1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 194519461947 1948 1949

1946 Movies

Take a nostalgic look back at the top movies of 1946, celebrating the films, directors and actors that defined the year and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.

1946 Academy Awards

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The Best Years of Our Lives
Written by: Robert E. Sherwood, MacKinlay Kantor
Directed by: William Wyler
Starring: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews
Country: United States of America
Outline: Three World War II veterans return home to small-town America and struggle to adjust to civilian life.
source: imdb.com
Notorious
Written by: Ben Hecht
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains
Country: United States of America
Outline: In 1946, Alicia Huberman, daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, is recruited by U.S. agent T.R. Devlin to infiltrate a group of German scientists in Brazil. As Alicia becomes romantically involved with one of the scientists, Devlin's feelings complicate the mission.
source: imdb.com
The Razor's Edge
Written by: Lamar Trotti, W. Somerset Maugham, Darryl F. Zanuck
Directed by: Edmund Goulding
Starring: Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb, Herbert Marshall
Country: United States of America
Outline: After World War I, Larry Darrell seeks spiritual enlightenment, leading to a strained relationship with his fiancée, Isabel. His journey of self-discovery challenges his connections with those around him.
source: imdb.com
The Yearling
Written by: Paul Osborn, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Directed by: Clarence Brown
Starring: Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr.
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young boy in Florida befriends a fawn, leading to challenges as he grows attached to the animal, which causes problems for his family.
source: imdb.com
Blue Skies
Written by: Irving Berlin, Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields
Directed by: Stuart Heisler, Mark Sandrich
Starring: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Joan Caulfield, Virginia Dale
Country: United States of America
Outline: A musical comedy about two performers who fall in love while competing for the same role in a Broadway show.
source: imdb.com
It's a Wonderful Life
Written by: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Samuel S. Hinds
Country: United States of America
Outline: An angel helps a despairing businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
source: imdb.com
The Big Sleep
Written by: William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman
Directed by: Howard Hawks
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, Regis Toomey, Charles Waldron, Bob Steele, Charles D. Brown, Edward Arnold, Charles Lane, Charles McGraw
Country: United States of America
Outline: Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate the blackmailing of a wealthy family, leading him into a complex web of deceit and murder.
source: imdb.com
Shoeshine
Written by: Cesare Zavattini, Vittorio De Sica
Directed by: Vittorio De Sica
Starring: Rinaldo Smordoni, Franco Interlenghi, Annabella, Maria-Pia Casilio, Giuseppe Chinnici, Lianella Carell, Gino Saltamerenda, Carlo Ninchi, Enzo Staiola, Giuseppe Sillato, Aldo Silvani, Liana Del Balzo
Country: Italy
Outline: Two young boys in Rome, working as shoeshiners, dream of a better life but find themselves entangled in the harsh realities of the adult world.
source: imdb.com
The Time of Their Lives
Written by: Walter DeLeon, Val Burton, Bradford Ropes, John Grant
Directed by: Charles Barton
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marjorie Reynolds, Gale Sondergaard, Binnie Barnes, John Shelton
Country: United States of America
Outline: Horatio Prim arrives at Tom Danbury's estate with a letter of commendation from General George Washington, hoping to marry Danbury's housemaid. When American troops overrun the estate, Horatio is mistakenly shot as a traitor, and his spirit roams the grounds to prove his innocence.
source: imdb.com
Great Expectations
Written by: David Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame, Kay Walsh
Directed by: David Lean
Starring: John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Anthony Wager, Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt, Alec Guinness
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Outline: Orphan Pip Pirrip encounters an escaped convict, Abel Magwitch, and is later invited to the home of the wealthy but eccentric Miss Havisham, where he meets her adopted daughter, Estella. As Pip grows, he learns of his mysterious benefactor and navigates the complexities of love and social expectations.
