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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
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DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For
Movies...Ever!
Posted February 15, 2008 | 03:24 PM (EST)
Read More: 1939 , Academy Awards , Amy Ryan , Animation , Ben Affleck , Cabaret ,
Casey Affleck , Charlie Chan , Classics , Ernst Lubitsch , Gone With The Wind , James
McAvoy , Jane Austen , Kiki And Herb , Movies, Musicals, Mysteries , Oscar , Peter
Greenaway, Sitcoms , Wrestling TV, Breaking Entertainment News
Film buffs have declared 1939 as the greatest year for movies so many times that
it's seen as historical fact, rather than just a widely accepted opinion. And no wonder: in 1939, the
ten movies nominated for Best Picture include landmark classics in so many genres that it makesyour head spin. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Stagecoach. Ninotchka. Love Affair. The Wizardof Oz. Wuthering Heights. Of Mice and Men. Dark Victory. Goodbye Mr. Chips. And a little flickcalled Gone With The Wind. Some people argue for 1974 and I'm quite fond of 1987, but you get
the point: 1939 was a heck of a year for movies.
So earlier this year I decided that if 1939 was the greatest year of all time for movies than I should
watch any movie made in 1939, however obscure. ( Here's my list. ) So imagine my delight when
Charlie Chan Volume 4 ($49.98; Fox) showed up. It contains four Chan mysteries, including threereleased in 1939. That brings to 16 the number of Charlie Chan movies finally made available innice new prints after years of being out of circulation.
They were rumored to be under wraps because theMurdochs found them racially offensive. In fact, themovies are exemplary. Yes, Chan speaks haltingly (ina second language) and delivers one aphorism afteranother. But he is invariably portrayed as respectedand admired by fellow members of the police force
and the public at large; his family is filled with wholesome, All-American kids; some casualdialogue in his native tongue is offered up naturally; and Chan is always, always the smartestperson in the room. Chinese audiences were understandably thrilled to have an on-screen heroshown in such a positive light as opposed to say, Fu Manchu and other diabolical Eastern villains.
The latest four Chan films -- starring the new and lesser Chan Sidney Toller -- are true to form. All
are modest, briskly entertaining B movies -- just programmers people could watch and enjoy and
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]Like this story? Get Alerts of big news
events. Enter your email addressforget. There's an exotic locale, a murder, a scene where all the suspects are brought into a room
and the lights go out and Chan solves it all. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) is typical and Charlie
Chan in Reno (1939!) little better, with the allure of easy divorces being the main draw. Charlie
Chan at Treasure Island (1939) is a step up, thanks to a convoluted look at psychics, fortune tellers
and other frauds. But the real gem here is Charlie Chan in City In Darkness (1939), where Chan is
in Paris and helps capture Nazi villains trying to smuggle weapons out of the country. As the fine
brief documentary makes clear, this was a propaganda war film made even before war officially
broke out. That gives it a drive and importance the other films lack.
And that's the best thing about this 1939 project: I keep stumbling on movies I might never have
watched or somehow missed, like the Dr. Kildare series (with Lionel Barrymore chewing the
scenery with glee); Five Came Back, a corker of a drama about a plane crash in the jungle starring
Lucille Ball before she was Lucille Ball; and hilariously misguided kitsch like Way Down South,
with a boy soprano who sure loves his slaves almost as much as he loves belting out into song.(Bizarrely, it was co-written by Langston Hughes.)
