1940s Challenge (Official, April 2019)

72aicm · #1

The 1940s Challenge

[Will add a proper screenshot from a proper 1940s movie later]

Goal:
Watch as many movies from the 1940s as possible (from April 1, 2019 to April 30, 2019).

Rules:
- All movies from 1940-1949 are eligble.
- A feature film (anything 40 minutes or over) counts as one entry.
- A total of 60 minutes of short films count as one entry.
- For Mini-Series (40 minute episodes or longer) each episode counts as an entry.
- For Mini-Series with shorter episodes, the 60 minute rule applies.
- Rewatches allowed.

Stuck for ideas of what to watch? Look no further:

Official iCM list:
1940s (IMDB)

Unofficial iCM lists
ICM Forum's Top 250 Films of the 1940s
Taschen's movies of the 40's

Unchecked movies from each of the 10 years, sorted by # of offic…Show

DtC noms doubles:Show

Not sure how to format your post? Check out the Basic rules thread.

Participants:
01. PUNQ 83
02. psychotronicbeatnik 80
03. Traveller 67
04. jdidaco 60
05. RogerTheMovieManiac88 59
06. India Istanbul 49
07. Lonewolf2003 44
08. jeroeno 43
09. Tarris1 38
10. albajos 36
10. sol 36
12. weirdboy 34
13. peeptoad 27
14. sebby 17
15. AB537 15
15. shugs 15
17. frbrown 12
17. maxwelldeux 12
17. OldAle1 12
20. hurluberlu 10
21. Knaldskalle 9
21. ororama 9
21. Simba63 9
21. VincentPrice 9
25. blocho 8
26. 72allinncallme 7
26. flavo5000 7
26. sheikofhyrule 7
29. cinephage 5
29. zzzorf 5
31. 3eyes 3
31. allisoncm 3
31. nimimerkillinen 3
34. connordenney 2
35. Coryn 1
35. Eva_L 1
35. mightysparks 1

maxwelldeux · #2

3eyes · #3

Looking forward to some rewatches.

I reckon 40s TV series/miniseries are a bit thin on the ground, but here's a list of movie serials:

http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?g ... ecade=1940

jeroeno · #4

Yeah I'm in for at least 36 watches.

Traveller · #5

In as well. Plenty to catch up on in this decade for me.

peeptoad · #6

psychotronicbeatnik · #7

3eyes wrote: ↑
March 30th, 2019, 1:14 am
Looking forward to some rewatches.

I reckon 40s TV series/miniseries are a bit thin on the ground, but here's a list of movie serials:

http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?g ... ecade=1940

Thanks for the serials list, 3eyes. In the past they have been treated like mini-series (episodes over 40 minutes = one point, otherwise add the episodes like shorts with 60 minutes = one point) and I wonder if 72 will be doing the same.

72aicm · #8

psychotronicbeatnik wrote: ↑
March 30th, 2019, 6:27 pm

3eyes wrote: ↑
March 30th, 2019, 1:14 am
Looking forward to some rewatches.

I reckon 40s TV series/miniseries are a bit thin on the ground, but here's a list of movie serials:

http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?g ... ecade=1940
Thanks for the serials list, 3eyes. In the past they have been treated like mini-series (episodes over 40 minutes = one point, otherwise add the episodes like shorts with 60 minutes = one point) and I wonder if 72 will be doing the same.

Sure, the miniseries rule applies.

72aicm · #9

maxwelldeux wrote: ↑
March 29th, 2019, 10:53 pm
And don't forget these DtC doubles:

Thanks! Added them to the Op.

Tarris1 · #10

In for a few

psychotronicbeatnik · #11

72allinncallme wrote: ↑
April 1st, 2019, 2:34 pm

psychotronicbeatnik wrote: ↑
March 30th, 2019, 6:27 pm

3eyes wrote: ↑
March 30th, 2019, 1:14 am
Looking forward to some rewatches.

I reckon 40s TV series/miniseries are a bit thin on the ground, but here's a list of movie serials:

http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?g ... ecade=1940
Thanks for the serials list, 3eyes. In the past they have been treated like mini-series (episodes over 40 minutes = one point, otherwise add the episodes like shorts with 60 minutes = one point) and I wonder if 72 will be doing the same.
Sure, the miniseries rule applies.

