1939 what an awesome year for classics (1 Viewer)

[oscar_merkx]

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...ell102703.html

once again Barrie Maxwell of the Bits takes us on a journey of film classics

In winning the 1939 Best Picture Oscar, Gone with the Wind beat out an impressive field of nine other nominees including, alphabetically: Dark Victory, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, and Wuthering Heights. Let's take a closer look at each:

Goodbye Mr. Chips (MGM) is the James Hilton story of the shy schoolmaster who becomes a favourite of the school's boys, with a wonderful performance by Robert Donat. This is not available on DVD; rights are held by WB.

Ninotchka (MGM) was a comedy directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas, and co-scripted by Billy Wilder - enough said. Except, it's not available on DVD. WB holds the rights

a shame that these are not yet available. let's hope that soon they will be out on dvd

read the rest of the article as it is fascinating

 

[Robert Harris]

One should not forget Henry King's 1939 Technicolor Jesse James from Fox.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread has an interesting discussion about the 1939 year of films.





Crawdaddy

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Don't forget Bela Lugosi in Ninotchka; probably the best film he ever did, even though his isn't that big a part.

 

[oscar_merkx]

that is something I didn't know, what part did he play ?

 

[Bill Burns]

As someone who loves films from every decade, and very nearly every year, in which they've been produced, someone who truly enjoys everything from a Edison slice-of-life reenactment from the 1890s to Pirates of the Caribbean in 2003 ... I maintain to this day, and doubt I'll change my mind anytime soon: the 1930's (actually about 1925-1940 or so) is the best period in American filmmaking -- the most energized, the most sheerly entertaining, the most inventive in narrative and style. Other decades have their magnificent examples of every positive one can credit to the art of filmmaking, but never have American studios produced so many films I truly love in so short a period. The more we have of anything and everything from this period on DVD (and all periods within classic cinema, but in particular this period), most specifically studio films of this period, the richer are we all.

 

[AlanP]

WHAT IS THE HOLD UP WITH ALL OF THESE STUDIOS
IN RELEASING THEIR WONDERFUL BACK CATALOG ?
THERE ARE STILL MANY AND I MEAN MANY FILMS
STILL MISSING ON DVD !!!!!!!!
WHAT GIVES ???

 

[Bill Burns]

Ah, I finally had a chance to read through most of Barrie's column. Fine work as usual. I see, though, that he mentions a favorite range of his own: 1936-1945. Hmmm. I must beg to differ and stick staunchly by the range I mentioned earlier (though it, of course, omits Casablanca, for one, to say nothing of my second favorite period, the early widescreen years of about '53 to the early 60's -- so it's pretty clear I'm out of my mind ). Barrie's range falls outside of Dracula, Frankenstein, Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, City Lights, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Mamoulian, March), A Free Soul (Lionel Barrymore), The Front Page, Street Scene (all nine, unbelievably, from 1931, a year I'd personally place above even 1939), King Kong ('33), Pygmalion ('35), Sunrise ('27), The Iron Mask ('29), Ben-Hur ('25), and many other favorites. But hey, to each their own! Nah -- just joshin', it's all good, it's all good. We overlap for five years, give or take, but they're all great years ... and when it comes right down to it, I wouldn't willfully part with a single one before the late 60's, from the birth of cinema right up to the modern age (see, I told ya' I was crazy -- I think of the late 60's as part of the modern age).

Kidding aside, it's a great article, and a number of titles mentioned are wonderful gems of classic cinema. Well done, as always.