source: imdb.com
Enamorada
Written by: Emilio Fernández, Mauricio Magdaleno
Directed by: Emilio Fernández
Starring: Pedro Armendáriz, María Félix, Fernando Fernández, Andrés Soler, José Elías Moreno, Francisco Jambrina
Country: Mexico
Outline: In the midst of the Mexican Revolution, a general's daughter falls in love with a revolutionary leader, challenging her loyalty and the expectations of her privileged life.
source: imdb.com
My Darling Clementine
Written by: Winston Miller, Sam Hellman, Stuart N. Lake
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, Tim Holt, Cathy Downs, Ward Bond, Alan Mowbray, John Ireland, John Carradine
Country: United States of America
Outline: Wyatt Earp and his brothers Morgan and Virgil arrive in Tombstone, Arizona, where they confront the Clanton gang and the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
source: imdb.com
Gilda
Written by: E.A. Ellington, Marion Parsonnet, Jo Eisinger
Directed by: Charles Vidor
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready, Joseph Calleia, Steven Geray, Everett Sloane, Gerald Mohr, Jack L. Warner, Don Douglas, John Wengraf
Country: United States of America
Outline: A man returns to his hometown and becomes entangled with the beautiful and enigmatic Gilda, leading to a complex love triangle and a series of betrayals.
source: imdb.com
Paisan
Written by: Sergio Amidei, Federico Fellini, Marcello Pagliero, Alfred Hayes, Vasco Pratolini, Klaus Mann
Directed by: Roberto Rossellini
Starring: Carmela Sazio, Robert Van Loon, Dots Johnson, Alfonsino Bovino, Maria Michi, Gar Moore, Harriet White, Renzo Avanzo, William Tubbs, Dale Edmonds, Achille Siviero
Country: Italy
Outline: Six episodes depict interactions between American soldiers and Italians during the liberation of Italy in World War II. The film explores themes of cultural differences and human connection amidst the backdrop of war.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Green for Danger
Written by: Sidney Gilliat, Claud Gurney
Directed by: Sidney Gilliat
Starring: Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Rosamund John, Alastair Sim, Leo Genn
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Outline: During World War II, a postman dies on the operating table in a rural English hospital. Inspector Cockrill investigates, uncovering a web of secrets among the hospital staff.
source: en.wikipedia.org
Humoresque
Written by: Fannie Hurst, Clifford Odets
Directed by: Jean Negulesco
Starring: Joan Crawford, John Garfield, Oscar Levant, J. Carrol Naish, Tom D'Andrea
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young violinist from a poor background rises to fame, facing personal and professional challenges along the way. The film explores themes of ambition, love, and sacrifice.
source: imdb.com
The Spiral Staircase
Written by: Mel Dinelli, Ethel Lina White
Directed by: Robert Siodmak
Starring: Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith, Rhonda Fleming, Gordon Oliver, Elsa Lanchester
Country: United States of America
Outline: In 1906 Vermont, a mute woman is stalked by a serial killer targeting women with disabilities. As the killer closes in, she must find a way to survive the night.
source: imdb.com
Tomorrow Is Forever
Written by: Gwen Bristow, Lenore J. Coffee
Directed by: Irving Pichel
Starring: Claudette Colbert, Orson Welles, George Brent
Country: United States of America
Outline: An American World War I soldier, disfigured and presumed dead, returns home after 20 years to find his wife remarried and his son grown. He struggles to reconnect with his family and adapt to the changes.
source: imdb.com
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Written by: Harry Ruskin, Niven Busch
Directed by: Tay Garnett
Starring: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn
Country: United States of America
Outline: A drifter and a diner owner's wife plot to kill her husband and claim his assets, leading to unforeseen consequences.
source: imdb.com
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Written by: Robert Rossen, John Patrick
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas
Country: United States of America
Outline: A woman returns to her hometown and becomes entangled in a web of crime and deceit involving her former lover and a corrupt politician.
source: imdb.com
Neecha Nagar
Written by: Chetan Anand, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Directed by: Chetan Anand
Starring: K. L. Saigal, Leela Mishra, Kamini Kaushal, Murad, Leela Chitnis
Country: India
Outline: A poor man from a village moves to a city and faces the harsh realities of urban life, highlighting the stark contrast between the rich and the poor.
source: imdb.com