1939 and 1989 - Golden Years of Movies

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/31/13 at 10:14pm

I know most film historians and geeks (same thing) point to 1939 as THE golden year for movies. Not that they were all uniformly better than films made in other years, just that there were more first-rate films (quantity) released in that year than any other:

Gone With the Wind
Wuthering Heights
The Wizard of Oz
Dark Victory
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
The Women
Ninotchka
Of Mice and Men
Stagecoach
Love Affair
Babes In Arms
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Beau Geste
Bachelor Mother
Young Mr. Lincoln
Drums Along the Mohawk
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Gunga Din
Destry Rides Again
Juarez
Only Angels Have Wings
The Rains Came
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Intermezzo
Union Pacific
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Golden Boy
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Idiot's Delight
The Little Princess
Midnight
On Borrowed Time
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle


Yep ... all of those films were released in one year ... 1939.

But I would also say that within my own lifetime, I consider 1989 to be one of the best years ever for films:

Driving Miss Daisy
Dead Poets Society
My Left Foot
Field of Dreams
Born on the Fourth of July
Glory
The Fabulous Baker Boys
The Little Mermaid
The Abyss
Henry V
Batman
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Dead Calm
Do the Right Thing
Drugstore Cowboy
A Dry White Season
Enemies: A Love Story
Shirley Valentine
In Country
Major League
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Mighty Quinn
Music Box
New York Stories
Parenthood
The Puppet Master
Roger & Me
Say Anything
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
She-Devil
Steel Magnolias
When Harry Met Sally ...

What are your favorite years for films?

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 10:14 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/31/13 at 10:33pm

1995 was also a very strong year with these films -

Apollo 13
Babe
Before Sunrise
Beyond Rangoon
Braveheart
The Bridges of Madison County
Casino
The Celluloid Closet
Dead Man Walking
Dolores Claiborne
Georgia
Leaving Las Vegas
A Little Princess
Mighty Aphrodite
Nixon
Safe
Sense and Sensibility'
Se7en
To Die For
Toy Story
Twelve Monkeys
The Usual Suspects

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/31/13 at 10:41pm

Definitely, Jordy! I'm not even sure what prompted me to post this except I seemed to be watching so many movies from 1989 lately, and I realized it really was a golden year.

I think it's funny that at the time, I didn't necessarily see it.

I know when many people who were involved in the Golden Age of Broadway are asked if they knew at the time that they were part of a "golden era," many of them say no. But looking back on it, the perspective is different.

Are we having a "golden era" in movies or on Broadway or on TV now? It doesn't feel like it, but maybe 20-30 years from now, we'll see it from a different view.

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 10:41 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/31/13 at 10:45pm

With movies, I feel like I can sense a year that will be remembered as a great year when a couple times each month I think "Man, that'll be a Best Picture nominee!"

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/31/13 at 10:45pm

Those are all great years. Must be something about the 9, I've always thought 1999 was superb:

All About My Mother
American Beauty
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Being John Malkovich
Boys Don't Cry
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Election
The End of the Affair
Eyes Wide Shut
Fight Club
Girl, Interrupted
Go
The Green Mile
The Hurricane
The Insider
The Limey
Magnolia
The Matrix
Notting Hill
The Red Violin
South Park
The Straight Story
Sweet and Lowdown
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Three Kings
Topsy-Turvy
Toy Story 2

[NoName3]

Posted: 8/31/13 at 10:50pm

Victor Fleming received sole director credits for two films in 1939: Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. Not bad!

(And yes, I know, other people directed substantial uncredited portions of both those films, but still....)

[VeraCharles3]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 6:22am

Thank you Besty, very interesting thread.

Gosh, when you see them listed like that, it really hits home how many great films come out in a year - I include all the years listed by the way.

For me though, 1939 can't be beaten. But then, I love old films and would always pick an old B&W movie to watch over a new release - although I know some age worse than others.

