The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney films Pinocchio and Fantasia.
Waterloo Bridge is a 1940 remake of the 1931 American drama film also called Waterloo Bridge, adapted from the 1930 play Waterloo Bridge. In an extended flashback narration, it recounts the story of a dancer and an army captain who meet by chance on Waterloo Bridge. The film was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sidney Franklin and Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay is by S. N. Behrman, Hans Rameau and George Froeschel, based on the Broadway drama by Robert E. Sherwood. The music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg.
Scaramouche is a 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor romantic swashbuckler film loosely based on the 1921 novel Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini as well as the 1923 film version starring Ramon Novarro.
The Demi-Paradise is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, and Penelope Dudley-Ward as the woman who falls in love with him. It was directed by Anthony Asquith and produced by Anatole de Grunwald and Filippo Del Giudice from a screenplay by de Grunwald. The music score was by Nicholas Brodszky and the cinematography by Bernard Knowles. The film was shot at Denham Studios with sets designed by the art director Carmen Dillon.
Stuart Paton was a British director, screenwriter and actor of the silent era. Paton mostly worked with Universal, and is accredited with directing 67 films between 1915 and 1938. He also wrote for 24 films between 1914 and 1927.
Sidney De Gray was an English actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1913 and 1940. He was born in England and died in Los Angeles, California.
Brass is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by Sidney A. Franklin. This movie stars Monte Blue, Marie Prevost, and Irene Rich. The well regarded film survives in 16mm format.
The Actress is a lost 1928 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was directed by Sidney Franklin, and starred Norma Shearer.
Margaret Cullen Landis was an American silent screen actress who appeared in at least 41 films between 1915 and 1931.
The Woman on the Jury is a lost 1924 American silent drama film produced and released by Associated First National and directed by Harry Hoyt. It is based on a Broadway stage play, The Woman on the Jury, and stars Sylvia Breamer and Bessie Love. The story was refilmed in 1929 as an early talkie under the title The Love Racket starring Dorothy Mackaill.
Six Cylinder Love is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Fox and Edward Everett Horton. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and is a remake of their 1923 silent original. Both films are based on the 1921 Broadway play. It recorded a loss of $25,000. A further remake The Honeymoon's Over was released in 1939.
Beware of Bachelors is a 1928 American part-talkie pre-code comedy drama film produced and released by Warner Bros., and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The movie stars Audrey Ferris, William Collier Jr., Margaret Livingston, Clyde Cook, and George Beranger. The film was based on a short story by Mark Canfield.
Wilfrid North, also spelled Wilfred North, was an Anglo-American film director, actor, and writer of the silent film era. He directed 102 films, including short films; acted in 43 films; and wrote the story for three films.
The Mistress of Shenstone is a 1921 silent film romance directed by Henry King and starring Pauline Frederick and Roy Stewart based upon the 1910 novel by Florence L. Barclay.
A Man of Action is a 1923 American comedy film directed by James W. Horne and written by Bradley King. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Marguerite De La Motte, Raymond Hatton, Wade Boteler, Arthur Millett, and Kingsley Benedict. The film was released on June 3, 1923, by Associated First National Pictures.
The Married Flapper is a 1922 American comedy film directed by Stuart Paton and written by Doris Schroeder. The film stars Marie Prevost, Kenneth Harlan, Philo McCullough, Frank Kingsley, Lucille Ricksen, and Kathleen O'Connor. The film was released on July 31, 1922, by Universal Film Manufacturing Company.
Crossed Wires is a 1923 American comedy film directed by King Baggot and written by Hugh Hoffman. The film stars Gladys Walton, George Stewart, Tom Guise, Lillian Langdon, William Robert Daly, and Kate Price. The film was released on May 14, 1923, by Universal Pictures.
My Man is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by David Smith and starring Patsy Ruth Miller, Dustin Farnum, and Niles Welch.
Fools and Riches is a 1923 American drama film directed by Herbert Blaché and written by Charles Kenyon and George C. Hull. The film stars Herbert Rawlinson, Katherine Perry, Tully Marshall, Doris Pawn, Arthur Stuart Hull, and Nick De Ruiz. The film was released on May 7, 1923, by Universal Pictures.
