Top 10 Movies of the 1940s 

It's A Wonderful Life has got to be one of my favourite movies of all time, so happy it made the list !

Box office performance shouldn't have anything to do with the greatness of a movie.

I think "Double Indemnity" deserved more than just an honorable mention.

4 clips yesterday, 3 clips today and tomorrow... and the BONUS WatchMojo.com exclusive clip is The Top 10 Songs by The Beatles, enjoy: watchmojo.com/video/id/12260/?hp

James Stewart, one of my favorite actors.

I don't envy whoever had to put this list together, it was one hell of a decade for American cinema.

In case you didn't notice the trend ;) - expect: Top 10 Movies of the 1950s: Sunday Top 10 Movies of the 1960s: Monday Top 10 Movies of the 1970s: Tuesday Top 10 Movies of the 1980s: Wednesday Top 10 Movies of the 1990s: Thursday Top 10 Movies of the 2000s: Friday To then be followed by the ALL-TIME top 10 list afterwards.

Wow I didn't even realise that Fantasia was that old!

Casablanca would be my number one, it may not have been as innovative as Citizen Kane in its time, but it's just more fun to watch

I've seen all of these! Also really love Laura, Mildred Pierce, Possessed, Gaslight, Notorious, Spellbound, Rope and Shadow of A Doubt ✨✨✨

Laura was a great movie from the 40s

While Citizen Kane was groundbreaking, I still prefer Casablanca over it in terms of watch-ability.

Hope you're enjoying our series on WatchMojo March Madness: Greatest Movies of All Time Series for the first two clips watch Top 10 Movies of the 1920s Top 10 Movies of the 1930s

I'm missing Hitchcock's underrated classic "Rope", from 1948. Just incredible filmmaking! Highly recommended.

I love the cinema...love the movies. There are so many great films. When I saw Citizen Kane for the first time I sat there in awe. This film was big, epic, unusual, gripping I just fell in love. I wish there was a cinema that showed all of these great films. Not only American films but films from all over the world.

Here's looking at you kid

The decade of Humphrey Bogart...

Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' isn't talked about enough, I think. It's one of my favorites from this decade. Truly a masterpiece!

Some great movies of the 40's not mentioned here: - Waterloo Bridge - His Girl Friday - Suspicion - Sullivan's Travels - Sergeant York - Random Harvest - Bambi - The Pride of the Yankees - Mrs Miniver - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Song of Bernadette - The Ox-Bow Incident - Laura - Gaslight - To Have and Have Not - Brief Encounter - Spellbound - The Lost Weekend - Matter of Life and Death - Notorious - The Big Sleep - Bycicle Thieves - Kind Hearts and Coronets - The Heiress - White Heat

I prefer Casablanca. All time classic. But you cannot argue with Citizen Kane in my opinion. Its not only a well scripted and well shot film, I found it to be engaging and moving. Watched this in Film School and 90% of the students in the large room lost interest and talked throughout. So some may find it boring but to dismiss it as important would be a dishonor to such a passionate film

let me guess.. Number one is Citizen Kane, right?

Bambi, Dumbo, and Pinnochio.

I love the 1940s, the music, the movies, the everything...

Just like City Ligths missing from the 30s list, another cringe worthy moment here as one of the all time best, Bicycle Thieves, doesn't even get into the honorable mentions. Such mistakes shouldn't be made.

If you watch one of these, you’ll be glad... • Key largo • Lifeboat • Meet John Doe • Notorious • Sergeant York • To Have or Have Not • The Big Sleep • The Westerner

Bicycle Thieves should have at least got a mention...

Amazing decade, Citizen Kane, Casablanca and Rebecca are my favorites

My Top 10 List 1. Citizen Kane 2. Casablanca 3. it's a Wonderful Life 4. Pinocchio 5. Bicycle Thieves 6. the Maltese Falcon 7. the Grapes of Wrath 8. the third Man 9. the Philadelphia Story 10. the Great Dictator

The third man is totally underrated. Should be up there with Kane and Casablanca

No Kings Row, Rope, Notorious, Bicycle Thieves (wrong language, I guess), The Wolfman, How Green Was My Valley. I know you can't pick every movie from the decade, but some of these are hard to leave out.

double indemnity and bicycle thieves should be on the list

35 seconds into this video and let me guess...Citizen Cane is number one?

How did "Gilda" (1946); a terrific film noir and one of the screens ultimate femme fatales not make this list? Great characters in Hayworth, Ford and MacReady; and a storyline still intriguing today.