So glad you included "Midnight" in your list, that is my favorite screwball comedy - Claudette Colbert stranded in Paris in a gold lamé evening gown - it is just fabulous.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 6:26am

(And yes, I know, other people directed substantial uncredited portions of both those films, but still....)

Actually, Fleming directed all but the Kansas scenes in "Oz," and that's because he was taken off the film to direct Gone With the Wind. King Vidor took over and directed the Kansas scenes at the beginning and the end of the movie (including Over the Rainbow), because those were shot last. There were several other directors who were assigned to "Oz" before Fleming, but none of them have any footage that ended up in the final film.

As for "Gone With the Wind," very little of it is actually Cukor's footage. Most of that had to be scrapped as well, which was why he was fired just three weeks into production. Fleming directed nearly all of the final film, with the exception of a few second-unit scenes (which was common practice back then, and still is on major epic/action movies).

After Victor Fleming directed "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With the Wind" back to back, he suffered from exhaustion and had to be hospitalized briefly to recover. Can't say I blame him.

I wonder how many other directors have guided two Best Picture nominees in the same year? And considering these two films in particular show up on many all-time Top 10 lists as well as all-time most popular lists, And neither could be classified as "small" films. They're both massive in scope. It's like directing "Star Wars" and "Titanic in the same year. I would say Fleming's achievement is unique. And yet, most people don't list him or even consider him when mentioning the "best directors" in movies.

Producer David O. Selznick also went from "Gone With the Wind" to "Rebecca" without a break. Considering the size and scope of GWTW, that's pretty insane. Both won Best Picture (back to back Oscars for Selznick), and he ended up suffering a nervous breakdown after that and wound up in the hospital.

What these guys did for love.

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 06:26 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 6:53am

VeraCharles3---Midnight is one of my favorite "screwball comedy" films ever. And I think the only reason it isn't widely known is because it came out in 1939, a year with so many notable films. It got lost in the mix a bit.

I discovered it later in my life as well (I was in my late 20s), and it was love at first sight. I've often thought it would make a great musical. The plot is suited for it. And the writing by Brackett and Wilder is unbeatable. And Colbert, Ameche, Astor, and John Barrymore (hilarious!) are all first-rate.

It also has some of the best "bitchiest" dialogue between female characters since ... well, since "The Women," which was actually released the same year.

Sample dialogue: "That hat really does something for you. It gives you a chin."

I wish more people knew that film.

[VeraCharles3]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:06am

Lol, Besty, I forgot that line. I am going to dig out the DVD and watch today.

I saw the film many years ago on TV and recorded it. As a 12 year old boy - I so regret my username by the way - I would get up at 6am and watch this movie, EVERY DAY, before I headed for school - How odd I was, this lasted for months.

There is something magical about the movie and I agree it is a somewhat forgotten film.

I never thought of it as a musical but you're right it would make a great one.

A few years ago, there were rumours it would be re-made with Reece Witherspoon - I shuddered at the time. It's a movie that should be re-released but not re-made.

Thanks for the Wizard of Oz info, I had no idea the B&W parts were filmed last by King Vidor.

I'm happy to know another Midnight fan. So thank you.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 9:09am

You're welcome!



Another really great screwball comedy on that 1939 list is "Bachelor Mother," directed by Garson Kanin. If you haven't seen it, check it out! It at least got a little recognition with a Best Original Screenplay nomination (no small feat in 1939), and it stars Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. All are excellent. It's a great story, too. I could easily see someone wanting to remake it as well, although "Baby Boom" with Diane Keaton has some vague similarities.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 9:26am

1999 also had The Iron Giant and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.


