It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

[9] Jimmy Stewart stars as George Bailey, a good-hearted, small town American who runs a building and loan company that helps many of his neighbors obtain affordable housing. But when his uncle (Thomas Mitchell) loses a deposit and an auditor…
Notorious (1946)

Notorious (1946)

[9] Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant headline this twisted love story from Alfred Hitchcock, about a secret service agent (Grant) who entices an aimless drunk (Bergman) to spy on a group of Nazis gathering uranium in Rio de Janeiro. There's…
To Have and Have Not (1944)

To Have and Have Not (1944)

[9] Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made their first pairing in this adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel about an American boatman (Bogart) who reluctantly sticks his neck out for the French Resistance in World War II Martinique. Along the way…
Bambi (1942)

Bambi (1942)

[9] Under the precious veneer of the Disney name lie some pretty damned spectacular pieces of motion picture art and Bambi is one of the best. With relatively little dialogue and an abundance of montage, Bambi plays out like a…
Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca (1942)

[9] Everybody comes to Rick's, and everyone loves Casablanca. What's not to like? Humphrey Bogart turns in a commanding performance as Rick, the reluctant American exile who runs a popular nightclub in North Africa during early World War II. He…
Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

[10] William Wyler's portrait of an English family weathering the darkest hours of World War II is a moving drama about hope and persistence. There's a quiet strength and noble resolve about the characters in this movie that I find…
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

[10]

William Dieterle’s adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet’s The Devil and Daniel Webster is a winning combination of rustic Americana and dark fantasy. A cautionary tale of greed and power, the narrative centers around the character of Jabez Stone (James Craig), a down-on-his-luck farmer who is barely able to support his family in 1840s New Hampshire. When the nefarious Mr. Scratch (Walter Houston) appears during a moment of weakness, Jabez agrees to sell his soul in exchange for seven years of good luck.  Much to the dismay of his wife (Anne Shirley), mother (Jane Darwell), and beloved politician Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold), Jabez slips into a downward spiral as a result of his newfound wealth and power.  When his seven years are up, Jabez learns the error of his ways and wants to make amends. To escape his contract with the Devil, Jabez puts his fate in the hands of the almost mythic Daniel Webster, who represents him in a climactic barn room trial against Mr. Scratch and a jury of the damned.  

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

[9] Hollywood director John Sullivan (Joel McCrea), known for making profitable comedies with titles like Ants in Your Plants, decides what he really wants to do is make an all-important 'message movie' called O Brother Where Art Thou, but feels…
Dumbo (1941)

Dumbo (1941)

[9] After Walt Disney released the world's first animated feature film, the wildly successful Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the studio struggled with a couple of ambitious financial failures. Pinocchio and Fantasia were creatively and technologically advanced films, but…
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

[10] John Ford directs John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of a destitute Oklahoma family who pile everything they own into a jalopy and head for California in hope of finding work and a new home. The Grapes of Wrath puts…