (1940 original) 22. This movie revealed the previously classified story behind Britain's "bouncing bombs," which the RAF's 617 Squadron used to destroy German dams in 1943. Here are some of the serious movies made in British studios during the 1940s. However Goodbye Mr Chips, How Green was my Valley and Mrs Miniver are American films. There's probably a good reason for that inspiration, since the special effects shots were overseen by Gilbert Taylor, whose long career included a job as cinematographer on "Star Wars.". Search our collection of Top 10 lists sorted by type: Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock were doing some of their best work. "The Dam Busters" is not available to stream or purchase digitally, most likely because of that poor dog's name. Put a group of French, British and Polish men determined to escape in one place, and they're going to come up with a series of ingenious plans. Emond O’Brien is the astute lawyer, Ella Raines a flirtatious working girl, Vincent Price the glowering businessman hiding behind his charisma, and William Bendix a straight-laced cop. When you look at the variety and scope of films made in the 1940s, it really is one of the greatest decades for film. Colditz was supposed to be escape-proof and was used to house prisoners who made repeated escape attempts from other camps. The dog is black, and Gibson has given him a truly unfortunate name, one that inspired a pre-title card at the movie's beginning warning audiences that the film reflects cultural attitudes of the era that may no longer be acceptable. Henry V (Olivier, 1944) Laurence Olivier, whilst serving with the British Fleet Air Arm … I miss the old golden age of Hollywood with dramatic and luxurious epics. The film is based on Noel Coward’s one-act play from 1936. Probably trumped by the Powell and Pressburger comic fantasies during World War II, Humphrey Jennings’ film is a more sombre look at British life in the face of conflict. Today, most epics flop at the box office . Films 188 Comments 12 ... Any additional suggestions are welcome, however. Not really. British Council film archive Take a trip down memory lane with this rights-free collection of over 100 short documentaries about wartime Britain, made by us during the 1940s. There are real consequences for both villagers and troops, and the deaths aren't underplayed. At times it feels like we have four actors playing their ever-handy archetypes. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. David Lean masterfully adapts Charles Dickens’ novel for the screen. The Time of Their Lives 1946, 82 min. "Dunkirk" is also available to stream or buy online. The 1940s saw the rise of Technicolor but also of film noir … Have you ever seen a psychological drama about a group of nuns in an isolated Himalayan convent before? Martita Hunt was never finer, No-one can ever match the brilliant work of David Lean with such memorable movies like GREAT EXPECTATIONS, TIS HAPPY BREED, PASSAGE TO INDIA and OLIVER TWIST, Your email address will not be published. The British film industry was very active in the 1940s, and not only with comedies such as those featured in my recent Ealing Comedies game. Anson, dreams of enjoying an ice-cold lager in his favorite bar once they arrive in Alexandria (hence the title), and it's that beer (with dew forming on the glass) that keeps him motivated through all the crises the group encounters along the way. Richard Collins III was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army shortly before his death. Charlotte Rampling scored her first Oscar nod as Kate Mercer, one half of a long-married couple nearing a key milestone. British WW2 films by Edna Sweetlove. On its face, the movie looks like it's going to be a heartwarming story about plucky civilians who foil an enemy plot to establish a beachhead for a coming invasion. Directed by: Andrew HaighStarring: Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay Two giants of British screen acting, surprisingly working together for the first time, make a combustible double-act in this Norfolk-set two-hander. Discover More on Top10Films.co.uk: Free Classic Movies from the 1920's,1930's, 1940's and 1950's of the Crime,Detective or Film-Noir Genre all in the Public Domain, edited to reduce video noise. The Marine Corps hit a milestone when three women completed drill instructor school at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. This is a deliciously dark comic tale that has lost none of its sly sophistication. I would be very interested in seeing the rest especially the David Lean movies. I’ve seen and own 1,2, and 4. The Magnificent Ambersons - (1942, Orson Welles) (Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello) 23. Laurence Olivier, whilst serving with the British Fleet Air Arm during the second world war, starred in and directed this wholly patriotic film from the play from William Shakespeare. Based on a short story by Graham Greene, "Went the Day Well?" Does it matter that fear of German invasion in Britain had almost totally receded by 1942? While that does describe the plot, it doesn't suggest the violence and brutality the movie depicts. Cast John Mills, Valerie … Never heard of ‘Odd Man Out’. The Great Dictator - (1940, Charles Chaplin) (Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie) 21. How could I forget?! Explore the archive Even if that version kept in the action sequences so effective here, it's the dread created in quieter scenes that make the film so effective. Biden will arrive at the White House with the smallest military presence in Afghanistan in nearly two decades. During the previous decade, films had helped audiences cope with the privations of the Great Depression and the loss of two kings. Cinema proved crucial to national survival in the 1940s. 2. They're accompanied by a South African officer (Anthony Quayle), who may not be what he seems. Great Expectations, for me, is the finest piece of cinema these shores ever produced, with Fires Were Started coming a very close second. Mills' character, Capt. Michael Redgrave plays the visionary engineer who conceives and designs the devices, and Richard Todd is the RAF pilot who leads the raid. Christopher Nolan's classic 2017 "Dunkirk" plunges viewers into three different perspectives (land, sea, air) and