best film: Citizen Kane from Orson Wells. It is the year of Welles arrival and Citizen Kane. There are countless shots and sequences that are just so endlessly innovative. It’s a visual showpiece from beginning to end.
deep focus mastery, again and again Welles puts objects and characters in these glorious foreground/background splits
- The film is nothing less than a perfect melding of cinematic ingenuity and narrative brilliance- both perfectly executed and daringly unique
- It is jarring how different it looks than every other film before it and nearly every one since
- New angles that cinema had never really seen before (I’ll often call something with a creative low-angle shot “Wellesian” — and experimentation with miniatures, deep focus black and white photography
- The narrative flashback structure
- Heavy on montages but none of them throwaway or half-hazard
- It begins Welles obsessions not only with windows (shots through windows and reflecting off windows) but mirrors as well (Lady From Shanghai)
- Undoubtedly could be called, along with maybe Raging Bull, the greatest biopic or character study of all time
- One of the handful of the best films of all time
a shot from Citizen Kane– that would make Lang proud, Kubrick proud… one that that would be one of the best shots in Blade Runner (or Blade Runner 2049 for that matter)
one of the many jaw on the floor shots and sequences in this heavyweight masterpiece– I had to stop at four images from Kane for the page- I could have put fifty on here
most underrated: The Little Foxes from Wyler. It isn’t on the level of Kane but if you follow the site you’ll see lots of mention of Welles and Wyler in tandem when it comes to deep focus superiority. This is one of Wyler’s strongest efforts. The examples here from the film in picture here impossible to argue with. Yet, somehow, The Little Foxes can’t find its way onto the TSPDT consensus top 2000.
one of the finest moments from Wyler’s esteemed career — deep focus- certainly makes Welles/Wyler a comparison for great frames like this that would follow for the rest of the art form’s history
The examples here from the film in picture here impossible to argue with. Yet, somehow, The Little Foxes can’t find its way onto the TSPDT consensus top 2000.
most overrated: There is nothing egregious here. Dumbo probably doesn’t belong in the top 700 (where TSPDT has it), and The Lady Eve and Sullivan’s Travels are a few hundred slots higher than they should be—but nothing crazy off and all are excellent films.
gem I want to spotlight: The 47 Ronin from Mizoguchi
It was impossible to find for years (I caught in 2016) and at the time it was not on the TSPDT top 1000—it is now and I think it’ll continue to rise as it is more available via Criterion. It’s a four hour dialogue-heavy film where the film’s major action is told via a story in dialogue form rather than shown…. Sound exciting? Well it’s absolutely fantastic and surely one of the strongest films of 1941. Mizoguchi’s camerawork is superb. He floats through walls with complicated tracking shows and brings us into and out of scenes with some pretty complicated crane shots (some mirror Gone With the Wind and Intolerance). The dialogue is intelligent and the ending is very satisfying. Clearly the film is paced in such a way that it will be pretty unbearable to those who don’t enjoy cinematic style.
Mizoguchi’s camerawork is superb. He floats through walls with complicated tracking shows and brings us into and out of scenes with some pretty complicated crane shots (some mirror Gone With the Wind and Intolerance)
Mizoguchi’s last film for a few years as the war breaks out in Japan and in other parts of the world
trends and notables:
- Again, 1941 is owned by prodigy Orson Welles (born in 1915 so he was 26 in 1941) and his first archiveable/debut film. It’s not just hype.
- 1941 also marks the debut film John Huston as a director. It’s pretty remarkable that both #1 and #2 from the top 10 of 1941 are debut films.
- All top 10 films are black and white
- The war going on – represented by 49th Parallel and Hawks’ smashing success Sergeant York
- On 1940’s page I mention “peak John Ford”- and that continues here- so that’s MP in 1939, MP in 1940, and MS in 1941 here
one of John Ford’s most painterly sequences- from How Green Was My Valley
it is one of those incorrected maligned best picture winners just because it won in the year of Citizen Kane
- Preston Sturges is on a similar run- he has two of the best six films on the top 10 below—he’d be done essentially in 1944 but if you were just to take him and Hawks until that point you’d have to give the edge to Sturges I believe.
- Continuing the trend of auteurs/directors on a roll—Wyler wins my “most underrated film” in back to back years—and with 1941 he has eight archiveable films in the past six years
- I mention it above- but the debut film from Wells, first archiveable film from Joseph Cotten as well
best performance male: It is Welles as Kane and Bogey as Sam Spade at the top here for sure. Welles wasn’t always a great actor- but between this, Touch of Evil, his few minutes in The Third Man and Chimes at Midnight— when he was on and motivated- he was spectacular. As for Bogart, with all respect to John Huston, I can’t see The Maltese Falcon being as brilliant as it is with any other actor. In 1941 Bogart successfully transitions from B-movie henchman and Warner Brothers fall guy (often to Cagney) into his own powerhouse leading man and actor. He has High Sierra here as a backup to Maltese Falcon. Henry Fonda shows his comedic acting chops opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve—how about that range doing a 180-degree turn from his straight dramatic performance as Tom Joad the year before? Lastly, though it isn’t an achievement the level of Welles’ performance—Joseph Cotten deserves some love as Kane’s oldest friend Jedediah Leland.