Also out this week: Lubitsch Musicals ($59.95; Criterion), a collection of four movies by Lubitsch
that is exactly why this more modest series by Criterion is such a dream -- more obscure movies
made available in decent prints that otherwise would never have seen the light of day; Gone BabyGone ($29.99; Miramax), a movie that's solid on so many levels it may be best remembered years
from now as the directorial debut of Ben Affleck or the breakthrough for brother Casey or thebreakthrough of Oscar nominee Amy Ryan; Stanley Kramer Film Collection ($59.95; Sony), five
typical movies from the always earnest director that made an impact at the time but soon wererevealed as stolid ( Guess Who's Coming To Dinner ), silly ( The Wild Ones ) and just plain bizarre
(The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T ); Warner Bros. Academy Awards Animation Collection ($44.98;
Warner Bros.), a terrific collection of 41 Oscar nominated shorts from the vaults of Warner Bros.,MGM and Fleishcer; Becoming Jane ($29.99; Miramax), an engaging bit of fluff raised up by anexceptional cast including Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Anne Hathaway and theincreasingly dreamy James McAvoy; Doctor Who Third Series ($99.98; BBC Video), which has
proven far better than any Doctor Who revival with a decent budget had any right of being andTorchwood First Season ($79.98; BBC Video), a darker more adult (and sexy) spin-off that foundits footing by the end of the first season; We Own The Night ($28.95; Sony), James Gray's
beautifully shot, well-acted, intelligent but ultimately stillborn police drama; Tootsie ($19.94;
Sony), a new edition of one of the best comedies of all time with some welcome extras thatunfortunately do not include director Sydney Pollack's standard-setting commentary track thatappeared on the laser disc; Dresden ($29.98; Koch), a German miniseries that shows a young
nurse hiding a British pilot in the days leading up to the cataclysmic bombing; Blade: The Series($39.98; New Line), a TV spin-off of the vampire hunter character that's much harder to kill thanthe vamps themselves; In The Shadow Of The Moon ($19.99; ThinkFilm), a pretty good
documentary about the space race with some engaging characters, though the more elegant For AllMankind ($39.95; Criterion) from 2000 is still where novices should begin; Lillie ($59.99; Acorn),
the 1978 Masterpiece Theatre melodrama about the shockingly modern actress Lillie Langtry; AZed and Two Noughts and The Draughtsman's Contract ($29.99 each; Zeitgeist), two lovingly
presented films by Peter Greenaway done with the care his boldly original movies deserve; theutterly unique Kiki & Herb: Live at the Knitting Factory ($24.98; Alive Mind), which documentsthe legendary cabaret duo's Year of Magical Drinking tour with straightforward ease for all thoseunlucky enough to have missed them in person (available only at their website ); Romance &
Cigarettes ($24.96; Sony), John Turturro's oddball musical; The Bubble ($27.99; Strand),
promising director Eytan Fox's Israeli drama that is better about sexual politics than the real kind;The Legacy Of Stone Cold Steve Austin ($34.95; WWE) and the more surprised you are that it
"only" contains three discs the more likely you are to buy it; the genial detective show TheRockford Files Season Five ($39.98; Universal), which surprisingly never broke into the top 30;
and finally fans dismayed over having to say goodbye to the sitcom Girlfriends can ease their pain
by watching Girlfriends Third Season ($36.98; Paramount).
So how many movies from 1939 have you seen?
Comments for this post are now closed
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]
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amberglow See Profile I'm a Fan of amberglow permalink
39 was wonderful, but i can't restrict myself to a favorite year alone--i have a soft spot for the mid-late
40s--a truly remarkable range of wonderful movies and brilliant directors, etc--Best Year of Our Lives,A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, Red Shoes, Gentlemen's Agreement, Lost Weekend,Brief Encounter, Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Notorious, Adam's Rib, Scarlet Street, Strange Love ofMartha Ivers, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Harvey Girls, Easter Parade, etc... (and that's not evencounting the Italian films and Japanese, etc)
waiguoren See Profile I'm a Fan of waiguoren permalink
Interesting post.
You mention Sidney Toller as "the lesser Charlie Chan."Could you not have mentioned the name, somewhere in the piece, of Swedish actor Warner Oland,
who would be "the greater Charlie."?
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]
normathumb See Profile I'm a Fan of normathumb permalink
I am curious to know which Chan films had Sol Hoopii in them?
