March 17, 2012

Going Through the Era's {Matinee Saturday} - 1940s

I'm linking up to Bramblewood Fashion's Going Through the Era's event!



This week {March 11th-17th} is the 1940s.

Today's theme is...Matinee Saturday!
{do movie reviews of movies from the era. share your favorite Actors/Actresses, fun movie trivia, etc....}

And I thought choosing a film from the 30s was difficult. Ha!
But then, I have so many favorite movies that I think any era is going to involve hard decisions. :) 

A popular genre during the 40s was what is now called film noir.
Detectives, double crosses, trench coats, fedoras, crime, black & white, shadows, mystery, and the femme fatale are what characterize the film noir genre.
I must confess that there's nothing I love more than a good detective story, especially when you get to figure out whodunit as the main character discovers clues.

The Maltese Falcon (Humphrey Bogart), Call Northside 777 (Jimmy Stewart) and Laura (Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews) are three of my favorites.
The 40s are also when all of my absolute favorite Alfred Hitchcock films were made.
{many of these would also be in the film noir genre}
Shadow of a Doubt
Notorious
Saboteur
Rebecca
Spellbound
Suspicion
 
After much pacing of the floor, muttering to myself, and some careful consideration, I finally decided on...


"We just sort of go along and nothing happens. We're in a terrible rut. It's been on my mind for months. What's gonna be our future?"  So muses Charlotte "Charlie" Newton (Teresa Wright), a typical teenager living in a typical family in a typical 1940s American home.

Charlie impulsively decides to send Uncle Charlie, her mother's younger brother whom young Charlie is named after, a telegram begging him to come for a visit.   But he's already on his way, having suddenly decided to pay them a visit.
Suddenly, the world seems bright, new and exciting once more! 

Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten
  
But all is not as it seems.   What secret is Uncle Charlie hiding?  Why did he tear an article out of the newspaper, that he doesn't want young Charlie to see?  What are the two men working on a "national survey" really up to?  Could young Charlie's life be in danger when she finally discovers the terrible truth?

Joseph Cotten
 
Called Hitchcock's finest film by some, and Hitch's personal favorite, Shadow of a Doubt will keep you in suspense right to the very end!

Have you ever watched Shadow of a Doubt?  What did you think of it?
I'd love to know!
.....

Happy Trails, y'all!

P.S.
Another of my absolute favorite films from the 40s is Random Harvest.
You can read my review here, if you want to:)

P.S.S.
I feel like I neglected so many of my favorite films...oh well.

2 comments:

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