Best of the 1940s · 1001 canon

War, noir, and Citizen Kane

The decade everything changed twice — once for the war, once for Welles. Film noir gave Hollywood a darker register; the post-war Italian Neorealists rejected studios entirely; and Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life, and The Third Man all sit squarely in this ten years.

100 films from this decade are in the canon. Tick what you've seen — your progress saves on this device.