1940s in Films Genre and Social Criticism

Abstract

This paper investigates a group of six films produced in the forties. Instead of relying on categorisations that traditionally divide the production of this decade in subgenres - Film Noir, Female Gothic, Gothic Films - the idea here is that these films share historical and technical qualities (distinctive mood, tone, and style) and therefore may be analysed in terms of themes that pervade their narratives. Social uneasiness, anxiety about the meaning of "normality" and money related issues as recurrent themes in the films. This analysis highlights issues of class struggle and socio-dialectic processes as characteristics that can integrate the film corpus under a single perspective.