3fingerbrown See Profile I'm a Fan of 3fingerbrown permalink
Good post, good comments. Another big moment in Hollywood history from 1939, this one taking place
off screen: Alfred Hitchcock arrives in Hollywood. Also from '39, one of my favorite Hollywoodanecdotes, from the Hollywood Reporter: "Hungarian director Michael Curtiz had his crew in hystericswhen he asked his prop man for a mohair-covered throne chair and specified, 'Be sure it's from a realmoe.' "
VictorAndTim See Profile I'm a Fan of VictorAndTim permalink
Everyone's list here is valid and just makes me long to see a good OLD movie. Can you imagine? Theymanaged to make classics without special effects, car chases or color film?
1939 was a great year among many great years.
realrick See Profile I'm a Fan of realrick permalink
My fave is 1962Lawrence of Arabia
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Longest Day
The Miracle WorkerBirdman of AlcatrazThe Manchurian CandidateThe Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceHow The West Was WonLonely Are the Brave
The Days of Wine and Roses
So many great ones that year.....(and now you can actually read the post!)
realrick See Profile I'm a Fan of realrick permalink
....Not to mention "Dr. No"......
anfractuous See Profile I'm a Fan of anfractuous permalink
1939 also brought us "Stanley and Livingstone", "Beau Geste", and "the Four Feathers", all spectacular
tales, all taking place in the confident Victorian era. Whenever, or if ever, they are remade, it is neverwithout a suffocating dose of modern irony.
liberaldawg See Profile I'm a Fan of liberaldawg permalink
1939 was the greatest year for film. Followed closely by 1967 with "The Graduate", "Bonnie & Clyde""In the Heat of the Night", "GuessWho's Coming to Dinner" "Cool Hand
1939
Academy Awards
Amy Ryan
Animation
Ben AffleckCabaretCasey Affleck
Charlie Chan
ClassicsErnst LubitschGone With The WindJames McAvoyJane AustenKiki And HerbMoviesMusicalsMysteriesOscarPeter GreenawaySitcomsWrestling TV
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
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Luke", "The Dirty Dozen"
Owlette See Profile I'm a Fan of Owlette permalink
My all-time favorite movie is from 1939 -- The Women.
Grulg See Profile I'm a Fan of Grulg permalink
I've always liked the Chans and Motos, I'll also speak up for Gunga Din from '39, that's worthy, too.
wm1066 See Profile I'm a Fan of wm1066 permalink
Loved Gunga Din, The blacks were black and the whites where white and the
cinemetographer knew what he was doing with his filters. Even the low lighting scenes where
done well. Would love to see that on a big screen.
LoRiseAntlers See Profile I'm a Fan of LoRiseAntlers permalink
I love me some Rockford Files.
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DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For
Movies...Ever!
Posted February 15, 2008 | 03:24 PM (EST)
Read More: 1939 , Academy Awards , Amy Ryan , Animation , Ben Affleck , Cabaret ,
Casey Affleck , Charlie Chan , Classics , Ernst Lubitsch , Gone With The Wind , James
McAvoy , Jane Austen , Kiki And Herb , Movies, Musicals, Mysteries , Oscar , Peter
Greenaway, Sitcoms , Wrestling TV, Breaking Entertainment News
Film buffs have declared 1939 as the greatest year for movies so many times that
it's seen as historical fact, rather than just a widely accepted opinion. And no wonder: in 1939, the
ten movies nominated for Best Picture include landmark classics in so many genres that it makesyour head spin. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Stagecoach. Ninotchka. Love Affair. The Wizardof Oz. Wuthering Heights. Of Mice and Men. Dark Victory. Goodbye Mr. Chips. And a little flickcalled Gone With The Wind. Some people argue for 1974 and I'm quite fond of 1987, but you get
the point: 1939 was a heck of a year for movies.
So earlier this year I decided that if 1939 was the greatest year of all time for movies than I should
watch any movie made in 1939, however obscure. ( Here's my list. ) So imagine my delight when
Charlie Chan Volume 4 ($49.98; Fox) showed up. It contains four Chan mysteries, including threereleased in 1939. That brings to 16 the number of Charlie Chan movies finally made available innice new prints after years of being out of circulation.
