Zona i nie zona (1941) ***

Polish melodrama about a wife leaving her husband. Songs by Fred Melodyst:

"Na cale zycie"  *
"Co noc"  *

I Pirati della Malesia (1941) ***

Sergeant York (1941) ***

Two movies for the price of one: a rural melodrama set in Appalachia and a war movie set in the trenches of WWI.

The Invisible Woman (1941) ***

Ja tu rzadze (1941) ***

Mlody hrabia terminuje u szefca na Starym Miescie w Warszawie. Liczy na to, ze jego matka (Mieczyslawa Cwiklinska) tak sie tym przestraszy, ze zgodzi sie wreszcie sfinansowac jego projekt zalozenia teatru. Ale w miedzyczasie, hrabia zakochuje sie w corce majstra. Komedia Mieczyslawa Krawicza, ukonczona tuz przed wybuchem wojny, ale wypuszczona na ekrany dopiero w 1941. Najdowcipniejsze momenty naleza do polgluchego i roztargnionego wuja hrabiego (swietna kreacja Wladyslawa Grabowskiego), ktory wlacza radio zamiast czajnika, a zelazko zamiast radia. Piosenki Wladyslawa Danilowskiego:

"O ty moja cudna pani" *
"Co moze byc lepszego" **
"O ty moja cudna pani" (powtorka) *
"Abecadlo milosc" **
"Lambeth Walk" (taniec) **

Nocni motyl (1941) ***

Introspection Tower (1941) ***

A Japanese "Road To Life" (1931), but far more complex and subtle. Shimizu wrote the screenplay based on a novel by Ryuji Kumano and Yoshio Toyoshima.

Buck Privates (1941) ***

Patriotic Abbott & Costello musical comedy set in a boot camp.

Escort Girl (1941) ***

Ohm Kruger (1941) ***

They Wear No Clothes (1941) ***

La Corona di Ferro (1941) ***

Valery Chkalov (1941) ***

Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov.

Poikamies-pappa (1941) ***

The film is available here.

Billy The Kid (1941) **

Ordinary western about the legendary outlaw.

Notes Of An Itinerant Performer (1941) **

A Hiroshi Shimizu "hahamono" film that feels like it was based on a script rejected by Kenji Mizoguchi. The actual script was written by Taketaka Yagisawa and Kihan Nagase (who did a far better job on Shimizu's later film, "Sayon's Bell").

Blossoms In The Dust (1941) **

Dated melodrama starring Greer Garson as a Texan matron who takes care of orphan children.

The Great Lie (1941) **

Old-fashioned melodrama about a selfless woman (Bette Davis) raising a baby her dead husband had with another woman (Mary Astor).

The Strawberry Blonde (1941) **

James Cagney plays a dentist who spent five years in prison.

Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) **

Tarzan's family is in danger when white explorers find gold on their land.

Heimkehr (1941) *

As far as Nazi propaganda films go, this is a particularly inept example, especially compared with other contemporary German movies such as “Jew Suss” (1940) or “The Eternal Jew” (1940). This one, made to justify Hitler's invasion of Poland, tries to denounce the alleged persecution of ethnic Germans in Volhynia in 1939, but it mostly consists of hysterical Germans screaming about being persecuted, rather than dramatizing those persecutions in a narratively satisfying way (like “Jew Suss” did quite brilliantly). The best scene shows patriotic Poles singing their national anthem in a movie theatre while Germans sit silently – it's the only moment in the entire film when the Germans are silent. Curiously, in a film set in Volhynia, there are no Ukrainians at all – all non-Germans in the film are Poles, while in reality more than 70% of Volhynians were Ukrainians, and both Germans and Poles were small minorities in that province. 

All-American Co-Ed (1941) *

Silly musical about cross-dressing.

Son Of Monte Christo (1941) *

Mediocre swashbuckling adventure film.

This Woman Is Mine (1941) *

Sea adventure.

Blood And Sand (1941) *

Very tedious drama about a toreador.

Sieg im Westen (1941) *

That Uncertain Feeling (1941) *

A boring comedy of remarriage. One Of Ernst Lubitsch's least memorable efforts.

King Of The Zombies (1941) *

A zombie movie about a Nazi spy in the Caribbean.

Record Of A Female Doctor (1941) *

A boring script by Yoshiro Tsuji.

The Dentist (1941) ***

Christmas Under Fire (1941) ***

British documentary about Christmas celebrations in England during the Blitz.

Canadian Landscape (1941) ***

A.Y. Jackson at work.

Churchill's Island (1941) ***

Oscar-winning Canadian documentary about the Battle of England and the Battle of the Atlantic.

Acorns (1941) ***

Written and directed by Hiroshi Shimizu.

The Gay Parisian (1941) ***

Offenbach's music. Russian ballet. A delight.

