The uplifting films of 1940 all seem to focus on characters with strong values and interesting personalities.
Beholds Spirit Film of 1940
Our Town
Our Town, the 1940 film based on Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning 1938 play, portrays the archetypal small town, and the everymen and everywomen who live in it. We see the characters living their ordinary lives, but as they do they face all the challenges and joys of life. The film doesn’t just revel in nostalgic haze; it confronts adversity, death, and all forms of human conflict. The destiny of each character is tied with the rest of the characters. They are all connected, and they are connected to us.
Brian’s Favorite Uplifting Films of 1940
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath, based on John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel about farmers struggling in the 1930s Depression. The social messages that the film delivers are made more powerful by the acting, that as an audience you really feel for the characters. The inequalities, economic and social, present a visceral picture of the 1930s, and also show how much our time is like that era. The indestructible survival of the human spirit makes this an uplifting film.
His Girl Friday
His Girl Friday is a fast-talking, ever-speeding up ride that is intelligent and playful. A strong woman is at the center of the story, who is drawn to both her career and the bad boy leading man. I like that this film doesn’t dumb down the story (as so many screwball comedies have done). The dialogue is allowed to be smart, adult banter. The journalism story being pursued is about racial inequality, additionally supporting the depth this film has to offer.
My Favorite Wife
My Favorite Wife has an absurd premise. A shipwreck seven years ago left Cary Grant’s wife missing, and declared legally dead. In the meantime, Grant eventually remarries. At the hotel on his second honeymoon, he sees his first wife. The plot gets more and more insane from there, and as enjoyable as watching the characters squirm is, the greatness of this film is that it doesn’t pretend that the characters are sweet innocent victims. They are all sort of selfish, and that only adds to the fun. This is the kind of film that magnifies human character tendencies into a larger-than-life story, but we can still see ourselves here.
The Philadelphia Story
In yet another of 1940’s screwball comedies, a class study is expertly woven through a set of selfish characters who all seem to be hopelessly indecisive. This film is yet uplifting because its message is that, to be happy, you have to find the joy inside you and make your decisions based on that. Also, one of my favorite silly lines in a movie, when Tracy Lords says of South Bend, Indiana “sounds like dancing.” I always think of this movie when that city is mentioned.
Pinnochio
What does it mean to be real? What are the dangers of telling lies? The wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy sets out on a quest. Determined to meet his goal, he meets a series of role models and guides who help him understand how to grow. I remember this film having a big impact on me when I saw it as a child. Rewatching it as an adult I realize it has a lot to say for us today, who all seem to be striving for something intangible. We need to choose our role models very carefully, and focus on being authentic.
The Shop Around the Corner
Of all the 1940 films, and all the film versions of this story, I have a special soft spot for The Shop Around the Corner. We have two average people with big ambitions, trying to make a better life for themselves. They have a taskmaster boss and a deep sense of loneliness. So many of us can see ourselves, at least ourselves at some point in our lives, as one of these characters. The crazy plot is based on coincidence but seems plausible. I love the humanity of every character in this film, and the black and white presentation adds to the story. It adds a dimension of simply humanity to movies like this, and places the focus simply on the characters.