A Pictorial History of the Movies: 1945 – Brief Encounter
Am I cheating? Probably. But what the hell. I’ve almost made it 50 years into this history so far. I think I’m allowed a freebie.
I had a hard time figuring out 1945. Because this is the end of the war. Right before the noir boom. Right before the post-war “coming home” films. There’s really not much to point out, aesthetically, in Hollywood, at the moment. The biggest film of the year was The Bells of St. Mary’s, which is just a giant piece of fluff. Spellbound was a huge hit, but there’s no need to throw Hitchcock on there for no reason. He’ll get his article. I love that Leave Her to Heaven made a lot of money, but even that’s not really a film you can talk about as representing a year. That’s more a great melodrama.
So, in looking for films that could represent the year that was 1945, I was left unimpressed. The Lost Weekend was a choice but that’s just a great film that talks about a social issue. And I have a few of those around here. Anchors Aweigh is a great classic Hollywood musical. But let’s face it… if I’m gonna choose one of those, there are better choices. I already did my noir, so Detour is out. I could do Rome Open City, but that’s Italy and not representing film. It’s a tough year.
And owing to that, I went with Brief Encounter because… well, it’s Brief Encounter. (more…)
Pic of the Day: “I love you. I love your wide eyes, the way you smile, your shyness, and the way you laugh at my jokes.” “Please don’t.” “I love you. I love you. You love me too. It’s no use pretending it hasn’t happened cause it has.” “Yes it has. I don’t want to pretend anything either to you or to anyone else. But from now on, I shall have to. That’s what’s wrong. Don’t you see? That’s what spoils everything. That’s why we must stop, here and now, talking like this. We’re neither of us free to love each other. There’s too much in the way. There’s still time, if we control ourselves and behave like sensible human beings. There’s still time.”
