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    Home/Browse/1940s Movies/1940s Romance Movies

    1940s Romance Movies

    The 40 most popular 1940s romance movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.

    40films
    3rated by members
    Top ratedCasablanca5.0
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    Casablanca
    TMDB4.1
    FF5.0

    Casablanca

    1943 · 1h 42m · US

    In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.

    Rebecca
    TMDB3.9

    Rebecca

    1940 · 2h 10m · US

    Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.

    Macarena
    TMDB3.5

    Macarena

    1944 · 1h 24m · ES

    The loves of a Sevilian girl living in a patio house at Macarena's quarter and his sweetheart Manolo are troubled by her older and generous housekeeper who is also in love with her.

    Great Expectations
    TMDB3.6

    Great Expectations

    1946 · 1h 58m · UK

    In this Dickens adaptation, orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.

    Cat People
    TMDB3.5
    FF5.0

    Cat People

    1942 · 1h 13m · US

    A Serbian émigré in Manhattan believes that, because of an ancient curse, any physical intimacy with the man she loves will turn her into a feline predator.

    Gilda
    TMDB3.8

    Gilda

    1946 · 1h 50m · US

    A gambler discovers an old flame while in Argentina, but she's married to his new boss.

    Mr. Skeffington
    TMDB3.4

    Mr. Skeffington

    1944 · 2h 25m · US

    A beautiful but vain woman who rejects the love of her older husband must face the loss of her youth and beauty.

    Jungle Goddess
    TMDB1.4

    Jungle Goddess

    1948 · 1h 2m · US

    When a plane carrying the daughter of a millionaire crashes in an African jungle, two pilots set out to collect the reward. They discover that she has become the goddess of a primitive tribe. An insurgent witch doctor and fierce wild animals make escape from the jungle difficult for the trio.

    The Pirate
    TMDB3.3

    The Pirate

    1948 · 1h 42m · US

    A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.

    Brief Encounter
    TMDB3.9

    Brief Encounter

    1945 · 1h 26m · UK

    Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.

    Fallen Angel
    TMDB3.3

    Fallen Angel

    1945 · 1h 38m · US

    An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills. Since Stella isn't interested in Eric unless he has money, the lovelorn guy comes up with a scheme to win her over, and it involves June. Before long, murder works its way into this passionate love triangle.

    Little Women
    TMDB3.7

    Little Women

    1949 · 2h 1m · US

    Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

    Boom Town
    TMDB3.5

    Boom Town

    1940 · 1h 59m · US

    Two buddies who rise from fly-by-night wildcatters to oil tycoons over a twenty year period both love the same woman. McMasters and Sand come to oil towns to get rich. Betsy comes West intending to marry Sand but marries McMasters instead. Getting rich and losing it all teaches McMasters and Sand the value of personal ties.

    Two Generations of Women
    TMDB4.0

    Two Generations of Women

    1943 · CN

    No overview available

    Bathing Beauty
    TMDB3.0

    Bathing Beauty

    1944 · 1h 42m · US

    After breaking up with her fiancé, a gym teacher returns to work at a women's college, but a legal loophole allows him to enroll as one of her students.

    Spellbound
    TMDB3.7

    Spellbound

    1945 · 1h 51m · US

    When Dr. Anthony Edwardes arrives at a Vermont mental hospital to replace the outgoing hospital director, Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst, discovers Edwardes is actually an impostor. The man confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, but cannot recall anything. Dr. Peterson, however is convinced his impostor is innocent of the man's murder, and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis.

    Rosalba

    TMDB5.0

    Rosalba

    1945 · IT

    No overview available

    Good Sam
    TMDB3.1

    Good Sam

    1948 · 1h 54m · US

    Sam Clayton has a good heart and likes to help out people in need. In fact, he likes to help them out so much that he often finds himself broke and unable to help his own family buy the things they need--like a house.

    Lauracha
    TMDB3.6

    Lauracha

    1946 · 1h 30m · AR

    A man loves a woman of strong character but she abandons her

    Notorious
    TMDB3.9

    Notorious

    1946 · 1h 43m · US

    In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.

    The Shop Around the Corner
    TMDB4.0

    The Shop Around the Corner

    1940 · 1h 39m · US

    Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand one another, without realising that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.

    Samson and Delilah
    TMDB3.3

    Samson and Delilah

    1949 · 2h 14m · US

    When strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret.

    A Matter of Life and Death
    TMDB3.9

    A Matter of Life and Death

    1946 · 1h 44m · UK

    A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

    The Red Shoes
    TMDB4.0

    The Red Shoes

    1948 · 2h 13m · UK

    A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.

    The Best Years of Our Lives
    TMDB3.9
    FF4.5

    The Best Years of Our Lives

    1946 · 2h 51m · US

    It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.

    Annelie
    TMDB3.5

    Annelie

    1941 · 2h 50m · DE

    On New Year′s Eve 1871 Annelie is born – 15 minutes too late, since her parents had calculated her birth to be exactly at midnight. These 15 minutes will again and again become the girl′s fate.

    Stormy Waters
    TMDB3.4

    Stormy Waters

    1941 · 1h 31m · FR

    A married tugboat captain falls for a woman he rescues from a sinking ship.