Words For Battle (1941) ***

Narrated by Laurence Olivier, a patriotic documentary by Humphrey Jennings that concludes with excerpts from two rousing speeches by Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.

We shall fight on the beaches,

we shall fight on the landing grounds,

we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,

we shall fight in the hills;

we shall never surrender

that these dead shall not have died in vain -

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -

 that government of the people,

by the people,

for the people,

shall not perish from the earth

America Runs On Bulova Time (1941) ***

Forty Boys And A Song (1941) **

School kids singing songs. The music is wonderful, but how this simple film received an Oscar nomination for best short, will forever remain a mystery.

High Sierra (1941) ****

Gangster film set in a mountain resort on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

Shadow Of The Thin Man (1941) ***

A typical entry in the series.

Suspicion (1941) ***

Infamous Hitchcock thriller, in which the original ending was radically changed to prevent Cary Grant from playing a villain.

That Hamilton Woman (1941) ***

The lives of Horatio Nelson, who defeated Napoleon at Trafalgar, and his mistress, Lady Hamilton.

Topper Returns (1941) ***

Not as good as the 1937 original, but still a fine comedy/mystery. ***

Week-End In Havana (1941) ***

Romantic intrigues among American tourists in Havana. Amusing little musical with a few nice musical numbers:

"A Weekend In Havana" **
"Rebola A Bola"
"When I Love I Love" *
"Tropical Magic" *
"Romance And Rumba" *
"The Nango" **

The Wolf Man (1941) ***

Classic horror film about a man biten by a werewolf.

You'll Never Get Rich (1941) ***

Robert Benchley is up to his neck in romantic embarassements involving his suspicious wife, his friend (Fred Astaire) and a beautiful dancer (Rita Hayworth). Songs and musical numbers:

"Rehearsal Duet" *
"Boogie Barcarolle" *
"Shootin' The Works For Uncle Sam" **
"Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" *
"A-stairable Rag" **
"So Near And Yet So Far" **
"Wedding Cake Walk" *

Ziegfeld Girl (1941) ***

Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Hedy Lamarr are three young showgirls in Ziegfeld Follies. Musicals numbers:

"Laugh ?, I Thought I'D Split My Sides" *
"You Stepped Out Of A Dream" *
"Whispering" *
"I'M Always Chasing Rainbows" *
"Caribbean Love Song" *
"Spanish Dance" **
"Minnie From Trinidad" **
"Mr Gallagher And Mr Shean" **
"You Never Looked So Beautiful" *

Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde (1941) **

An inferior remake of Reuben Mamoulian's classic.

The Man Who Came To Dinner (1941) **

Monty Woolley plays an obnoxious critic who insults everyone in sight.

Tom, Dick And Harry (1941) **

Ginger Rogers has three suitors. Poor girl.

Meet John Doe (1941) *

It's an exasperating film. The first half an hour is brilliant - appropriately satiric and witty. Then, the film takes a terrible plunge. It's the story of a bum (Gary Cooper) hired by a newspaper tycoon as a spokesman for a political movement. Once he realizes that the tycoon in question is a fascist, the bum tries to expose him. But the moron warns the bad guys about his intentions! He waits in front of microphones during the national anthem and a prayer, allowing the bad guys to disrupt the rally and expose him as a fraud! He even admits publicly that he was a fraud! The last half an hour of the film is loaded with such incredibly stupid actions by the main character that he emerges as a complete idiot! It's Frank Capra's worst film, full of good intentions, but incredibly dumb. Just like its main character! Here's an interesting fact: the original story (written by Richard Connell and Robert Presnell) was judged to be so good, it was even nominated for an Oscar (the only nomination for the film). But the story was changed so radically by Frank Capra and Morris Ryskind that the original writers sued! And they were damn right!

Target For Tonight (1941) *

Documentary film about a bombing raid on Germany. Written and directed by Harry Watt for the Crown Film Unit. Stewart McAllister edited the picture.

The Tanks Are Coming (1941) *

Propaganda short about joining the army's tank corps. Dated.

Bomber (1941) *

Very ordinary short documentary about the manufacturing of a bomber airplane.

Warclouds In The Pacific (1941) *

A Canadian propaganda film that was proven both right and wrong immediately upon its release in December 1941. Right, because it warned of an imminent Japanese attack. Wrong, because it described Pearl Harbour as "the Gibraltar of the Pacific" and "the World's most powerful fortress". But by the time the film was released in United States on December 24, 1941, nobody would describe Pearl Harbour in such a way, making the film completely obsolete. Still, it was nominated for an Oscar as best documentary.

Menighedens Bornehave Arnkilgade (1941) *

A short Danish documentary.

Sing America - America The Beautiful (1941) *

Directed by J.Kemp for Nu-Art Films. A bunch of nice folks are singing patriotic songs, including "America The Beautiful".

