Many think the greatest film of all-time was made during this decade. Some would argue that three or four of the best were made in this decade. I would argue none of the top ten, quite possibly none of the top 20 and possibly none of the top 30 were made in this decade. It might even be worse than that.
Let me start by saying AFI's continued #1 Citizen Kane is a movie I despise. I appreciate the continuous shots and the cinematography, but the movie is painfully slow, painfully boring and the ending is like a kick in the nut sack. This decade also produced everyones favorite holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life. I would rather watch someone break into my house and burn my Christmas tree down instead of watching this drivel. Jimmy Stewart does for acting what cold water does for erections. I can't emphasize how much I hate this movie. And then there is the Grapes of Wrath. I couldn't wait to see this. Steinbeck! Fonda! Depression era tale! Oh my god is this movie monotonous. It's like watching a tumbleweed roll across the desert for two and half hours. The only difference is you actually have hope for the tumbleweed. To be honest, I had a hard time with the 40's. I checked my list (I'm pathetic, I know) and I could only find one 5-star movie and it's animated.
10. Casablanca - I just don't know what it is about this movie. I've seen it a half dozen times, even recently and I just don't get the allure. I like Bogey, like Bergman, but the movie just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's those famous lines that have beaten to death. I honestly don't know. I know it's a good movie, but great? Far from it. Still, in the lean 40's it still gets a top ten nod.
9. The Big Sleep - One of the original classic film noir crime dramas casts Bogart in the role of PI Philip Marlowe. Co-starring is Lauren Bacall. This team oozed chemistry and this movie works because of it. The great Howard Hawks directs.
8. Little Women - This adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel stars Mary Astor, with Elizabeth Taylor, June Allyson, Janet Leigh and Margaret O'Brien as the daughters. The story is of a mother caring for her four kids while her husband fights in the Civil War. What's so interesting about this film, is that it may be the only film to be listed in the top ten of two different decades. The story is timeless.
7. The Lost Weekend - Ray Milland stars in Billy Wilder's film about an alcoholic left alone for a weekend in which his need to drink sends him spiraling out of control. President Reagan's ex Jane Wyman co-stars. A very scary look at alcoholism as a disease.
6. Dumbo - one of my favorite Disney films. I watched this a thousand times when my brother was little and loved it. What's so special about this movie is that a kid will love the antics for the tiny elephant and the songs (especially the dream sequence with the pink elephants), but adults will realize it's a tale about embracing your insecurities and what makes you difference and overcoming or appreciating that not everyone is the same.
5. Lifeboat - When I first saw this, I had no idea it was based on a Steinbeck Novel (who I like) or that it was directed by Hitchcock (who I hate...yes I am a film buff and I just said I hate Alfred Hitchcock). It's one of those films, like 12 Angry Men or Dog Day Afternoon, where people are trapped in one spot and must come to terms with different obstacles. This movie throws a little wrench in the works when eight survivors of a German torpedo attack cram into a life boat. The movie's twist comes when one of the survivors reveals he is in fact a Nazi. Tallulah Bankhead, Hume Cronyn and Walter Slezak star. It should be noted that this movie was made during the war.
4. The Treasure of Sierra Madre - Many would probably have this movie listed at the very top of the list. Maybe even without decades involved. This John Huston film, starring Bogey, Tim Holt and Walter Huston shows three gold prospectors looking for riches with the thought that they'd split it evenly. The movie is a tale of greed and betrayal. A bit too long in my opinion, but definitely a classic 40's film.
3. The Maltese Falcon - Another John Huston/Bogey collaboration. This time, Bogey plays PI Sam Spade. Who is hired by the lovely Mary Astor to protect her. People end up dead and Spade is on the case. The case brings him into and underworld with three criminals trying to find a statue (the Maltese Falcon). I always liked this movie, because it was one of the few I read before I watched. Dashiel Hammet's novel was the inspiration. Peter Lorre co-stars.
2. Laurence Olivier's Hamlet - Take the best Shakespearean actor ever, add one of the best Shakespeare plays and you have the perfect recipe for success. Other than his later in life portrayal in King Lear, this is my favorite Olivier performance. Co-stars Jean Simmons and future B-movie horror stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
1. Fantasia - made more than seventy years ago, this blend of amazing animation and incredible music is perfect. That's all one can say. Eight different segments come together for one incredible move. It's been years since I've watched it beginning to end, but something tells me it's getting bumped up on my Netflix queue.
