1940s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 3)

[Forrest Taft]

Some Tex Avery toons and John Ford war documentaries?

[knives]

I hope that means I'm not the only one voting for Clampett and Tashlin.

[tarpilot]

Puss 'n Booty will be safely nestled somewhere in my top 30, at the very least

[knives]

Nasty Quacks is actually my Tashlin of choice and basically my favorite Daffy cartoon period. No one knew the character better if you ask me.

[Titus]

Nasty Quacks is actually my Tashlin of choice and basically my favorite Daffy cartoon period. No one knew the character better if you ask me.

The Great Piggybank Robbery and Draftee Daffy probably edge it out for me, but I adore this one as well. It snuck in at the end of my list.

[domino harvey]

There are just too many great films and only fifty slots. This was a bloody decade, but it will have nothing on the 50s, where my 41-50 could compete with my 1-10 in any other decade

[knives]

Fortunately I'm not there yet with the '50s, but I'm starting with nearly double what I did this decade. Already one a week.

[Siddon]

I found the 40's to be fairly easy, I was actually stretching to find worthy films in the 40-50 range. I love the 50's and I'm sure I won't have any trouble selecting my top 50. What I'm stressed out is the 1960's, 1960 alone I have about 20 films I would rank as top 50.

[knives]

Probably a good idea to remind people that lists are due by Oscars end. Let's hope this list at least comes up with a hundred films.

[matrixschmatrix]

I watched probably twice as many movies for the 30s as I did for the 40s and I still had way, way more trouble hitting fifty movies for that project. This one, I struggled far more with cutting things.

Though looking at my list, I've got five each from Welles and the Archers, so that probably helped/didn't help.

[swo17]

Let's hope this list at least comes up with a hundred films.

There are presently 410 films that have received votes, and 220 that qualify with more than one vote. The current #100 has a score of 96.

[knives]

Though looking at my list, I've got five each from Welles and the Archers, so that probably helped/didn't help.

Are you including Welles as actor in that? I can really only think of four potentials with him as director in this decade.

[matrixschmatrix]

Magnificent Ambersons, Kane, The Lady from Shanghai, Macbeth, and The Stranger, in that order.

[knives]

I'm surprised at that last one (my order would be Macbeth, The Magnificent Ambersons, Citizen Kane, The Lady from Shanghai, and in a very distant last place The Stranger). I found it to be very average work for hire type of deal.

[matrixschmatrix]

It's not necessarily a movie that has Welles' typical strengths, but the performances are pretty great (Welles' own in particular) and it works well as a Huston-y noir. It's definitely a shame that Welles had to use Robinson instead of Moorehead, but I don't think it kills the movie, and it's not like Robinson is bad in it or anything.

[knives]

This is the first I've ever heard of Moorehead in relation to the movie. Her as an agent sounds at least more interesting than anything the film has at present to offer. Even ignoring the Welles factor and just taking it as one of the hundred or so Nazi movies from the period it doesn't offer anything new or interesting to stand out from the crowd.

[swo17]

At least five people beg to differ with you.

[knives]

I'd love to see one of them give it a rousing defense, but for me as of now it's nothing special.

[Titus]

Well, I'm not equipped to make a rousing defense of the film (not a convincing one, anyway), but I'll cop to being one of the members who voted for it. I think it's a lovely film, and it's fascinating to see Welles deliver a conventional studio genre film, a relatively impersonal gun-for-hire project. All of the heft of his endless formal talents and artistry and craftsmanship is channeled towards delivering a rather routine crime film. Unlike the other noirs Welles made, it's lifted into greatness (or very-goodness, or something) not because it transcends the pulpy material but because it embraces (or accepts) it. A simple story well-told. It's filled with wonderful, typically Wellesian sequences (the opening scenes, the long-take murder in the woods, the manically edited finale), and there are echoes of Ambersons in the depiction of the quiet daily life in the village (love the scenes with Billy House in the general store). And the performances are great. I love Robinson in sympathetic roles like this, or Double Indemnity, or Our Vines Have Tender Grapes. He brings a quiet authority to the Wilson character, effortlessly conveying how intelligent and methodical the character is. How he discovers the identity of Rankin is a pretty ridiculous plot contrivance, and yet Robinson's able to sell it somehow. I love Agnes Moorehead as much as the next guy, but I really can't imagine her in this role. And Welles is a lot of fun with his character, sinister and charismatic as always but keeping the histrionics to a minimum.

It ain't Citizen Kane, but it's still a pretty impressive film to me.

[matrixschmatrix]

The 40s is a hell of a decade for nuanced Eddie Robinson performances, too- his turn here, the two he did for Lang (which are similar but Robinson plays them with subtle differences, playing smarter and more conscious of what's happening in The Woman in the Window and making the character dumber, more naive, and ultimately nastier in Scarlet Street), his update on his gangster character in Key Largo- I would be fascinated to see Moorehead in The Stranger, but I don't in any way want to diminish what an engaging and entertaining presence Robinson is.

[swo17]

Man, I keep watching brilliant last minute movies that are shaking the foundations of my list. For instance, here's a really fantastic short, Inspiration by Karel Zeman, very much worth 11 minutes of your time.

On a perhaps related note, if any of you that have already submitted a list would like to change anything about it, this is just a reminder that you are welcome to do so up until the deadline.

[knives]

I actually tried to breed discussion on Zeman earlier. He's a really great and underrated animator.

[swo17]

Fun factoids for the hour: One director currently has five films ranking within a 20 place window (three of these within five places of each other). Another director also has three films within a five place window. Both of these things are happening in the top 50.

Way more exciting than the Oscars...

[knives]

You mean you're lying?

[swo17]

Are you insinuating that the Oscars are a lie?