Super!

shugs · #12

1. Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) - 9/10
Never knew John Steinbeck was nominated for three Oscars.

iCheckMovies · #13

OldAle1 · #14

In, and cool as regards the serials, might watch a couple. Probably won't do too much this month, got a film fest that will occupy a few days - though it does have one 40s film that I'll be seeing.

blocho · #15

1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
My initial reaction to this movie was the same as my initial reaction to Meet John Doe: Well, if you like well-crafted but ridiculous fables of glad tidings and good cheer and the innate decency of people ...
But if there's anything that recommends this movie, it's the way in which Capra, I think accidentally, betrays his long- and well-established fairy tale Americana. The scenes of Pottersville, for one thing, look a lot closer to real America in 1945 than Bedford Falls (at least urban America). And Jimmy Stewart's general freak out is really something else. I've read that Stewart came back from the war a changed man and a changed actor, scarred by the violence he'd seen and perpetrated, and though I think I saw a little bit of that in the westerns he did with Anthony Mann, it seems really clear in It's a Wonderful Life as George Bailey's life starts falling apart. Stewart (and here I'm talking about the Christmas Eve scenes when he berates his family, not his alternate reality adventures with the angel later on) is crazy and scary for a portion of this movie, in a way he never was even in the most desperate scenes in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. That movie showed a decent man beginning to doubt the essential decency of society. This movie shows a decent man losing his decency. It's a far more compelling portrait. I think Capra wanted to leave audiences with his same old-fashioned cornball feeling. Based on the movie's popularity, I guess he succeeded. But to me the movie really communicates immense despair.

2. Great Expectations (1946)
This is my first ever exposure to the work of Dickens, and I definitely see the appeal. As a literary adaptation, this is admirably unstuffy and fluid. It's also well acted and nicely shot. For all that, it doesn't make a huge impression, certainly not one in accordance with its reputation. Notable mostly for appearances by a young Alec Guinness, a very young Jean Simmons, a not old John Mills (but way too old to play someone on the cusp of his 21st birthday) and a scene featuring talking cows.

AB537 · #16

1. 3 Godfathers (John Ford, 1948)

iCheckMovies · #17

1. The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (Clouzot, 1942). Not as (wonderfully) cynical as his later movies, but there are traces of the greatness to follow. Pretty good.

VincentPrice · #18

maxwelldeux · #19

1. The Battle of Russia (1943)
Apparently, I didn't get enough war last month. At least this was lighter propaganda. I mean, I didn't really care for it, but its interesting to watch these for the historical aspect, especially after watching the Netflix doc "Five Came Back." Fun story - during this, when they showed a clip of some Russian propaganda, Wife exclaimed "Whoa - the Russian propaganda is so much better." I agreed, then nerded out for as long as I could until she rolled her eyes.

2. Force of Evil (1948)
Double (DtC). I didn't particularly get into the story, which is always a crapshoot with noirs for me, but everything else about this was fantastic - I was loving the cinematography and how the camera angles made the story work. Not a favorite for me, but a very enjoyable watch.

Tarris1 · #20

1. A Mortal Storm (1940) 8/10

sol · #21

1. The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)

A belated sequel to Harold Lloyd's iconic The Freshman. The film begins well, reusing footage from the silent comedy and effectively adding sound. Recast in the role, Lloyd is also as energetic as ever, but the film sags in the middle. There is a lot of nonsense involving circus animals, none of which is especially interesting until the final thirty minutes that pay amazing homage to Safety Last! with Harold Lloyd once again dangling off a building, only this time with a lion (!). The film goes on for a little too long after this climax though.

2. The Street with No Name (1948)

Narrated like a documentary for the first fifteen minutes, this crime drama attempts to place a more realistic spin on FBI procedures, but the cold and detached narration places an emotional barrier, while the unabashed celebration of the FBI also makes it feel like a propaganda piece. The actual story here though is pretty decent with a lot of tension in the air, largely thanks to Richard Widmark's sinister turn as the crime boss who insists on doing everything the "scientific way". The intense, action-packed final few minutes are powerful too.