A Quiet Fourth (1941) *

Directed by Harry D'Arcy for RKO. Edgar Kennedy takes two brats on a family picnic on the Fourth of July.

Ain't Misbehavin' (1941) *

Directed by Warren Murray. An all-black cast in a brief musical vignette.

Kings Of The Turf (1941) *

A boring short documentary about race horses that inexplicably received an Oscar nomination.

The Villain Still Pursued Her (1941) ***

Buster Keaton has a supporting role in this clever comedy that satirizes the old-fashioned melodramas where pure innocent maidens and nasty mustachioed villains (hisss! hisss!) ruled the day.

Dumbo (1941) ****

Disney classic about a flying elephant. Songs include:

"Look Out For Mr.Stork" *
"All Aboard" **
"Baby Mine" **
"Pink Elephants On Parade" ***
"When I See An Elephant Fly" ***

The Little Foxes (1941) ****

Fascinating drama adapted from a play by Lillian Hellman.

Major Barbara (1941) ****

Great dialogues in this adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play about a gun manufacturer's daughter joining the Salvation Army.

Never Give A Sucker An Even Break (1941) ****

Anarchistic film starring W.C.Fields.

Sullivan's Tavels (1941) ****

An amazing film, expertly mixing slapstick comedy, screwball comedy and social drama. It's the story of a Hollywood director who becomes a hobo to discover the plight of the "forgotten man".

Sun Valley Serenade (1941) ****

The best jazz musical of the early 40's. The ever-smiling Sonja Henie stars as a Norvegian refugee adopted by a jazz band from Sun Valley. A wonderfully entertaining film. Songs and jazz numbers:

"It Happened In Sun Valley" **
"I Know Why (And So Do You)" **
"In The Mood" ***
"It Happened In Sun Valley" (reprise) **
"Chattanooga-Choo-Choo" ***
"The Kiss Polka" *
"I Know Why (And So Do You)" *

All The Money Can Buy (1941) ***

Devil has never been more amusing or sympathetic than in this film about a poor peasant who needs a good lawyer to avoid the fires of Hell.

Ball Of Fire (1941) ***

A gangster moll (Barbara Stanwyck) hides among stuffy professors. An amusing variation on the Snow White tale.

The Big Store (1941) ***

Groucho, Chico and Harpo work in a large department store in New York.

Birth Of The Blues (1941) ***

A showbiz musical about a jazz band.

Blues In The Night (1941) ***

There are several musical numbers, but it's not really a musical film - too much suspense, too much drama.

The Chocolate Soldier (1941) ***

If you're among those naive souls who continue to believe that Nelson Eddy couldn't act, watch what a fine performance he gives in this underrated musical.

The Devil And Miss Jones (1941) ***

Very funny comedy starring Charles Coburn as a stuffy multimillionaire spying on his workers.

The 49th Parallel (1941) ***

Impressive war drama about a group of Nazi sailors escaping across Canada.

The Flame Of New Orleans (1941) *

A manipulative golddigger (Marlene Dietrich) must choose between a marriage to a boring banker or a true love affair with a poor river captain.

Here Comes Mr Jordan (1941) ***

Excellent comedy about a man returning to live in another person's body. Warren Beatty made an inferior remake of this film in 1978, called "Heaven Can Wait".

Hold Back The Dawn (1941) ***

Anxious to enter the United States, a European playboy (Charles Boyer) marries a naive American schoolteacher (Olivia de Havilland). Excellent melodrama set in Mexico. Written by Billy Wilder.

Hoppity Goes To Town (1941) ***

Originally released as "Mr Bug Goes To Town", it's Fleischers' best feature film and the finest non-Disney animated picture until 1968's "Yellow Submarine".

How Green Was My Valley (1941) ***

This is a perfectly nice picture about Welsh coal miners that can only be hated for one reason - it stole the Oscar for best picture from both "Citizen Kane" and "The Maltese Falcon" - the most bizarre choice in the entire history of the Academy Awards.

Lady Be Good (1941) ***

Fine musical about a famous songwriter and his wife. It bears absolutely no resemblance to George Gershwin’s stage play, keeping only two of his songs.

"You’ll Never Know" *
"You’ll Never Know" (swing) **
"Your Words And My Music" *
"You’ll Never Know" (dance) *
"Lady Be Good" ***
"The Last Time I Saw Paris" ***
"Lady Be Good" (dance) **
"Fascinating Rhythm" **
"Lady Be Good" *

Love Crazy (1941) ***

Often hilarious farce starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Moon Over Miami (1941) ***

Breezy musical about a Texan gal (Betty Grable) trying to find a rich husband in Miami. Songs:

"What Can I Do For You ?"
"Oh Me Oh Mi-A-Mi" *
"You Started Something" **
"I've Got You All To Myself" *
"Is That Good" *
"Loveliness And Love" *
"Kindergarten Conga" **
"Solitary Seminole" *

Penny Serenade (1941) **

The ultimate Hollywood tearjerker about a couple (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne) adopting a little girl. Unbearably sentimental, but incredibly effective in touching emotions.

