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Best English Movies of the 1940s

This collection ranks 8,072 English-language movies released in the 1940s. The list is ranked using a weighted combination of audience ratings, vote volume and popularity data, so movies with only a handful of votes never outrank widely acclaimed films. The #1 entry is It's a Wonderful Life. These films were originally released in English.

8,072 qualifying moviesRanked using a weighted combination of ratings, vote volume and popularity data

  1. 7

    Rebecca

    1940· 2h 10m

    7.92.0K
  2. 11

    Rope

    1948· 1h 21m

    7.93.1K
  3. 14

    Fantasia

    1940· 2h 4m

    7.33.4K
  4. 15

    Notorious

    1946· 1h 43m

    7.71.8K
  5. 17

    White Heat

    1949· 1h 54m

    7.6548
  6. 22

    Pinocchio

    1940· 1h 28m

    7.16.3K
  7. 24

    Gaslight

    1944· 1h 54m

    7.5588
  8. 25

    The Heiress

    1949· 1h 55m

    7.8281
  9. 27

    Bambi

    1942· 1h 10m

    7.06.1K
  10. 30

    Laura

    1944· 1h 28m

    7.6920
  11. 34

    Dumbo

    1941· 1h 4m

    7.05.4K
  12. 41

    Gilda

    1946· 1h 50m

    7.5667
  13. 45

    Key Largo

    1948· 1h 40m

    7.5598
  14. 50

    The Killers

    1946· 1h 43m

    7.4441

Frequently asked questions

How many English movies came from the 1940s?

8,072 English-language films from the 1940s carry real rating data.

How are these English films ranked?

By a weighted score combining audience ratings, vote volume and popularity. Movies with very few votes are statistically shrunk toward the global average, so they cannot dominate the top of the list.

What is the highest-rated English movie of the 1940s?

It's a Wonderful Life holds the top position in this collection.