1940s

The 1940s then saw several full color fantasy films produced by Alexander Korda, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and Jungle Book (1942). In 1946, Jean Cocteau's classic adaptation of Beauty and the Beast won praise for its surreal elements and for transcending the boundaries of the fairy tale genre. Sinbad the Sailor (1947), starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., has the feel of a fantasy film though it does not actually have any fantastic elements. Conversely, It's a Wonderful Life and A Matter of Life and Death, both from 1946, do not feel like fantasy films yet both feature supernatural elements and the latter movie could reasonably be cited as an example of Bangsian fantasy.

In addition, several other pictures featuring supernatural encounters and aspects of Bangsian fantasy were produced in the 1940s. These include The Devil and Daniel Webster and Here Comes Mr. Jordan from 1941, Heaven Can Wait and the musical Cabin in the Sky from 1943, and 1947's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. But because these movies do not feature elements common to high fantasy or sword and sorcery pictures, some critics do not consider them to be examples of the fantasy genre.

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