Welles and Cotten give two of the best four male performances of the year in 1941– both here- New angles that cinema had never really seen before (I’ll often call something with a creative low-angle shot “Wellesian”
best performance female: Poor Bette Davis is the bridesmaid here as she’s my runner up in The Little Foxes. She’s wonderfully devilish. But, I have to go with Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve. She’s the embodiment of confidence and charm. She and Fonda give one of the great all-time screen comedic performances- they should be mentioned more often alongside Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby.
Stanwyck and Fonda give one of the great all-time screen comedic performances- they should be mentioned more often alongside Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby
top 10
- Citizen Kane
- The Maltese Falcon
- The 47 Ronin
- The Lady Eve
- How Green Was My Valley
- Sullivan’s Travels
- The Little Foxes
- Sergeant York
- 49th Parallel
- Meet John Doe
The Maltese Falcon– John Huston’s directorial debut and the full-on arrival Bogart
Archives, Directors, and Grades
| 49th Parallel- Powell | HR |
| Ball of Fire- Hawks | R |
| Citizen Kane– Welles | MP |
| Dumbo – Sharpsteen | R |
| Here Comes Mr. Jordan- Hall | R |
| High Sierra- Walsh | R |
| How Green Was My Valley- Ford | MS |
| King’s Row- S. Wood | |
| Love Crazy- Conway | R |
| Man Hunt- Lang | R |
| Meet John Doe- Capra | R |
| Penny Serenade- Stevens | R |
| Sergeant York- Hawks | HR |
| Shanghai Gesture- von Sternberg | R |
| Sullivan’s Travels- P. Sturges | MS |
| Suspicion- Hitchcock | R |
| That Hamilton Woman- Korda | R |
| That Uncertain Feeling – Lubitsch | R |
| The 47 Ronin– Mizoguchi | MS |
| The Black Cat- Rogell | |
| The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family– Ozu | R |
| The Great Lie- Goulding | R |
| The Lady Eve- P. Sturges | MS |
| The Little Foxes- Wyler | MS |
| The Maltese Falcon- J. Huston | MP |
| The Sea Wolf- Curtiz | R |
| The Wolf Man– Waggner | R |
| They Died With Their Boots On- Walsh | R |
| Tobacco Road- Ford | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
This England (1941)
https://imgur.com/a/this-england-1941-6eBbs5f
John Clements is opposite Constance Cummings (a few years before Blithe Spirit) here
Ships with Wings (1941)
https://imgur.com/a/ships-with-wings-1941-cPVYGEF
This has a very impressive scale. It’s shocking it was made 85 years ago. Convoy – 1940 is another. This is focused on the British air force while Convoy was focused on the British navy. Certainly the last half an hour of both films feel like you are thick in the middle of World War 2 with bombs and missiles flying everywhere. It’s an experience.
Both films were commercial successes in the UK. But somehow is in a very obscure state now. Convoy is Clive Brook back in England after working for a long time in the US as a star actor. First in silent films, then in talkies.
This England (1941) is a fine film. It actually reminded me of Robert Zemeckis’ Here. Which has similar qualities. I think this film is stronger because it doesn’t have the one angle gimmick the Zemeckis film uses among other things (a straightforward and less convulted narrative is another). There is a stop-start quality to This England because of the shifting timelines. All the way from 1086 to the early 1940’s. The main connecting thread is the village of Cleveland and the Beaconland farm. These have survived for centuries through different generations. The overarching framing device is set in contemporary England in the early 1940’s where one of the villagers tells a visting American lady stories about the history of the village and farm.
First is the 1086 story which is about the village being ruled by a tyrannical king. Then is the 1588 story where the farm is set to be taken by the royalty during English-Spanish war. This is a very nuanced story and probably the best section in the film. It actually shows the ruthlessness of the villagers and has a memorable climax. Then is the 1804 story where a nobleman inherits the farm from his ancestors but has no desire for it during the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. Then is the final story set between 1914-1918 before, during and after World War 1. Where a man who became blind due to war returns to the village after serving during World War 1. This is also an extemely intelligent and nuanced story with great writing. Esmond Knight is somewhere in the cast and this story is actually very related to him. He was blind/half blind for most of his career which spanned decades.
The Cleveland village and the farm with its vast landscapes surrounded by sea is a very beautiful setting. Crazy range from John Clements in this film. Playing multiple roles here. Playing a ruthless blacksmith, a thoughtful farmer, a landowner who aspires for wealth/high society and then the blind man. And a likeable villager in the overarching framing device section. Constance Cummings also does good work in that 1588 story section in particular. Roland Culver is only in the 1588 story section I believe but is very memorable as he always is. It’s a good watch. Presents a lot of thoughtful questions. And has enough action to be very entertaining. There is a great ballroom sequence during the 1804 story section as well.
