Darren Carver-Balsiger

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VOTE: Best Films of the 1940s

A community vote to find the best films from 1940 to 1949 (using Letterboxd dates).

In the comments below, vote for up to 10 films. 1 point goes to each film you pick, and you don't have to rank your selections. Films don't have to already be on the list, you're welcome to induct new entries.

You can change your votes at a later time if you want.

My personal favourites of the 1940s are here.

The list is sorted by points, then alphabetically by film name.

Other votes I run: Directors | Sci-Fi Films | Comedy Films | Romance Films | Animated Films | LGBTQ+ Films | Horror Films | 2000s Films | 1990s Films | 1980s Films | 1970s Films | 1960s Films | 1950s Films | 2018 Films

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED

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Read notes
  • Casablanca

    1

  • Citizen Kane

    2

  • It's a Wonderful Life

    3

  • The Third Man

    4

  • Bicycle Thieves

    5

  • The Red Shoes

    6

  • Double Indemnity

    7

  • Rebecca

    8

  • Brief Encounter

    9

  • His Girl Friday

    10

  • Rope

    11

  • The Big Sleep

    12

  • Pinocchio

    13

  • Bambi

    14

  • The Maltese Falcon

    15

  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

    16

  • The Great Dictator

    17

  • A Matter of Life and Death

    18

  • Dumbo

    19

  • Fantasia

    20

  • Shadow of a Doubt

    21

  • The Shop Around the Corner

    22

  • Cat People

    23

  • The Grapes of Wrath

    24

  • The Lady Eve

    25

  • Late Spring

    26

  • Laura

    27

  • The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

    28

  • Meshes of the Afternoon

    29

  • Notorious

    30

  • Rome, Open City

    31

  • Beauty and the Beast

    32

  • The Philadelphia Story

    33

  • Red River

    34

  • To Be or Not to Be

    35

  • Black Narcissus

    36

  • Detour

    37

  • Gaslight

    38

  • The Lost Weekend

    39

  • Meet Me in St. Louis

    40

  • Miracle on 34th Street

    41

  • Arsenic and Old Lace

    42

  • The Best Years of Our Lives

    43

  • Germany, Year Zero

    44

  • I Walked with a Zombie

    45

  • Out of the Past

    46

  • The Ox-Bow Incident

    47

  • White Heat

    48

  • The Wolf Man

    49

  • Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

    50

  • Body and Soul

    51

  • Brighton Rock

    52

  • Children of Paradise

    53

  • Hail the Conquering Hero

    54

  • The Invisible Man Returns

    55

  • Ivan the Terrible, Part I

    56

  • Mildred Pierce

    57

  • Monsieur Verdoux

    58

  • My Darling Clementine

    59

  • Stray Dog

    60

  • Sullivan's Travels

    61

  • To Have and Have Not

    62

  • 3 Godfathers

    63

  • Act of Violence

    64

  • Adam's Rib

    65

  • Adventures of Captain Marvel

    66

  • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

    67

  • And Then There Were None

    68

  • Angels Over Broadway

    69

  • Begone Dull Care

    70

  • Blood of the Beasts

    71

  • A Canterbury Tale

    72

  • Cluny Brown

    73

  • The Curse of the Cat People

    74

  • Daffy - The Commando

    75

  • Day of Wrath

    76

  • Dead of Night

    77

  • Der Fuehrer's Face

    78

  • D.O.A.

    79

  • Drunken Angel

    80

  • Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi

    81

  • Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

    82

  • The Fugitive

    83

  • The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

    84

  • Gilda

    85

  • Go West

    86

  • Hamlet

    87

  • The Harvey Girls

    88

  • House of Frankenstein

    89

  • How Green Was My Valley

    90

  • I Know Where I'm Going!

    91

  • Invisible Agent

    92

  • Johnny Belinda

    93

  • The Killers

    94

  • Kind Hearts and Coronets

    95

  • Kitty Foyle

    96

  • La Terra Trema

    97

  • Lady in the Lake

    98

  • Le Corbeau

    99

  • Leave Her to Heaven

    100