1. Late Spring 2. The Red Shoes 3. Bicycle Thieves 4. Brief Encounter 5. Notorious 6. Citizen Kane 7. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 8. The Third Man 9. The Big Sleep 10. Rome, Open City 11. Black Narcissus 12. To Be or Not To Be 13. The Best Years of Our Lives 14. Heaven Can Wait 15. Casablanca

I can't believe there weren't any Bette Davis movies in the top 10 movies of the 1930s or the 1940s, even just as honourable mentions. Her movies defined an era and she changed Hollywood with her acting choices. She deserves at least an honourable mention.

Alfred Hitchcock's classics Shadow of a Doubt and Spellbound should be on here. I was also hoping to see Miracle on 34th Street on here

Knew citizen Kane would get number 1

The 1940s also gave us three of the best "woman's pictures" of all time: "That Hamilton Woman" with Vivien Leigh, "Now, Voyager" with Bette Davis and "Random Harvest" with Greer Garson (which I prefer to the more lauded "Mrs. Miniver"). Whatever the list says, these two will always make my Top 10 of this decade.

My Picks: 1. Casablanca 2. Citizen Kane 3. The Great Dictator 4. Rebecca 5. Bicycle Thieves 6. Hamlet 7. Rope 8. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 9. The Third Man 10. The Maltese Falcon

"The Great Dictator" should be much higher for the ending speech alone.

omg i wish i was even 1/1000th as cool as Humphrey Bogart...

The only disagreement I would have is that, Casablanca and Citizen Kane would be tied for first place.

Is there really a point to these? Whenever there's a chance for Citizen Kane to be #1, Citizen Kane is #1

It`s a Wonderful Life deserves the first place for me.

where the hell is Hitchcock's Rope?

Heres Mine 1: Citizen Kane 2: Casablanca 3: Its A Wonderful Life 4: Grapes of Wrath 5: Double Indemnity 6: The Malteste Falcon 7: The Best Years Of Our Life 8: Sierra Madre 9: Philedelphia Story 10: Sullivans Travels

Fantasia was my first experience of classical music, so I will always love it!

Orson Welles is so awesome i wish I could be an ounce of the filmmaker he was

Can't wait for 50s and 60s, I'll finally be able to see where you rank Kurosawa's masterpieces.

The Great Dictator is the greatest movie in the 40s just for The Speech. The only other contender is Citizen Cane.

The Maltese Falcon, nice. It's my favorite movie of that decade, and my favorite John Huston(which means a lot).

I'm also really proud you've included animated Disney films on these lists. A lot of people just blow them off as silly kids movies, but some of them really do need to be recognized among the more iconic films of all time. Though maybe that's just my bias as a Disney nerd

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The Great Dictator needs to be moved up a few slots.

I think Pinocchio should get an honorable mention.

What a strong decade for movies!

My Own 10. The Great Dictator 9. Fantasia 8. Rebecca 7. Yankee Doodle Dandy 6. White Heat 5. The Maltese Falcon 4. Hamlet 3. Its a Wonderful Life 2. Casablanca 1. Citizen Kane

My top 10 from the 40s are 1. It's a Wonderful Life 2. The Best Year's of Our Lives 3. Citizen Kane 4. The Grapes of Wrath 5. A Gentleman's Agreement 6. Going My Way 7. The Stratton Story 8. Casablanca 9. The Third Man 10. Miracle on 34th Street

Would have been nice to see some Powell and Pressburger on the list; The Red Shoes and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp are among my all time favourites. Also Double Indemnity should definitely be in top 10, for its outstanding performances and in my opinion the definitive noir script. Really good list though, especially considering they were dealing with maybe the greatest decade in Western cinema. The top 3 are all among the very few films that fully justify however much hype they receive. Can't wait for the '50s!

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Who’s a teen who hates the 21st century and feels nostalgic here?

This looks a lot like my film professor's list. :-)

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Where's Pinocchio? Not even an honorable mention? :(

I love The Great Dictator! I memorized the final speech in High school. I bet I can still write it out... I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.... The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children - victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. ..... Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes - men who despise you - enslave you - who regiment your lives - tell you what to do - what to think and what to feel! Who drill you - diet you - treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate - the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world - to do away with national barriers - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite! YAY! Still got it!

My Top 10 Movies of 1940's 10. The Lost Weekend 9. The Third Man 8. Pinocchio 7. Easter Parade 6. Yankee Doodle Dandy 5. The Great Dictator 4. Anchors Aweigh 3. Shadow of a Doubt 2. The Heiress 1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Honorable Mentions Casablanca Citizen Kanee Double Indemnity Fantasia It's a Wonderful Life On the Town The Grapes of Wrath

I feel like Pinocchio and Bambi should have at least gotten an honorable mention. Glad Fantasia's on the list though.

