The Greatest Decade in Film - the 1940's

Moving on in my search for the best decade in film, it is time for me to move onto what is certainly a memorable decade: the 1940's.

The 1940's brought some of the best directors to ever work in Hollywood. The decade saw the emergence of Billy Wilder, John Ford, Orson Welles, and John Huston. Others such as Howard Hawks and William Wyler continued to build upon their impressive resumes. Big name stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant saw their stocks skyrocket in this decade.

The first year of the decade doesn't hurt, either. Winning Best Picture that year was "Rebecca", just one of the many great Alfred Hitchcock films. Other nominees included the "The Philadelphia Story" (a wonderful comedy featuring great turns from Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and an Oscar winning James Stewart), "The Grapes of Wrath" (one of four Best Director trophies for John Ford featuring a star-making turn by Henry Fonda), and "The Great Dictator", Charlie Chaplin's first talking film. "His Girl Friday", a classic Cary Grant comedy, as well as two animated classics - "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia" - also came out in 1940.

The year after produced arguably the greatest film ever made: "Citizen Kane". While that title is certainly subjective, the impact of "Citizen Kane" is undeniable and its quality unquestionable. To go along with it that year was "The Maltese Falcon" (a phenomenal first film by John Huston featuring one of Humphrey Bogart's best roles), "Sergeant York", and Best Picture winner "How Green Was My Valley" (the second consecutive film to win John Ford a Best Director Oscar).

"Yankee Doodle Dandy" would be released the following year, as would "Casablanca", one of the most beloved films of all time that also is considered one of the best (and rightfully so, with cinema's best romance between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and a delightful supporting turn by Claude Rains). "Bambi", another one of Disney's most beloved films also was released in 1942 along with Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons". 1943 did not bring about any memorable films, but 1944 saw one of the best noir films - "Double Indemnity", the first great Billy Wilder film. Also, "Arsenic and Old Lace", a memorable Cary Grant comedy. A lull in 1945 was followed by 1946 and some excellent films - Frank Capra's most loved film "It's a Wonderful Life" (one of the most inspirational films ever made), "The Big Sleep" (a noir combination of Howard Hawks and the power couple of Humphrey Bogart and Laruen Bacall), and Best Picture winner The Best Years of Our Lives.

1947 brought about another memorable noir ("Out of the Past") and another crowd-pleaser ("Miracle on 34th Street"). In 1948 "The Bicycle Thief" (arguably the greatest of the Italian neorealism films) and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (yet another John Huston-Humphrey Bogart collaboration) were released, and in 1949 "The Third Man", Carol Reed's excellent thriller, was introduced.


Packed with some of the best films ever made along with some of the most beloved, the 1940's makes a strong case for the greatest decade in film. After two decades of review it is clearly the decade to beat.