Road To Zanzibar (1941) ***

Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour are trekking through the African jungle, wise-cracking, bickering, buying diamond mines, double-crossing one another and, of course, falling in love. The song "It's Always You" is preceded by some amusing brechtians commentaries. Musical numbers:

"You Lucky People, You" *
"On The Road To Zanzibar" *
"You're Dangerous" *
"It's Always You" *

The Crackpot Quail (1941) *****

After his triumph with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in 1940's "A Wild Hare", Tex Avery created two new characters (a smart quail and a stupid dog) and put them in a very similar cartoon, using the same 'hunting' plot formula, but adding more gags. The finest running gag involves the dog crashing into various trees, with the camera reacting differently to each accident. The first time, the camera pans rapidly to the right anticipating the direction of the chase, but has to pan back to reveal the poor dog lying on the ground after hitting the tree. Next time, the camera is smarter - the dog exits the frame to the right and his inevitable crash takes place off-screen. The final crash is the most spectacular - the dog is allowed to exit the frame and the camera slowly follows him, revealing the destruction on his path - crashed walls, destroyed fences and fallen trees, (many, many trees). It's probably the single best developped running gag in Tex Avery's long and illustrious career.

The Heckling Hare (1941) ****

A goofy dog (first seen in Avery's 1941's "The Crackpot Quail") chases Bugs Bunny and suffers greatly for his stupidity. The cartoon ends with both protagonists falling off a cliff and then applying the brakes and landing gently. The original ending had them falling off another cliff, but Warners' producer Leon Schlesinger stupidly objected to such a "tragic" conclusion and actually fired Tex Avery for trying to "kill" Bugs Bunny !

Superman (1941) ****

A mad scientist invents an Electrothanasia Ray and threatens to destroy an entire city. Superman finds his secret hidaway and destroys it, rescuing Lois Lane in the process. The first Superman cartoon, nominated for an Oscar, superbly designed, directed and edited, with memorable camera angles, dramatic dissolves and an effective use of shadows.

Truant Officer Donald (1941) ****

Donald forgets that school is closed during the summer and he sets out to catch his three nephews he suspects of playing hooky outdoors. Plenty of good gags as the three brats make a complete fool of their uncle.

Rhapsody In Rivets (1941) ****

A foreman "conducts" his workers at a construction site to the tune of Liszt's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody". Riveters and bricklayers turn into superb musicians, but their house-building efforts are more questionable (their skyscraper crashes down into a pile of rubble). The film, nominated for an Oscar, is a very successful effort, skilfully combining music and humor. Director Friz Freleng would further explore such musical concepts in his later masterpieces like "Pigs In A Polka" (1943) and "Back Alley Oproar" (1948).

The Screwdriver (1941) ****

In his third film, Woody Woodpecker drives a sports car, dances with dizzy dames and encounters a fat cop, who suspects him of being a speeder. The funniest gag has Woody impersonating a Chinese coolie.

Raggedy Ann And Raggedy Andy (1941) ****

One of Max Fleischer's most beautiful films, it's a colorful and enchanting story of two rag dolls undertaking a perilous journey in search of their identities. A sexy senorita doll lures Andy away from his girlfriend, but everything ends happily. The sentimental nature of the story is handled with rare sincerity and care.

Porky's Preview (1941) ****

Animator Porky proudly presents his latest cartoon, but audiences aren't very enthusiastic about crudely animated stick figures surrounded by abstract backgrounds. A very unusual cartoon from Tex Avery, a seminal work extending the boundaries of animation.

The Great Cheese Mystery (1941) ****

Terrific Screen Gems cartoon directed by Art Davis and written by Frank Tashlin.

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Of Company B (1941) ****

Terrific, Oscar-nominated cartoon.

The Little Whirlwind (1941) ***

Mickey's efforts to clean Minnie's front lawn are constantly frustrated by a playful little whirlwind.

Lend A Paw (1941) ***

A color remake of 1933's "Mickey's Pal Pluto" and a winner of an Academy Award. The film stars Pluto as a reluctant savior of a cute little kitty.

Rhythm In The Ranks (1941) ***

Memorable Puppetoon about war.

Chef Donald (1941) ***

Donald Duck is frantically trying to follow cooking instruction on the radio, but mixes wrong ingredients and realizes that his culinary masterpiece falls far short of the mark.

Hollywood Steps Out (1941) ***

A sequel to "The Coo Coo Nut Grove" (1936), again featuring the caricatures of popular movie stars.