three different timelines (week, day, hour) to give a sense of the chaos of war from the battlefield perspective. He is the third of four U.S. service members — two SEALs and two Marines — to face a court martial for the death of Melgar. Recently, the film found its way into our Top 10 films to watch before going to film school. @Max: I don’t think many films reach the level of The Third Man but I would say if you are a fan of that film Odd Man Out is definitely worth seeing, as are all of these films. Larry Rendall Brock Jr., an Air Force veteran seen brandishing zip tie handcuffs during the pro-Trump siege at the U.S... Capt. Film Movement is a small distributor that's doing amazing work in making available a wide variety of lesser-known films from around the world. Best Foreign Films. That these charming British character types are required to react with such sudden ferocity gives the movie a sense of real consequence missing from most homefront films. The action scenes are riveting, and much of the movie was shot on location in Libya. Using real firemen playing fictional roles, Fires Were Started follows the men of a fire station during intense German bombing raids. As DoD officials look into reports of military participants, legal experts weigh in on what charges they might face. . 1940s (3) 20th Century Literature On Screen (3) Bar (3) Bare Chested Male (3) British Humoristic Literature On Screen (3) British Literature On Screen (3) Car Crash (3) Cemetery (3) Class Differences (3) Deception (3) England (3) European Literature On Screen (3) Explosion (3) Gun (3) Hotel (3) Humoristic Literature On Screen (3) Literature On Screen (3) Pistol (3) Police (3) One of the memorable classics! Argued by many as the greatest film ever made, Carol Reed’s The Third Man follows an American searching for the killer of his best friend in war-torn Vienna. And though the best British films will arguably always be those led b posh accents, grand English country estates, and Colin Firth, the movies on this list prove there's so … It quickly becomes apparent when looking at the films released during the decade that many of cinema’s most memorable, timeless and influential works appeared during the ten years between 1940 and 1949. Bradford. Gaze in wonder at just how bloody many of them there have been. 1939. Charles Barton • Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marjorie … It is given further resonance thanks to a thoughtful script that intelligently looks at morality and social existence. If you think you saw it back in the day, the version released theatrically in the United States cut out half the movie. What are your favourite British films from the 1940s? We’re lucky to be able to revisit this British version of the stage play at all. Launder and Gilliat jointly made the propagandist Millions Like Us before alternating directing chores on a series of wittily scripted, beautifully crafted entertainments including Two Thousand Women (1944), The Rake's Progress (1945), I See A Dark Stranger (1946), Captain Boycott (1947) and London Belongs To Me … I haven’t seen all of these, but glad to see Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes included. Written, directed and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, The Red Shoes is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale and follows the story of a ballerina who must choose between her life on the stage and true love. Emily Rainey is scheduled to leave the Army in April after resigning her commission over earlier incidents. Agree with almost all inclusions – but the order is entirely wrong! In my opinion Undoutedly, Great Expectations must be high on the list. Originally part of a shortlist for the best films of the 1940s, I struggled to cut the group to just ten. A popular British classic, this is the sort of movie often found nestling in afternoon schedules on BBC2, its status as cosy nostalgic treat signalled by the casting of John Mills as leading man – the proverbial plucky Tommy personified, the underdog everyman. Gaslight (1940) Here are the best. See the A – Z of films featured on Top 10 Films, Review: “25th Hour” Sees New York City Exposed, Vulnerable & Licking Its Wounds, Top 10 Johnny Depp Performances In The 1990s, Review: “Night Of The Running Man” Reminds Me Why I Can’t Stand Andrew McCarthy, 10 Unforgettable Films About Troubled Adolescents, Review: “Tremors” Finds A Lovable Harmony Between Comedy & Horror, Review: “The Fifth Element” Is A Flawed But Weirdly Attractive Acid Space Dream, Review: “Blinded By The Light” Will Leave You Grinning From Ear To Ear, Review: Jeff Goldblum Experiences An Unconventional Existential Journey “Into The Night”, Review: “Logan Lucky” – Street Savvy & High-Spirited, Review: “A Severed Head” Cuts Off The Sympathy Gene. 1940: 21 Days: Basil Dean: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Leslie Banks: Drama: Filmed in 1937 All at Sea: Herbert Smith: Sandy Powell, Kay Walsh: Comedy: At the Villa Rose: Walter Summers: Judy Kelly, Keneth Kent, Clifford Evans: Mystery: Band Waggon: Marcel Varnel: Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch: Comedy: Blind Folly: Reginald Denham: Clifford Mollison, Lilli Palmer: Comedy It's a movie that deserves a wider audience and, if that requires dubbing in an innocuous name for the dog, let's hope someone gets around to that soon. Watch these free Classic Mysteries Thru Opera TV, which is on many devices including TiVo. The Web (1947) – source: Universal Pictures. Most of them are also available for purchase or rent via digital stores like iTunes, Amazon, VUDU or FandangoNOW. It really does deserve to be better known. Does it come any where close to achieving the greatness of ‘The Third Man’? Navy Secretary Braithwaite apologized that it took more than 75 years since World War II ended to honor the fallen chaplain. The movie takes a few liberties with the actual details as to which prisoners tried to escape at which time, but the movie's thrilling central escape really happened in much the same way it's portrayed in the film. Symphony ’ through the streets of Edinburgh Shoes included Sexy Beast and Lock Stock. Corner the market on great World War II ended to honor the fallen chaplain of German invasion in Britain almost! 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