Most Contemporary

2007
No Country for Old Men
Zodiac
There Will Be Blood
Once
Ratatouille
The Diving Bell & Butterfly
La Vie en Rose
Atonement
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Hot Fuzz
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Enchanted
Persepolis
The Simpsons Movie
Lust, Caution
The Orphanage
Rescue Dawn
American Gangster
No End in Sight
Sweeney Todd
Eastern Promises
Michael Clayton
Death Proof
The Darjeeling Limited
Into the Wild

1960
Psycho
La Dolce Vita
The Apartment
Spartacus
L'avventura
The Virgin Spring
Shoot the Piano Player
Peeping Tom
The Magnificent Seven
Eyes Without a Face
Rocco & His Brothers
Bells Are Ringing
Black Sunday
Purple Noon
Late Autumn
Breathless
The Bad Sleep Well
Two Women

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 09:26 AM

[NoName3]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 9:49am

Another Midnight fan, Vera. The screenplay is by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder and legend has it Wilder decided to become a director because he was so upset with the changes director Mitchell Leisen made during filming.

Leisen is one of my favorite directors. Don't get me started.

My favorite line: Colbert dancing at the ball and realizing her gig passing herself off as a Baroness is almost up. "Every Cinderella has her midnight!" she laughs and dances away.

Did you know Colbert was a last minute replacement for Barbara Stanwyck?

Best12, you are probably the poster here I respect the most, but the GWTW and Oz director situation is much more complicated than you have written. I'll post more later.

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 09:49 AM

[jnb9872]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 9:59am

Besty, in 2000, Steven Soderbergh not only directed two Best Picture nominees he was also double-nominated for Best Director, for ERIN BROCKOVICH and TRAFFIC (for which he won.)

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 11:02am

A rarity indeed! I had forgotten that Erin Brockovich was up for Best Picture. So yes, two Best Pic nominees from the same director.

Both are very good films, but neither have the scope of "Oz" or "Gone With the Wind," let alone both.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 11:07am

Best12, you are probably the poster here I respect the most, but the GWTW and Oz director situation is much more complicated than you have written. I'll post more later.

Of course it is. There have been books written about the upheaval and changes on those two films. I have read them and talked to people involved about them. But I didn't feel like writing a book in my post here (particularly on a tangent from the subject), so I summarized. Yes, a complex series of events. Still, my summary is accurate. No other director's footage remains in the finished films, other than Vidor's Kansas scenes in "Oz" and perhaps one or two scenes (if that) in GWTW by Cuckor. The rest was scrapped and reshot, including the opening scene of GWTW, which took them five times to get right, and ended up being the last scene shot for the film (by Fleming).

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 11:07 AM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 11:19am

For me 2005 was the recent high water mark:

A History of Violence
Capote
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, and Good Luck
Pride and Prejudice
Matchpoint
Walk the Line
The Constant Gardener
Transamerica
The Squid and the Whale

[NoName3]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 1:44pm

.


I deleted my earlier extended comments on GWTW and Oz because when I re-read them hours after posting, they seemed pompous, show-offy and an arrogant dismissal of Best12's comments, which was never what I intended. Best12, you are knowledgeable and informed even if I disagree with you on a few minor points about the history of those two films. My hat is always off to you.

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 01:44 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 2:31pm

The most influential movie years for me:

1984
The Terminator
Broadway Danny Rose
Stop Making Sense
Amadeus
Ghost Busters
This is Spinal Tap
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Blood Simple
Splash
The Killing Fields
The Karate Kid
All of Me
Once Upon a Time in America
Romancing the Stone
Sixteen Candles
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A Passage to India
Gremlins
The Natural
The Neverending Story
Star Man
Star Trek III
Top Secret!
The Last Starfighter
Revenge of the Nerds
2010
Dune
Footloose
Bachelor Party
Firestarter
Children of the Corn
Fanny and Alexander

1985
My Beautiful Laundrette
Shoah
Brazil
Ran
Back to the Future
Lost in America
Fright Night
Mask
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
The Breakfast Club
Witness
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Prizzi's Honor
The Color Purple
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Desperately Seeking Susan
Jagged Edge
Cocoon
Silverado
Fletch
Young Sherlock Holmes
The Goonies
Clue
Enemy Mine
Out of Africa
Weird Science
Return to Oz
St. Elmo's Fire
Agnes of God