This England (1941) is a wild film. Spanning centuries all the way from 1066 to 1941 at five different timelines. It’s like a history lesson of England. But engaging and there is action here as well with the fight with the rogue king. John Clements is opposite Constance Cummings here (Blithe Spirit). He plays multiple roles in the film and it’s perfect for him. Switching between volatility and sensitivity with great skill in equal measure. There is no better actor at playing sheer determination and courage. He is a rousing actor. Equally adept at comedy as well as serious drama. Shedding his good looks and image for roles. The weird thing about The Four Feathers is it’s basically an against type role for him. He is very understated there. A reserved personality. But he is a natural leader in most of the others. It’s kind of crazy how the setting and the character he plays is different in every film of his from 1939 to 1949.
* The Four Feathers [Sudanese War/Isolated soldier/Upper class]
* Convoy [Navy/Playboy soldier/Upper class]
* This England [Spanning centuries at England/Multiple characters for both upper and lower classes]
* Ships with Wings [Airforce/Playboy soldier/Upper class]
* Tomorrow We Live [French town/Member of the resistance/Lower class]
* Undercover [Yugoslavian/Serbian mountains, town/Resistance leader, Military figure/ Middle class]
* They Came to a City [Utopian city/Angry young man/Lower class]
* Train of Events/The Composer [Musical setting/Playboy composer/Upper class]
5 of the 8 films here are for Ealing Studios.
The actresses in these 1940’s films are basically glowing with the way the crew is lighting them (especially for close ups). It’s fascinating. In Ships with Wings, both Ann Todd and Jane Baxter feel like ethereal characters. These are certainly masculine films and the female roles are smaller but they certainly make an impact when they appear. And this despite being very classy and having smallish roles compared to the men.
The last 25 minutes or so of Ships with Wings (1941) is just awe-inspiring spectacle. It’s an experience.
This is another marvelous role for the great character actor Edward Chapman. Working for Ealing Studios again after 1940’s Convoy. He is someone who steals every scene he is in. Playing quirky, eccentric but lovable figures with a lot of heart and passion during treacherous times. He inserts a lot of life into the films in his screentime but also heartbreak as well later. Sergei Nolbandov (the director here) was credited as a producer for Convoy and there are a lot of similarities between the two films for sure. Even the Clements character in both is quite similar (for the first time). One is at sea with the navy (only one scene in Convoy is on land I think). And one is largely on air and a large fleet the planes land on with the air force. But they both follow more or less the same template. The backdrop is the same but I think the main story is stronger in Ships with Wings. It’s very influenced by The Four Feathers actually (also starring Clements of course). I think Nolbandov does some very interesting things behind the camera in both Ships with Wings and Undercover. The only two films he directed.
The singing scene with a broken heart involving Ann Todd in Ships with Wings (1941) is excellent. It’s an Air Force movie made by Ealing Studios. This was the follow-up to Convoy (1940) for the studio which was a Navy movie. Both set amidst and involving World War 2 of course. Ships with Wings was a commercial success when it was released but Prime Minister Winston Churchill objected because of the large number of British casualties shown in the film. Sergei Nolbandov (the director) followed this film up with Undercover in 1943. Which was also for Ealing Studios. Undercover had a different Yugoslavian/Serbian setting unlike the British setting here.
King’s Row was released in 1942.
Have you seen Stormy Waters / Remorques by Jean Grémillon? He was regarded up there with Renoir and Carne. https://metrograph.com/5-filmmakers-on-gremillon/
@Palmer- I personally have no- I’ll let others chime in- thanks for the heads up- not really on my radar.
Walsh’s High Sierra was released in 1940 not 1941.
@Malith – good catch here on Kings Row- thank you
I am just in the middle of 1941 study and I will like to recommend The Devil and Daniel Webster from W. Dieterle- it is a strange and eccentric film that is transformed in a pretty solid HR by Walter Huston’s absolutely majestic performance as The Devil, great score from Hermann and a fantastic ending.
@RujK – Very nice- thank you for the recommend
What are your thoughts on Donald Crisp’s performance in How Green Was My Valley?
@RujK – He is good here, right? I mean this is an ensemble film and the set pieces and some of the staging is more important to the artistic quality of the film than the performances- but Crisp shines here as the patriarch.
@Drake- yes, he stands above everybody else in the ensemble. He won an Oscar here, and even if I think Cotton was more deserving, I am not really mad about it.
@Drake-Do you have Orson Welles in Citizen Kane as one of the top 10 male performances of the 1940’s?
You say “1941 *almost* marks the debut film John Huston.” Almost? I think it is just a minor typo. Other than that, the updates are great.
@Graham– quite right- fixed it. Thank you