On to
1940 (I've been busy again).
For my money, 1940 is as good as 1939 is made out to be. And that's with the fact that some of the most highly regarded films of 1940 are movies that I haven't seen in so long that I can only vaguely remember them. For example,
The Philadelphia Story,
Rebecca,
His Girl Friday, and
The Shop Around the Corner are movies I've seen, that I know were very good to excellent, but that it's been decades since I've watched them and can only conjure up vague feelings.
Moving to the films about which I can actually comment...
The Great Dictator - Chaplin made the transition to full sound...and made it with brilliance. One of the most biting and funny pieces of satire ever put on film. And it was brave of both Chaplin and of UA to make and put out the film at the time. There were still far too many Nazi supporters in the U.S. at the time and an incredibly strong isolationist movement. And even when the film was in the early stages the British government had planned on banning it (during the appeasement era).
The Grapes of Wrath - John Ford won his second Best Director Oscar for his adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel about the Joad family's odyssey from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression. While Ford definitely changed the fates of the Joads in the latter part of the film from that in the book (for the better) it is still a stark look at a dire time in American history. The main cast is universally excellent and Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland give us a starkly beautiful picture.
Walt Disney managed to give us not one, but two full-length masterpieces in 1940. Both of them were box-office disappointments at the time, but are now considered to be among the studios best works.
Pinocchio - The folks at Disney took everything that was great about Snow White and made it just that much better for Pinocchio. The story is tighter. The thrills are more thrilling. The songs are (generally) punchier. The animation is just a little bit better. Both Pleasure Island and Monstro are genuinely scary (I used to have to hold my niece on my lap when she wanted to watch Pinocchio). Simply one of the great animated films of all time.
Fantasia - Fantasia started life as an over-length Silly Symphony in an attempt to have The Sorcerers Apprentice revive Mickey's popularity. As it got too expensive to release as a short the idea came together for Fantasia. While a critical success it was financially a dud. To an extent, it was the wrong film at the wrong time as World War II cut markets in both Europe and Asia. With a budget of over $2 million it didn't make a profit until the end of 1969. It's a gorgeous film that everyone should see at least once. But for me, once or twice is probably enough.
Foreign Correspondent - Hitchcock absolutely killed upon coming to the U.S. Both his first two U.S. films Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent were nominated for Best Picture. This is just a great combination of intrigue, thrills and humor. Joel McCrea gave a star-making performance as John Jones. One of my favorite early Hitchcock films.
The Bank Dick - Almost unquestionably W. C. Fields' greatest film. Fields absolutely kills as Egbert Souse, an everyman who accidently thwarts a bank robbery and is hired as a security guard. As an inveterate drunkard, that's probably not a good fit. The film was written by Fields and uses all of his considerable powers to put what is clearly the capper on his illustrious career. And how can I not include a clip of him with Shemp Howard?
They Drive by Night - I mean, c'mon, George Raft, Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart in a proto-film-noir? You know I'm gonna love this movie. Based on the great novel "The Long Haul" Ida Lupino is absolutely amazing as the femme fatale who turns independent trucker brothers Raft and Bogart inside out.
It's pretty clear I also love adventure films. And 1940 had some of the classics.
The Sea Hawk - The only thing bad I can say about this film is that it's not quite Robin Hood or Captain Blood. But it's a fine example of action-adventure from the period. Errol Flynn is at his best as a swash-buckler. One simply wishes we could have had Basil Rathbone to cross swords with Thorpe and a slightly better love interest. Still it's rousing good fun.
The Mark of Zorro - Frequently compared unfavorably to the 1920 version, I'm not sure that's entirely fair. Tyrone Power is clearly not Douglas Fairbanks. But he's not trying to be. On the other hand Basil Rathbone is almost always the superior villain over anyone else. Ultimately, I feel that Rouben Mamoulian gives us a fine version of Zorro.
The Thief of Baghdad - While they were remaking Fairbanks' Zorro in the U.S., his Thief of Baghdad was being remade by Alexander Korba and Michael Powell in the U.K. An amazingly fun romp with Sabu as Abu and Conrad Veidt as Jaffar, this film was something of a technical marvel. Lawrence Butler and Jack Whitney created pioneering blue-screen techniques for the film. The special effects here are still special and the film is a delight.
It's been so long since I've seen
The Mummy's Hand or
The Invisible Man Returns that I can't begin to comment.
In the "Maybe more important than good department" Bugs Bunny makes is true premiere in
A Wild Hare, Tom and Jerry get their debut in
Puss Gets the Boot, and Woody Woodpecker debuts in
Knock Knock! So which is my favorite? Honestly this is possibly the hardest year yet. So many films I like and so many that are just great fun movies. Push come to shove I'd probably say
The Great Dictator because it's both important, meaningful and funny. But that could be subject to change on any given day depending on how I feel.
1940 in film for those needing a look.
