Victory! – Time Marches on to 1945

The war is over!  How could any movie’s pleasures possibly compare?  They sure gave it the old college try though.  And, at the conclusion of the war, the U.S.  Government ended restrictions on the allocation of raw film stock, midnight curfews, and bans on outdoor lighting displays as well as censorship of the export and import of films.

The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), created by major US film studios in 1922 to police the industry, was renamed as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). It was responsible for implementing the voluntary film rating system and continues in that capacity. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), an organization created in 1938 with the goal of domestically stopping subversive activities, un-Americanism and communism, was made into a permanent standing committee under Congressman John Rankin (of Mississippi). By 1947, the Hollywood motion picture industry became one of its main targets when the committee initiated an investigation of Communist influence there.  Films such as Children of Paradise, Rome, Open City, and The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail hinted at the great renaissance in film making outside Hollywood that would take place after the war.

The ruins of Hiroshima

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12 after beginning a fourth term in office. Vice President Harry S. Truman took office that same day.   Rocket scientist Werner von Braun and his team of 120 researchers surrendered to U.S. forces, later providing a foundation for the U.S. space program.   World history changed forever when the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6.  Benito Mussolini was executed on April 28 and Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30. On December 10, the U.S. Senate approved the entry of the U.S. into the United Nations.  John Hersey’s A Bell for Adano won the Pulitzer Prize and the rendition of “Sentimental Journey” by Les Brown and Doris Day topped the charts for 28 weeks.

A list of the films I will choose from can be found here and here.

I reviewed the following 1945 releases during Noir Months 2013 and 2014:  Mildred Pierce; The Spiral Staircase; Detour; Hangover Square; Fallen Angel; and Lady on a Train.  I also reviewed Rome, Open City here for the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Blog Club.

Stills from the 1945 Oscar winners

Stills from all films nominated for an Oscar