American Films of the 1940S

American Films of the 1940s

“ You have to know how not to be timid with the camera, how to do it violence, drive it to its ultimate limits, for it is a base mechanism. Poetry is what counts.” ~ Orson Wells

 Overall, the Great Depression didn’t seem to harm Hollywood much.  By this time, movies were “better than ever.”  While the 1930s was a time for “finding the voice of films,” the 40s saw films work toward increasing their finesse and “fine tuning” themselves to move forward with the times.  The creation of new jobs came with the need for stage sets, diction, etc…  These films brought with them an immediate visual appeal ~ people could now see what was going on in the World around them more clearly.  By 1940, Europe was under siege by Adolph Hitler…Hollywood was working to incorporate this into film in a variety of ways.  The actors and actresses seemed to play out the “every dream” of American Audiences. The romantic dream of women of that day was portrayed by the actor, Clark Gable (with his strength and dashing good looks).  This was a period of films which dealt in adventure/ escape (“Adventure Extravaganzas”). Films such as: . Captain Blood . The Adventures of Robin Hood . Sea Hawk

 In addition, this period saw the movement to make films which more realistically portrayed the “common man” (movies/ topics, which reflected what every man/ citizen dealt with. Hence the creation of ~ The Grapes of Wrath It’s a Wonderful Life (Directed by Frank Capra)

 In 1941, President Roosevelt said, “There was no danger of war,” but, December 7th, 1941 (Pearl Harbor Bombing) saw the United States join the war effort.  From this point, Patriotic Fever emerged with the creation/ usage of state sponsored propaganda (NOTE: even Bugs Bunny did his part in his cartoons).  The film, Why we Fight, showed actual footage of the War.  The film, Citizen Kane, is considered the “yardstick” (the standard of quality ~ even still in 2016) of ALL films.  Frank Capra set the backdrop of the war in his classic film, Casablanca.  After the War, movies geared up for their biggest money year, yet (1946).  Popular (and well made) Movies of the Period ~ The Stanger (Orson Wells) My Favorite Brunette (with Edward G. Robinson & Bob Hope) Casablanca Citizen Kane

 House Un-American Committee was formed as a result of WWII to seek out (identify) those individuals who were considered “Un- American Like” in their beliefs and practices. Because Hollywood and her players were considered/ viewed as different, attention was immediately drawn to the area/ individuals. This foreshadowed a dangerous period our country was moving into.

 Basically, the 1940s saw (in this order): the wartime boom to the Hollywood Studios (even though some of their “great” performers enlisted and joined the War Movement), the Postwar decline in their factory system of production (1948 Government’s Anti-Trust Action), the bitter/ honest realities illustrated within their films (John Huston), the creation of the Disney film/ style (animation), the success and aftermath of Citizen Kane.

All of this led to a new style for a new era: Film Noir (Black Film), which dealt with social realism. The end of the 1940’s saw the end of yet, another, “Golden Era.”

FILM NOIR: is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those which emphasized cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's “classical film noir period” was generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film Noir from this era was associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style.

 Popular titles known for using this style ~

 Blonde Crazy  City Streets  Five Star Final  Little Caesar  The Maltese Falcon (aka Dangerous Female)  Quick Millions  The Public Enemy

 The Beast of the City  I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang  Night Court  Payment Deferred  Scarface  Two Seconds  20,000 Years in Sing Sing

 Blood Money  Private Detective 62 1934 1939

 Crime Without Passion[b]  Blind Alley  Midnight  Each Dawn I Die  The Thin Man  Invisible Stripes  King of the Underworld 1935  Let Us Live[a][b]  Rio[a][b]  Bordertown  The Roaring Twenties  The Florentine Dagger  They Made Me a  G Men Criminal  The Glass Key  The Scoundrel 1940’s

1936  Angels Over Broadway  City for Conquest  Bullets or Ballots  Johnny Apollo  Fury[b][c]  Casablanca  Great Guy  The Petrified Forest  Satan Met a Lady

 Black Legion  Dead End  Kid Galahad  Marked Woman  San Quentin  You Only Live Once  They Gave Him a Gun  They Won't Forget

 Algiers  The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

 Angels with Dirty Faces