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List of avant-garde films of the 1940s

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A list of avant-garde and experimental films released in the 1940s.

More information Title, Director ...
TitleDirectorCastNationNotes
1941
Moods of the SeaSlavko Vorkapić, John HoffmanUnited StatesBlack & white, sound (Felix Mendelssohn: The Hebrides (overture)[1]
Who Has Been Rocking My Dream BoatKenneth AngerUnited StatesLost film.[2]
1942
By Night with Torch and Spear Joseph Cornell United States
Lambeth Walk - Nazi StyleCharles A. RidleyUnited KingdomBritish propaganda short, which "remixes" marching Nazis to a pop song.[3]
Tinsel TreeKenneth AngerUnited StatesLost film[4]
Variations on a CircleJames Whitney (filmmaker)United StatesColor, silent. Abstract animation, shot in 8mm. [5]
1943
AllegrettoOskar FischingerUnited StatesAbstract animation, color, sound. Third version, completed in 1943[6]
The Geography of the BodyWillard MaasWillard Maas, Marie MenkenUnited StatesFilm poem, text written and read by George Barker (poet)[7][8]
Meshes of the AfternoonMaya Deren, Alexander HammidMaya Deren, Alexander HammidUnited StatesBlack & white; sound by composer Teiji Ito added in 1959. Established the movement known as "New American Cinema."[9][10]
The Witch's CradleMaya Deren, Marcel DuchampMarcel Duchamp, Pajarito MattaUnited StatesBlack & white; silent. Never finished; survives as workprint or gathering of trims.[11][12]
1944
At LandMaya DerenMaya Deren, Alexander Hammid, Parker Tyler, John CageUnited States[13]
1945
The Eye and the Ear Stefan Themerson, Franciszka Themerson United Kingdom
Le Vampire Jean Painlevé France
Out-Takes From a Study in Choreography for CameraMaya DerenTalley BeattyUnited States[14]
A Study in Choreography for CameraMaya DerenTalley BeattyUnited States[15]
Visual Variations on NoguchiMarie MenkenUnited States[16]
1946
The Potted PsalmSidney Peterson, James BroughtonBeatrix Perry, Harry HonigUnited StatesLive action surrealist short.[17]
Ritual in Transfigured TimeMaya DerenMaya Deren, Rita Christiani, Frank Westbrook, Anaïs NinUnited States[18]
1947
The CageSidney PetersonUnited States[citation needed]
Dreams That Money Can BuyHans RichterMax ErnstUnited States[19]
FireworksKenneth AngerKenneth Anger, Bill Seltzer, Gordon GrayUnited States[20]
Forest MurmursSlavko Vorkapić, John HoffmanUnited StatesBlack & white, sound; made for MGM, but withheld from release. Jacobs dates it to 1941; most other sources give 1947.[21]
Lady in the LakeRobert MontgomeryRobert Montgomery, Audrey TotterUnited States[22]
Motion Painting No. 1Oskar FischingerUnited States[23]
Private Life of a Cat Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid United States
Le Tempestaire Jean Epstein France
TransmutationJordan BelsonUnited StatesBelson's first film, shown at Art in Cinema screenings in San Francisco in the early '50s; lost film.[24]
1948
Du sang, de la volupté et de la mortGregory MarkopoulosUnited StatesColor, 70 min. Begun in Los Angeles in 1947; finished in Toledo, Ohio. In three parts: Psyche, Lysis & Charmides.[25]
In the StreetHelen Levitt, Janice Loeb, James AgeeUnited StatesSilent; sound version issued in 1952 [26][27]
Meditation on ViolenceMaya DerenChao Li ChiUnited States[28]
The Petrified DogSidney PetersonGail Randall, Marie Hirsh, Jo LandorUnited States[29][30]
Weegee's New YorkWeegeeUnited States[31][32]
1949
Christmas, U.S.A.Gregory MarkopoulosUnited States[citation needed]
The Lead ShoesSidney PetersonUnited States[citation needed]
MedusaMaya DerenUnited States[33]
Pacific 231Jean MitryFrance[34]
Puce MomentKenneth AngerUnited States[35]
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