Below is a list of my favorite movies (so far) that are set in the 1940s:
FAVORITE FILMS SET IN THE 1940s
1. "Inglourious Basterds" (2009) - Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed this Oscar nominated alternate history tale about two simultaneous plots to assassinate the Nazi High Command at a film premiere in German-occupied Paris. The movie starred Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent and Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.
2. "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011) - Chris Evans made his first appearance in this exciting Marvel Cinematic Universe installment as the World War II comic book hero, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, who battles the Nazi-origin terrorist organization, HYDRA. Joe Johnston directed.
3. "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995) - Denzel Washington starred in this excellent adaptation of Walter Mosley's 1990 novel about a laid off factory worker who becomes a private detective, after he is hired to find a missing woman with connection to a local politician in post-World War II Los Angeles. Directed by Carl Franklin, the movie co-starred Don Cheadle, Jennifer Beals and Tom Siezmore.
4. "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971) - Angela Landsbury and David Tomilinson starred in this excellent Disney adaptation of Mary Norton's series of children's stories about three English children, evacuated to the countryside during the Blitz, who are taken in by a woman studying to become a witch in order to help the Allies fight the Nazis. Robert Stevenson directed.
5. "The Public Eye" (1992) - Joe Pesci starred in this interesting neo-noir tale about a New York City photojournalist (shuttlebug) who stumbles across an illegal gas rationing scandal involving the mob, a Federal government official during the early years of World War II. Barbara Hershey and Stanley Tucci co-starred.
6. "A Murder Is Announced" (1985) - Joan Hickson starred in this 1985 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1950 novel about Miss Jane Marple's investigation of a series of murders in an English village that began with a newspaper notice advertising a "murder party". Directed by David Giles, the movie co-starred John Castle.
7. "Hope and Glory" (1987) - John Boorman wrote and directed this fictionalized account of his childhood during the early years of World War II in England. Sarah Miles, David Hayman and Sebastian Rice-Edwards starred.
8. "The Godfather" (1972) - Francis Ford Coppola co-wrote and directed this Oscar winning adaptation of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel about the fictional leaders of a crime family in post-World War II New York City. Oscar winner Marlon Brando and Oscar nominee Al Pacino starred.
9. "Valkyrie" (2008) - Bryan Singer directed this acclaimed account of the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler in July 1944. Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson starred.
10. "Pearl Harbor" (2001) - Michael Bay directed this historical opus about the impact of the Pearl Harbor attack upon the lives of three people. Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Harnett and Cuba Gooding Jr. starred.
Honorable Mention: "The Black Dahlia" (2006) - Brian DePalma directed this entertaining adaptation of James Ellroy's 1987 novel about the investigation of the infamous Black Dahlia case in 1947 Los Angeles. Josh Harnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank starred.