10. The Third Man (same) 9. Isle of The Dead 8. The Angel and The Bad Man 7. Arsenic and Old Lace 6. The Maltese Falcon (same) 5. Somewhere in The Night 4. The Spiral Staircase 3. Saboteur 2. Casablanca (same) 1. It's a Wonderful Life (same) Honorable Mentions Dead Reckoning The Curse of The Cat People Shadow of a Doubt Rebecca (same) Dishonorable Mention Citizen Kane

Impossible to pick the best. But the scene in Casablanca after Rick has seen Ilsa, his one true love, and the deep, painful agony he endured while sitting at the piano asking why of all the fun joints in all the world she had to walk into his. Anyone who has ever felt that pain knows exactly the agony and flood of emotions running through Rick and it can't help but dig up that forgotten misery. God that was powerful. And Treasure of Sierra Madre another Bogart gem. I couldn't look away for a second,but most of these films do that. What a decade!

My favorites are Sorry, Wrong Number and Postman always rings twice.

What about Sullivans Travels.

6:59 when you're slapped, you'll take it and like it....smack smack smack (wow)....

1. Its a Wonderful Life 2. Pinochio 3. Citizen Kane 4. Casablanca 5. Double Indemnity 6. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 7. Miracle on 34th Street 8. The Maltese Falcon 9. Fantasia 10. The Third Man

"It's the stuff dreams are made of". =))

Man 1940 was a good year for movies!

Haven't really watched a lot of these "Golden Age" movies so these lists are pretty informative. I'm definitely gonna have to watch a ton of these A few observations: -Chaplin's impression of Hitler had me in stcitches -Bogart was one god damn good actor -Ingrid is a definite GGILF (great grama) -"Rosebud". Masterpiece!

irritatingly, the main thing I remember from Citizen Kane was how the narrator always shouted at the top of his lungs "THE XANADU!!!"

Sergeant York and Pinocchio should have at least been in the honorable mentions.

1 - It's a Wonderful Life 2 - Double Indemnity 3 - Citizen Kane 4 - Casablanca 5 - The Great Dictator

Spoiler: Citizen Kane

I thought this was based on Watchability. Fantasia is painfully boring. Fell asleep in the theater on the re-release. Surely something with an actual plot was easier to watch. The Maltese Falcon was so damn good. It's a shame that kids have no interest in the past. The most powerful comic book characters is fun but 300,000 more views than this? smh

And Then There Were None

Great list, but I would have liked a mention for The Red Shoes, Notorious and His Girl Friday

Maybe I'm uncultured, but I found Fantasia to be very boring, hard to watch, and basically intended for film critics and art snobs. The only interesting sequence was the Sorcerer's Apprentice

1. The Third Man 2. Notorious 3. Rebbecca 4. Bambi 5. Citizen Kane 6. Casablanca 7. The Maltese Falcon 8. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 9. Laura 10. The Grapes of Wrath

"Out of the past", people!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, your list is almost exactly like mine. Throw in "Out of the Past" and switch a couple between the actual list and the honorable mentions, throw in "The Wolf Man" for nostalgia's sake, and you nailed it.

Kinda disappointed that The Wolfman wasn't on the list. It was a pretty great movie.

Gentleman agreement,The killers,Going my way,The lost weekend

The Lost Weekend definitely deserved an honorable mention

They got this list pretty spot on (would've liked Double Indemnity and Pinocchio to be on there though), but it was great. Way to spoil the meaning of Rosebud, WatchMojo!

Can you please do top ten best Shakespeare movie adaptations?

Are you putting out these decade lists today? I'm such a movie buff and I love that you're doing this!!!

I own and seen The Philadelphia Story, Fantasia, The Maltese Falcon, It's A Wonderful Life and Casablanca. I'd probably be more biased about this list since I own and seen only five of these ten films and this would be my top 5 films of the 1940's: 1. It's A Wonderful Life 2. Casablanca 3. The Maltese Falcon 4. Fantasia 5. The Philadelphia Story

Always suprises me that Its a wonderful life is considered a feel good movie, when it is one of the very few films that deals with suicide, despair and failure. Also, James Stewart's performance in it is, is absolutely amazing in its emotional realism, precision and charm. Its a wonderful life and Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre are the films I have watched most often from this list. They will never grow old.

Brilliant films! "Citizen Kane" deserves the number one spot!

The Best Years of Our Lives and The Bicycle Thief need to be on the list.

Probably should've included Bicycle Thieves. The Third Man is the GOAT, and I would've liked to see Woman of the Year get some love, but that was always a long shot.

Hitchcock's Notorious, Lifeboat and Shadow Of A Doubt.

Dumbo would probably be my favorite. Nostalgic, disturbing, moving, triumphant and just plain strange. Did you ever see an elephant fly?..