Traveller · #22

1. The More the Merrier (1943) - 6/10
2. Portrait of Maria (1944) - 7/10
3. Lowly City (1946) - 6/10
4. Muzi bez krídel (1946) - 7/10
5. The Turning Point (1945) - 6/10
6. The Last Chance (1945) - 6/10

psychotronicbeatnik · #23

1. The Great Lie (1941 / Edmund Goulding) FTV 7+/10
2. Captive Wild Woman (1943 / Edward Dmytryk) FTV 6/10
3. Jungle Woman (1944 / Reginald Le Borg) FTV 4+/10
4. Man Made Monster (1941 / George Waggner) FTV 7+/10

VincentPrice · #24

1. Hangover Square-1945: 10/10 (rewatch)

albajos · #25

01. Force of Evil (1948) USA 12 official list 1 573 checks [DtC 2014] [double]

!seen 1

AB537 · #26

2. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (H.C. Potter, 1948)

weirdboy · #27

1. 49th Parallel (1942) - Michael Powell 6/10

I was able to finish off my "war movies" watchlist and get started on the 1940s challenge all in one go!

frbrown · #28

1. The Biscuit Eater (1940)

Two boys and their dog

cinephage · #29

01. 'Northwest Passage' (Book I -- Rogers' Rangers), by King Vidor (1940) 7,5/10

Beautiful technicolor, great scenery... The indians certainly don't get a fair treatment, as the whole story runs around the destruction of one particular tribe (which still exists today, btw), but to be honest this is a film about the indian war, and we only get to be on the side of the english (the french are not really good guys either), so if you accept this preliminary setting, it didn't really shock me. I enjoyed this movie.

peeptoad · #30

*rewatch
1. The Mummy’s Hand (1940) 7*
2. The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) 6
3. Son of Dracula (1943) 6
4. House of Dracula (1945) 6

Traveller · #31

7. Pastoral Symphony (1946) - 8/10
8. Torment (1944) - 7/10

hurluberlu · #32

1. Western Union (Fritz Lang, 1941) 6

jdidaco · #33

Thank you for hosting, 72allinncallme!

(Screenshots from Blasetti's violent, sensual, "calligraphist" Renaissance tale, 'La cena delle beffe' & Serrano de Osma's delirious flamenco melo-drama 'Embrujo'),

1. Spring Parade (Henry Koster, 1940) 8/10
2. Correo de Indias (Edgar Neville, 1942) 9/10
3. Rojo y negro (Red and Black, Carlos Arévalo, 1942) 9/10
4. La cena delle beffe (The Jester's Supper, Alessandro Blasetti, 1942) 9.5/10
5. Giorno di nozze (Wedding Day, Raffaello Matarazzo, 1942) 8/10
6. Hi Diddle Diddle (Andrew L. Stone, 1943) 8/10
7. La vida en un hilo (Life on a Thread, Edgar Neville, 1945) 9/10
8. Roma città libera (Rome: Free City, Marcello Pagliero, 1946) 9/10
9. Child of Divorce (Richard Fleischer, 1946) 8.5/10
10. Embrujo (The Spell, Carlos Serrano de Osma, 1948) 8.5/10

VincentPrice · #34

2., The Threat-1949: 8/10

SpoilerShow

1. Hangover Square-1945: 10/10 (rewatch)

peeptoad · #35

5. King of the Zombies (1941) 6

hep catsShow

*rewatch
1. The Mummy’s Hand (1940) 7*
2. The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) 6
3. Son of Dracula (1943) 6
4. House of Dracula (1945) 6

Simba63 · #36

I will watch some that are in official lists I'm working on.

1. Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) - 6/10
2. La perla (1947) - 6/10
3. Pin Up Girl (1944) - 5/10

3eyes · #37

1. Command decision (48)

Another coda to War movies challenge - Drama companion to Disney's Victory through air power (except it was made postwar). All talk and no action (not onscreen, that is) - which suited me just fine.

sebby · #38

01 Quai des Orfèvres 1947 5/10
02 my darling clementine 1946 4.5/10
03 brighton rock 1948 5/10
04 on the town 1949 4/10

SpoilerShow

01 Quai des Orfèvres 1947 5/10
02 my darling clemtine 1946 4.5/10
03 brighton rock 1948 5/10
04 on the town 1949 4/10

Tarris1 · #39

3. 4 passi fra le nuvole (1942) 8/10
2. Jane Eyre (1943) 8/10

SpoilerShow

1. A Mortal Storm (1940) 8/10

nimimerkillinen · #40

1. The Set-Up (1949) - liked it, nice cinematography
2. On the Town (1949) - disliked, too stagey acting for this kind of movie