Noir films and mystery movies were at their height of popularity in the 1940s with hits such as The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Orson Welles' masterpiece, Citizen Kane. After the success of gangster films like Scarface and The Public Enemy, the studios noticed the audiences' rising interest in crime and detective novels, leading to ushering in the film noir genre.
The decade produced some of the most iconic mysteries from filmmakers including Howard Hawks, John Huston, and Alfred Hitchcock. Films such as Laura and Double Indemnity are just several of the most popular classic mystery movies on the social media platform for film buffs, Letterboxd.
10 'The Lady from Shanghai' (1947)
Letterboxd Score: 3.8/5
Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles) takes a job on a yacht owned by Elsa (Rita Hayworth), a blonde bombshell, and her husband, Arthur (Everett Stone) who just arrived in New York City from Shanghai. It's smooth sailing for Michael until he's indicated in Arthur's murder and soon figures out that he was the intended fall guy for someone else.
The Lady from Shanghai is directed and written by Welles who adapted the screenplay from the novel If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King. While the movie was a box office flop, The Lady from Shanghai has been referred to as Welles' underrated gem and today is noted for its direction and set design including the scene featuring Hayworth and Welles in a room full of mirrors moments before an intense shootout.
9 'Gaslight' (1944)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Letterboxd Score: 3.9/5
After her aunt is murdered, Paula (Ingrid Bergman) travels to Italy to become a professional opera singer like her. There she falls in love with Gregory (Charles Boyer), but when they return to London together, she starts to experience a series of strange events that soon force her to question her reality as well as her new husband.
Gaslight is an intense psychological thriller directed by George Cukor and features Angela Lansbury in her film debut as a maid who is hired by Gregory. Gaslight received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Lansbury. The film went on to win Best Art Direction as well as Best Actress for Bergman.
8 'The Big Sleep' (1946)
Letterboxd Score: 3.9/5
Private eye, Philip Marlowe (one of Humphrey Bogart's best characters) is hired by a general to help sort out gambling debts that his daughter owes. The general's oldest daughter, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), offers to help Marlowe with his assignment after indicating that it's more complicated than he thinks. As friends of the general and his family start winding up murdered, Marlowe soon finds himself out of his element and in over his head.
The Big Sleep is a film noir directed and co-written by genre-hopping filmmaker, Howard Hawks. The movie's based on Raymond Chandler's novel and is the first to feature his famous reoccurring character, Philip Marlowe. Through the years, other stars including Dick Powell, Robert Mitchum, and Elliot Gould have played the private eye. Liam Neeson's next to take on the role in the upcoming film, Marlowe.
7 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941)
Letterboxd Score: 3.9/5
Private investigator, Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by an elusive woman, Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor) to find her missing sister who ran off into the city. Shortly after meeting with his new client, trouble finds Sam as well as Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre) and his employer (Sydney Greenstreet) who are in search of a valuable statue known as the Maltese Falcon.
The Maltese Falcon was John Huston's directorial debut and is a classic film noir based on the detective novel written by Dashiell Hammett. Before Bogart was offered the role, leading man, George Raft was offered the part of Sam Spade. Bogart was often the second choice for a handful of parts that Raft had turned down including Casablanca and High Sierra.
6 'Laura' (1944)
Letterboxd Score: 4.0/5
Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is assigned to investigate the murder of Laura Hunt, a young promising executive. As he starts interviewing people in Laura's life including columnist, Waldo (Clifton Webb) and her fiance (Vincent Price), he finds himself falling in love with her and is unable to shake the spell that other men had succumbed to before him.
Laura is one of the most celebrated film noirs based on the 1943 novel of the same name written by Vera Caspary. The film is iconic for its unique plot twist and received several Oscar nominations including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for Webb but took home only one win for Best Black and White Cinematography.
5 'Notorious' (1946)
Letterboxd Score: 4.0/5
Alicia (Ingrid Bergman) the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, is recruited as a spy for the U.S. by agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) and is assigned to win the affection of Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), a Nazi who is hiding out in Brazil. Her mission is compromised when she falls in love with her intended target.
Notorious is a spy film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by journalist and screenwriter Ben Hecht, one of the most pivotal and highest-paid screenwriters during Hollywood's Golden Age. Notorious earned two Oscar nominations including Best Original Screenplay for Hecht and Best Supporting Actor for Rains' performance as Alexander.
4 'Rebecca' (1940)
Letterboxd Score: 4.1/5
A young woman (Joan Fontaine) meets Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), a wealthy widower, sparking a whirlwind romance resulting in the two getting married. The new bride returns with her husband to his grand mansion by the sea and soon learns about the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death.
Rebecca was Hitchcock's first American film and is based on Daphne du Maurier's 1928 novel of the same title. The film also stars Judith Anderson, Florence Bates, and the devilish cad, George Sanders. Rebecca earned 13 Academy Award nominations, the most any film received that year, and won for Cinematography and Best Picture.
3 'The Third Man' (1949)
Letterboxd Score: 4.2/5
Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an American writer who arrives in Vienna at the invitation of his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Martins arrives only to discover that Lime's dead but when he finds out that an unknown third man was present at the time of his friend's death, he believes there's a conspiracy going on involving Lime and British authorities.
The Third Man is a British film noir and was named the greatest British film of all time in 1999 by the British Film Institute. Cotten and Welles were frequent co-stars as well as good friends who met in 1934 while working together at CBS radio. Cotten also became an inaugural member and popular performer in Welles' theater company, Mercury Players.
2 'Double Indemnity' (1944)
Letterboxd Score: 4.2/5
Insurance salesman, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) falls in love with a married woman, Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) who plans to murder her husband and collect on his life insurance. Just when they think they're in the clear, an insurance investigator (Edward G. Robinson) takes a closer look at the case and starts to unravel the deadly truth.
Double Indemnity is an iconic film noir directed by Billy Wilder. According to On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder by Ed Sikov, MacMurray who was under contract with Paramount and had established a good guy image, didn't think he would be allowed to play Neff. Thanks to his co-star and friend, Carole Lombard, she taught him how to play hardball with executives and managed to secure the part.
1 'Citizen Kane' (1941)
Letterboxd Score: 4.2/5
Before the death of newspaper tycoon, Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), he managed to speak one final word; Rosebud. A news reporter is assigned to decipher the meaning behind the cryptic message and as he meets with Kane's friends and colleagues, he starts to uncover an amazing and unknown portrait of a man who the world only partially knew.
Welles made his directorial debut with Citizen Kane which earned him his first Oscar nominations for both Best Director and Best Actor. The classic movie also stars Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead who also starred in Welles' second film, The Magnificent Ambersons. Moorehead was an underappreciated actress during Hollywood's Golden Age but in 1964, she made a comeback after being cast as Samantha's meddling mother, Endora on the classic sitcom, Bewitched.