1986
A Room With a View
Aliens
Ruthless People
Blue Velvet
Hannah and Her Sisters
Stand By Me
Little Shop of Horrors
Platoon
Star Trek IV
Peggy Sue Got Married
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Big Trouble in Little China
Children of a Lesser God
Pretty in Pink
Crimes of the Heart
The Mosquito Coast
An American Tale
Labyrinth
Top Gun
Legend
True Stories

1987
Broadcast News
The Princess Bride
Full Metal Jacket
Moonstruck
Matewan
The Last Emperor
Prick Up Your Ears
The Dead
Raising Arizona
Radio Days
Empire of the Sun
The Untouchables
Some Kind of Wonderful
Fatal Attraction
Angel Heart
Adventures in Babysitting
The Lost Boys
The Witches of Eastwick
Dirty Dancing
Ironweed
Nuts
Blind Date

1988
Spoorloos (The Vanishing)
Decalogue
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Big
Grave of the Fireflies
Hairspray
Heathers
A Fish Called Wanda
Dangerous Liaisons
Die Hard
My Neighbor Totoro
Cinema Paradiso
The Naked Gun
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Working Girl
Beetlejuice
The Accidental Tourist
Frantic
Strange Brew
Coming to America
Scrooged
Another Woman
The Milagro Beanfield War
She's Having a Baby
Beaches
Babette's Feast
Au Revoir Les Enfants

[BornThisWay]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 5:57pm

A few years back, I saw a showing of Sunset Boulevard at a cinema and the great Robert Osbourne did a presentation of the film beforehand and mentioned that he believed 1950 to be one of the great years of film. I definitely agree with him.

Sunset Boulevard
All About Eve
Cinderella
In A Lonely Place
Born Yesterday
Harvey
Father of the Bride
The Asphalt Jungle
Rio Grande
Stage Fright
Summer Stock
Annie Get Your Gun
Cyrano De Bergeac

Updated On: 9/1/13 at 05:57 PM

[Hank]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 8:03pm

1939 was indeed impressive, but I go along with Mister Matt, the 1980's was a golden age, especially for comedies.
I'd like to add a couple of others:
Fast Times at Ridgemond High (1982), and
Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure (1989). Best12bars, how did you you miss that one?

Posted: 9/1/13 at 10:27pm

I just have to interject- I have NEVER understood the love shown "Field of Dreams"- a trite hodgepodge of feel-good hokum that collapses like a paper boat in a turbulent pond the minute you give it moment's thought.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 10:32pm

I love you Joe but I must disagree. I think FIELD OF DREAMS is a perfect film and I've given it much more than a momentsthought.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/2/13 at 2:31am

Hi, NoName3! I did miss your comments earlier. I was out most of the day. Sorry if you felt prompted to "challenge" something I posted here. I just didn't want to go off too far on a tangent on the making of two of my all-time favorite films: Wizard of Oz and GWTW.You are right that their journeys to the big screen were far from easy or simple. In many ways, they're both miracles of success, considering all the upheaval and overturning of so many talented "cooks" working on them both.

And speaking of favorite films, Joe, I have to strongly disagree with your assessment of Field of Dreams. It couldn't be further away from how I feel about it. It's easily in my Top 10 and probably top 5 all-time favorite films. I watch it usually twice a year (always once every spring) and love going on that journey with Ray Kinsella. It's a film that manages to both take me away as an "escape" from myself as well as bring me closer to myself and my connections to family, the past, and even the future, every time I see it. It's anything but a fantasy "baseball movie," since I have very little interest or love for the game. It's a special story told in a unique way about very personal subjects to me.

Updated On: 9/2/13 at 02:31 AM

[NoName3]

Posted: 9/2/13 at 2:54am

When all is said and done, my all time two favorites, too. I've been looked down on about that over the years, but frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.