Pulse of Cinema

Best 1940s Dramas

1444

Pulse of Cinema lists 1444 films from the 1940s, ranked by the Pulse Score blended from IMDb, Letterboxd and TMDB. Standouts include It's a Wonderful Life, The Great Dictator, Bicycle Thieves.

1444Films
69Avg Pulse
3280+ Pulse
1940-1949Span

These 1444 films average a Pulse Score of 69; 32 score 80+ ("strong pick"). Span 1940-1949. Highest is It's a Wonderful Life (91).

Films

It's a Wonderful Life 91

It's a Wonderful Life

1946
The Great Dictator 89

The Great Dictator

1940
Bicycle Thieves 89

Bicycle Thieves

1948
Casablanca 89

Casablanca

1943
Late Spring 88

Late Spring

1949
Double Indemnity 87

Double Indemnity

1944
Citizen Kane 86

Citizen Kane

1941
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 86

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1948
Children of Paradise 85

Children of Paradise

1945
The Red Shoes 85

The Red Shoes

1948
The Third Man 84

The Third Man

1949
The Best Years of Our Lives 84

The Best Years of Our Lives

1946
To Be or Not to Be 84

To Be or Not to Be

1942
The Grapes of Wrath 83

The Grapes of Wrath

1940
Brief Encounter 83

Brief Encounter

1945
The Shop Around the Corner 82

The Shop Around the Corner

1940
Rome, Open City 82

Rome, Open City

1945
Rebecca 82

Rebecca

1940
A Matter of Life and Death 82

A Matter of Life and Death

1946
The Heiress 82

The Heiress

1949
Shoeshine 82

Shoeshine

1946
White Heat 82

White Heat

1949
Rope 81

Rope

1948
The Ox-Bow Incident 81

The Ox-Bow Incident

1943
Kind Hearts and Coronets 81

Kind Hearts and Coronets

1949
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 81

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

1943
Day of Wrath 80

Day of Wrath

1943
Notorious 80

Notorious

1946
Out of the Past 80

Out of the Past

1947
Laura 80

Laura

1944
Mildred Pierce 80

Mildred Pierce

1945
Beauty and the Beast 80

Beauty and the Beast

1946
The Maltese Falcon 79

The Maltese Falcon

1941
The Big Sleep 79

The Big Sleep

1946
Arsenic and Old Lace 79

Arsenic and Old Lace

1944
Sullivan's Travels 79

Sullivan's Travels

1941
Letter from an Unknown Woman 78

Letter from an Unknown Woman

1948
The Lost Weekend 78

The Lost Weekend

1945
Stray Dog 78

Stray Dog

1949
Gaslight 78

Gaslight

1944
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 78

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

1945
The Philadelphia Story 78

The Philadelphia Story

1940
His Girl Friday 78

His Girl Friday

1940
Miracle on 34th Street 78

Miracle on 34th Street

1947
Monsieur Verdoux 77

Monsieur Verdoux

1947
Germany, Year Zero 77

Germany, Year Zero

1948
Black Narcissus 77

Black Narcissus

1947
My Darling Clementine 77

My Darling Clementine

1946