On To the 30's. A much richer decade.
Let me start by saying AFI's continued #1 Citizen Kane is a movie I despise. I appreciate the continuous shots and the cinematography, but the movie is painfully slow, painfully boring and the ending is like a kick in the nut sack. This decade also produced everyones favorite holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life. I would rather watch someone break into my house and burn my Christmas tree down instead of watching this drivel. Jimmy Stewart does for acting what cold water does for erections. I can't emphasize how much I hate this movie. And then there is the Grapes of Wrath. I couldn't wait to see this. Steinbeck! Fonda! Depression era tale! Oh my god is this movie monotonous. It's like watching a tumbleweed roll across the desert for two and half hours. The only difference is you actually have hope for the tumbleweed. To be honest, I had a hard time with the 40's. I checked my list (I'm pathetic, I know) and I could only find one 5-star movie and it's animated.
10. Casablanca - I just don't know what it is about this movie. I've seen it a half dozen times, even recently and I just don't get the allure. I like Bogey, like Bergman, but the movie just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's those famous lines that have beaten to death. I honestly don't know. I know it's a good movie, but great? Far from it. Still, in the lean 40's it still gets a top ten nod.
9. The Big Sleep - One of the original classic film noir crime dramas casts Bogart in the role of PI Philip Marlowe. Co-starring is Lauren Bacall. This team oozed chemistry and this movie works because of it. The great Howard Hawks directs.
8. Little Women - This adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel stars Mary Astor, with Elizabeth Taylor, June Allyson, Janet Leigh and Margaret O'Brien as the daughters. The story is of a mother caring for her four kids while her husband fights in the Civil War. What's so interesting about this film, is that it may be the only film to be listed in the top ten of two different decades. The story is timeless.
7. The Lost Weekend - Ray Milland stars in Billy Wilder's film about an alcoholic left alone for a weekend in which his need to drink sends him spiraling out of control. President Reagan's ex Jane Wyman co-stars. A very scary look at alcoholism as a disease.
6. Dumbo - one of my favorite Disney films. I watched this a thousand times when my brother was little and loved it. What's so special about this movie is that a kid will love the antics for the tiny elephant and the songs (especially the dream sequence with the pink elephants), but adults will realize it's a tale about embracing your insecurities and what makes you difference and overcoming or appreciating that not everyone is the same.
5. Lifeboat - When I first saw this, I had no idea it was based on a Steinbeck Novel (who I like) or that it was directed by Hitchcock (who I hate...yes I am a film buff and I just said I hate Alfred Hitchcock). It's one of those films, like 12 Angry Men or Dog Day Afternoon, where people are trapped in one spot and must come to terms with different obstacles. This movie throws a little wrench in the works when eight survivors of a German torpedo attack cram into a life boat. The movie's twist comes when one of the survivors reveals he is in fact a Nazi. Tallulah Bankhead, Hume Cronyn and Walter Slezak star. It should be noted that this movie was made during the war.
4. The Treasure of Sierra Madre - Many would probably have this movie listed at the very top of the list. Maybe even without decades involved. This John Huston film, starring Bogey, Tim Holt and Walter Huston shows three gold prospectors looking for riches with the thought that they'd split it evenly. The movie is a tale of greed and betrayal. A bit too long in my opinion, but definitely a classic 40's film.
3. The Maltese Falcon - Another John Huston/Bogey collaboration. This time, Bogey plays PI Sam Spade. Who is hired by the lovely Mary Astor to protect her. People end up dead and Spade is on the case. The case brings him into and underworld with three criminals trying to find a statue (the Maltese Falcon). I always liked this movie, because it was one of the few I read before I watched. Dashiel Hammet's novel was the inspiration. Peter Lorre co-stars.
2. Laurence Olivier's Hamlet - Take the best Shakespearean actor ever, add one of the best Shakespeare plays and you have the perfect recipe for success. Other than his later in life portrayal in King Lear, this is my favorite Olivier performance. Co-stars Jean Simmons and future B-movie horror stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
1. Fantasia - made more than seventy years ago, this blend of amazing animation and incredible music is perfect. That's all one can say. Eight different segments come together for one incredible move. It's been years since I've watched it beginning to end, but something tells me it's getting bumped up on my Netflix queue.
On To the 30's. A much richer decade.
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