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CineRank

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. 51

    Gaslight

    1940· 1h 24m

    7.1103
  2. 52

    Lifeboat

    1944· 1h 36m

    7.4494
  3. 53

    Spellbound

    1945· 1h 51m

    7.4992
  8. 58

    Suspicion

    1941· 1h 39m

    7.1915
  18. 68

    Brute Force

    1947· 1h 38m

    7.3215
  21. 71

    Hamlet

    1948· 2h 33m

    7.4299
  22. 72

    The Sea Hawk

    1940· 2h 7m

    7.2158
  29. 79

    High Sierra

    1941· 1h 40m

    7.1365
  30. 80

    Cat People

    1942· 1h 13m

    6.9682
  34. 84

    Macbeth

    1948· 1h 47m

    7.3186

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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.