Top Movies from 1949
Welcome to our curated selection of films released in 1949. This collection captures the cinematic spirit of the year, reflecting the evolving trends, storytelling techniques, and cultural touchstones that defined 1949. Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or discovering hidden gems for the first time, these titles showcase the breadth and depth of cinema produced during this notable year.
Rimfire (1949)
1
An undercover Army captain links missing gold and murder to a gambler's ghost.
Battleground (1949)
- 1
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their own, Roderigues, perish under enemy fire. The men try to rebuff another series of Nazi attacks, but what they really need is a change in the weather. Without clear skies, they'll never get the air support they need.
The Window (1949)
- 1
An imaginative boy who frequently makes things up witnesses a murder, but can't get his parents or the police to believe him. The only people taking him seriously are the killers - who live upstairs, know that he saw what they did, and are out to permanently silence him.
Not Wanted (1949)
- 0
After a beautiful but unsophisticated girl is seduced by a worldly piano player and gives up her out-of-wedlock baby, her guilt compels her to kidnap another child.
Trapped (1949)
- 1
Secret Service agents make a deal with a counterfeiting inmate to be released on early parole if he will help them recover some bogus moneymaking plates, but he plans to double-cross them.
Rotation (1949)
- 0
The mechanic Behnke wants to join the Nazi party to secure a good living. However, after his Jewish neighbors have been taken away, he changes his views. Trying to remain "a non-political man," he withdraws from reality and becomes a Nazis laborer.
Tokyo Joe (1949)
- 0
An American veteran returns to Tokyo to try to pick up the threads of his pre-World War II life there, but finds himself squeezed between criminals and the authorities.
I Shot Jesse James (1949)
- 1
Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend Cynthy. The guilt-stricken Ford soon finds himself greeted with derision and open mockery throughout town. He travels to Colorado to try his hand at prospecting in hopes that marriage with Cynthy is still in the cards.
Johnny Allegro (1949)
- 0
Treasury Department officials recruit a florist (Raft) to lead them to a wanted criminal (Macready); but once he gets too close, he finds he's the hunted.
The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)
- 1
John Breen (John Wayne), a Kentucky militiaman falls in love with French exile Fleurette De Marchand (Vera Ralston). He discovers a plot to steal the land that Fleurette's exiles plan to settle on and aims to foil it.
The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
- 0
Johnny Barrows, a young man heading toward a life of juvenile delinquency as his home life spirals out of control, sneaks into the 1948 World Series and seeks friendship by playing a sympathetic orphan. He finds stability and mentorship in sportscaster Mike Jackson and the Cleveland Indians, who try to set Johnny on the right path in this touching story for the whole family.
Christopher Columbus (1949)
- 0
Christopher Columbus overcomes intrigue at the Spanish court and convinces Queen Isabella that his plan to reach the East by sailing west is practical.
Distant Journey (1949)
- 0
Prague, during World War II. Hana Kaufmann, a Jewish ophthalmologist, marries Dr. Antonín Bureš, a Christian man. When her family is sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, their romance turns into a struggle for survival.
Thirst (1949)
- 0
A needy couple in a bad marriage travel back to Stockholm after a trip to Italy. Meanwhile, a widow resists seductions from two different persons - her psychiatrist and a lesbian friend.
Shockproof (1949)
- 1
Jenny Marsh, recently released from prison for killing a man, finds herself under the watchful eye of her parole officer, Griff Marat, who helps her secure a job caring for his ailing mother.
The Reckless Moment (1949)
- 1
After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.
Man on the Run (1949)
- 0
An Army deserter, still a fugitive in Post-War Britain, wanders into a pawn-shop robbery and finds himself wanted for murder. He meets a war widow who helps him elude the police while he looks for the real criminals.
The Lady Gambles (1949)
- 0
When Joan Boothe accompanies husband-reporter David to Las Vegas, she begins gambling to pass the time while he is doing a story. Encouraged by the casino manager, she gets hooked on gambling, to the point where she "borrows" David's expense money to pursue her addiction. This finally breaks up their marriage, but David continues trying to help her.