    Thunder Birds
    TMDB3.0

    Thunder Birds

    1942 · 1h 18m · US

    On a secluded base in Arizona, veteran World War I pilot Steve Britt trains flyers to fight in World War II. One of his trainees, Englishman Peter Stackhouse, competes with Britt for the affections of Kay Saunders, the daughter of a local rancher. Despite their differences, Britt makes sure Sutton passes his training and becomes a combat pilot -- even though he loses Kay to the young man in the process.

    His Girl Friday
    TMDB3.7

    His Girl Friday

    1940 · 1h 32m · US

    Walter Burns is an irresistibly conniving newspaper publisher desperate to woo back his paper’s star reporter, who also happens to be his estranged wife. She’s threatening to quit and settle down with a new beau, but, as Walter knows, she has a weakness: she can’t resist a juicy scoop.

    Suspicion
    TMDB3.6

    Suspicion

    1941 · 1h 39m · US

    A sheltered heiress falls for a charming playboy and elopes with him, but soon discovers his gambling vice and mounting debts. As his lies deepen and those around them meet mysterious ends, she begins to suspect that her husband’s affection may conceal a deadly motive—and that she could be his next victim.

    Children of Paradise
    TMDB4.0

    Children of Paradise

    1945 · 3h 10m · FR

    In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.

    Ziegfeld Girl
    TMDB3.3

    Ziegfeld Girl

    1941 · 2h 12m · US

    Discovery by Flo Ziegfeld changes a girl's life but not necessarily for the better, as three beautiful women find out when they join the spectacle on Broadway: Susan, the singer who must leave behind her ageing vaudevillian father; vulnerable Sheila, the working girl pursued both by a millionaire and by her loyal boyfriend from Flatbush; and the mysterious European beauty Sandra, whose concert violinist husband cannot endure the thought of their escaping from poverty by promenading her glamor in skimpy costumes.

    Dragonwyck
    TMDB3.3

    Dragonwyck

    1946 · 1h 43m · US

    A simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative, an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion.

    The Clock
    TMDB3.5

    The Clock

    1945 · 1h 30m · US

    A G.I. en route to Europe falls in love during a whirlwind two-day leave in New York City.

    The Thief of Bagdad
    TMDB3.6

    The Thief of Bagdad

    1940 · 1h 47m · UK

    When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.

    Fiesta
    TMDB3.1

    Fiesta

    1947 · 1h 44m · US

    When a matador leaves town to focus on his music, his twin sister takes on his identity in the bullfighting ring.

    Blue Skies
    TMDB3.1

    Blue Skies

    1946 · 1h 44m · US

    Jed Potter looks back on a love triangle conducted over the course of years and between musical numbers. Dancer Jed loves showgirl Mary, who loves compulsive nightclub-opener Johnny, who can't stay committed to anything in life for very long.

    Adventures of Don Juan
    TMDB3.4

    Adventures of Don Juan

    1948 · 1h 46m · US

    Spanish Lothario Don Juan, the legendary lover and adventurer returns to Spain following a scandal and comes to the aid of his queen, who is under threat from sinister forces.

    Victory Joe
    TMDB4.5

    Victory Joe

    1946 · 1h 37m · PH

    A story about Rosie, believing that her boyfriend has been killed in the war, she falls in love with an American military officer.

    Resurrección

    TMDB2.9

    Resurrección

    1943 · 1h 28m · MX

    This is an early film from Director Gilberto Martinez Solares, who would go on to become better-known for his unique perspective on horror films of the 60's and 70's - like "Santanico Pademonium" "Face of the Screaming Wolf" and his own "House of Terror", (these features, in turn, would inspire future award-wining Directors such as Tarantino and Del Toro). As far as Resurreccion goes, it is a semi-historical Drama, based on Leo Tolstoy's novel also titled "Resurrection" . However, Solares' movie loosely uses the start of the 1910 to 1920 Mexican Revolution as its cornerstone, (instead of the Russian battle that Tolstoy relied on for his 1899 literary work ). It essentially documents one man's effort to find redemption for his past sins. It stars actors Emilio Tuero, Lupita Tovar, Sara Garcia and Jose Pulido, among others.

    About 1940s Romance Movies

    The 1940s

    1940s cinema is split by the war: propaganda and home-front melodrama, then the darker, more cynical film noir that followed. Italian neorealism emerged from the rubble at the decade's end.

    Romance

    Romance is the genre most shaped by its era's ideas about intimacy, which makes watching across decades a genuine education. It spans the screwball comedies, the sweeping melodramas, and the modern indie two-hander.

    In this list

    Best reviewed
    Casablanca (8.1)
    Often also
    Drama, Comedy, Thriller

    Common questions

    What are the best 1940s romance movies?
    By popularity across Flickfolio and TMDB, the top picks right now are Casablanca, Rebecca, and Macarena. The full ranked list of 40 sits above — open any movie for ratings, reviews, and streaming availability.
    How is this list ranked?
    1940s romance movies are ordered by overall popularity, which blends how often a title is viewed, searched, and logged. It updates as viewing habits shift, so the list reflects what people are actually watching rather than a fixed critical canon.
    Where can I watch these movies?
    Every movie page lists current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region, alongside community ratings and reviews from Flickfolio members.

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