My Top Ten Movies of the '40s

I like to think of myself as fairly well-versed in movies, but my movie-viewing could use some brushing up, especially when it comes to films from the predominantly black-and-white era.  Still, I've seen enough movies in the '40s to have a few favorites.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - Henry Fonda gives perhaps his greatest performances as Tom Joad, champion of the oppressed, alongside Jane Darwell as his formidable mother, who holds the suffering family together as they trek across the wasted landscape during the Dust Bowl in search of food and meager employment. A riveting tale of survival in the face of ordinary evil, it concludes with one of cinema's most stirring and often-referenced speeches.

Pinocchio (1940) - One of Disney's best, it's the standout in a productive decade for the House of Mouse. Adventurous enough to appease modern audiences, it includes timeless lessons on the values of honesty, bravery and unselfishness. When You Wish Upon a Star remains synonymous with Disney, and Jiminy Cricket is equally iconic, though my favorite character is the gentle Geppetto, first of the great Disney dads.

Dumbo (1941) - It's a single parent again in this Disney film, though a mom in this case. Mrs. Jumbo is fiercely proud of her son despite his physical abnormality. One of many tales along the lines of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in which an apparent defect becomes the ticket to greatness, Dumbo encourages perseverance. Steadfast mouse Timothy operates much like Jiminy Cricket, helping his young friend achieve his goals. Dumbo's exhilarated flights, the extended scene in which the befuddled stork delivers bundles of joy to the circus animals and the trippy Pink Elephants on Parade sequence are memorable movie moments, and the Baby Mine is heartbreaking.

Bambi (1942) - Three Disneys in a row, and then I'll give it a rest for a while. Set in a pristine forest, Bambi includes some of Disney's most glorious animation. It's a good thing the visuals are so stunning, since there's precious little dialogue, and the rather shrill songs are background rather than belonging to particular characters. The movie is best in its opening half, when Bambi and his friends, enthusiastic rabbit Thumper and shy skunk Flower, are busy exploring their world, getting into all sorts of entertaining mischief. The second half is disturbingly dark, but its full-circle ending is one again tranquil. An excellent precursor to The Lion King.

Casablanca (1942) - I'm not usually much for wartime epics, but this one's so iconic I can't leave it out. Humphrey Bogart is particularly terrific in this story of star-crossed love and a world in turmoil. Some of the most quotable lines of the decade come from this film. Even if they are sometimes misquoted...

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Jimmy Stewart gained a reputation for playing decent everymen, and George Bailey seems to be the first character on most people's minds when they make that association. George isn't perfect; by the time the angel Clarence comes to intervene in his life, he's downright surly. But then, he has a right; his life hasn't gone the way he'd intended, and now he's on the verge of bankruptcy because of a stupid mistake that wasn't his fault. Like Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, George has an opportunity to see where the decisions of his past have led him and those around him. But in his case, it's a positive revelation. It's the perfect movie to watch when you're feeling down and out, the perfect reminder that the good things we do make an impact, even if we can't always see the results for ourselves.

The Bishop's Wife (1947) - In a similar vein to the above, this one stars suave Cary Grant, who comes into the life of an overworked man of the cloth in an effort to improve his circumstances, though falling for his wife in the process complicates matters. It's hard to say whether I prefer this or the '90s remake, The Preacher's Wife. Both are gently humorous, romantic and Christmassy.

Miracle on 34th St. (1947) - Same goes for this one, in which Natalie Wood plays the serious little girl who comes to believe that the elderly gentleman she's befriended really is Santa Claus. This, too, had a remake in the '90s, and again, I find it hard to decide between the two. But for years, this was the ultimate Santa Claus movie, with nothing really to rival it. Give it a whirl some Thanksgiving and you'll soon see why.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) - This one will be getting the remake treatment, but it's not there yet. We studied the story in my freshman year of English, and the movie puts the talents of Danny Kaye to good use in adapting this tale of a hen-pecked daydreamer for the big screen. Mike Myers is no Danny Kaye, but I'm curious to see what he will do with the character...

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) - It's not a full-length masterpiece, but two beloved stories get the animated Disney treatment here. Gangly Ichabod Crane of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and rambunctious Mr. Toad of The Wind in the Willows spring from the screen with vitality, each as idiosyncratic as the other. Ichabod puts me in mind of Halloween, while Toad makes me long for warm, leisurely summer days, but both are magnificent characters year-round.

Honest Abe is a Lawyer to Reckon With in Young Mr. Lincoln

Back in February, when I was immersing myself in all things Lincoln, I discovered the movie Young Mr. Lincoln on Netflix.  I'd planned to bump it up to the top of my queue, but I never got around to it, so it took me until April to see this 1939 movie directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda.  It was odd to see Lincoln from his lawyer days, as I'm used to seeing him portrayed as President.  The case involved was loosely based on a case Lincoln tried later in his career, but this movie is more about being true to Lincoln's character than giving us actual facts about his life.  In honor of National Poetry Month, here's my review of the movie in verse.

Young Mr. Lincoln

John Ford and Henry Fonda made a pretty stellar team.
The Grapes of Wrath had Fonda play Tom Joad,
A man who loved his ma, a rugged hero with a dream,
A wanderer who walked a weary road.

Not long before that fabled film, the Ford and Fonda pair
United for another rousing tale
About a budding leader with an unassuming air
Who swore to see that justice would prevail.

Young Mr. Lincoln isn't a biography at all.
Most details it divulges are not real.
But Fonda is believable, a lawyer standing tall,
With witty tongue and a resolve of steel.

As Abe, he shows the sadness of a man who's suffered loss.
His craggy face is gaunt.  His eyes are kind.
He's gangly and he's awkward, but he isn't one to cross;
There's power in the way he speaks his mind.

The movie, in its first third, has a muddled sort of style,
With characters we barely get to meet
And scenes of small significance that drag on for a while
As more important ones seem incomplete. 

But once Abe has his chance to make a speech, the film's on track,
A courtroom drama full of clever tricks.
Two brothers stand accused of murder.  It's Abe's case to crack.
He'll do his best to free them from their fix.

The little hints of romance scattered here and there are odd.
His first true love is given but a scene.
He bumbles through encounters with the ritzy Mary Todd;
She doesn't seem the type to be his queen.

If anything, the tale explores love of a different sort:
The bond between a mother and her son.
His clients' rustic ma is like his own, and in the court,
That helps him to unearth the guilty one.

I'd like the movie better if it weren't in black and white.
The first half hour left me rather bored.
But otherwise, I found this Lincoln tribute a delight,
So kudos, Henry Fonda and John Ford!