They were rumored to be under wraps because theMurdochs found them racially offensive. In fact, themovies are exemplary. Yes, Chan speaks haltingly (ina second language) and delivers one aphorism afteranother. But he is invariably portrayed as respectedand admired by fellow members of the police force
and the public at large; his family is filled with wholesome, All-American kids; some casualdialogue in his native tongue is offered up naturally; and Chan is always, always the smartestperson in the room. Chinese audiences were understandably thrilled to have an on-screen heroshown in such a positive light as opposed to say, Fu Manchu and other diabolical Eastern villains.
The latest four Chan films -- starring the new and lesser Chan Sidney Toller -- are true to form. All
are modest, briskly entertaining B movies -- just programmers people could watch and enjoy and
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Michelle Obama And
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
Finally Meet In
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***UPDATE*** 8:30pm:
People.com is reporting
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While Michelle Obamahas made lesser...
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So here's the thing.There's no shortage of
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]Like this story? Get Alerts of big news
events. Enter your email addressforget. There's an exotic locale, a murder, a scene where all the suspects are brought into a room
and the lights go out and Chan solves it all. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) is typical and Charlie
Chan in Reno (1939!) little better, with the allure of easy divorces being the main draw. Charlie
Chan at Treasure Island (1939) is a step up, thanks to a convoluted look at psychics, fortune tellers
and other frauds. But the real gem here is Charlie Chan in City In Darkness (1939), where Chan is
in Paris and helps capture Nazi villains trying to smuggle weapons out of the country. As the fine
brief documentary makes clear, this was a propaganda war film made even before war officially
broke out. That gives it a drive and importance the other films lack.
And that's the best thing about this 1939 project: I keep stumbling on movies I might never have
watched or somehow missed, like the Dr. Kildare series (with Lionel Barrymore chewing the
scenery with glee); Five Came Back, a corker of a drama about a plane crash in the jungle starring
Lucille Ball before she was Lucille Ball; and hilariously misguided kitsch like Way Down South,
with a boy soprano who sure loves his slaves almost as much as he loves belting out into song.(Bizarrely, it was co-written by Langston Hughes.)
Also out this week: Lubitsch Musicals ($59.95; Criterion), a collection of four movies by Lubitsch
that is exactly why this more modest series by Criterion is such a dream -- more obscure movies
made available in decent prints that otherwise would never have seen the light of day; Gone BabyGone ($29.99; Miramax), a movie that's solid on so many levels it may be best remembered years
from now as the directorial debut of Ben Affleck or the breakthrough for brother Casey or thebreakthrough of Oscar nominee Amy Ryan; Stanley Kramer Film Collection ($59.95; Sony), five
typical movies from the always earnest director that made an impact at the time but soon wererevealed as stolid ( Guess Who's Coming To Dinner ), silly ( The Wild Ones ) and just plain bizarre
(The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T ); Warner Bros. Academy Awards Animation Collection ($44.98;
Warner Bros.), a terrific collection of 41 Oscar nominated shorts from the vaults of Warner Bros.,MGM and Fleishcer; Becoming Jane ($29.99; Miramax), an engaging bit of fluff raised up by anexceptional cast including Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Anne Hathaway and theincreasingly dreamy James McAvoy; Doctor Who Third Series ($99.98; BBC Video), which has
proven far better than any Doctor Who revival with a decent budget had any right of being andTorchwood First Season ($79.98; BBC Video), a darker more adult (and sexy) spin-off that foundits footing by the end of the first season; We Own The Night ($28.95; Sony), James Gray's
beautifully shot, well-acted, intelligent but ultimately stillborn police drama; Tootsie ($19.94;
Sony), a new edition of one of the best comedies of all time with some welcome extras thatunfortunately do not include director Sydney Pollack's standard-setting commentary track thatappeared on the laser disc; Dresden ($29.98; Koch), a German miniseries that shows a young
nurse hiding a British pilot in the days leading up to the cataclysmic bombing; Blade: The Series($39.98; New Line), a TV spin-off of the vampire hunter character that's much harder to kill thanthe vamps themselves; In The Shadow Of The Moon ($19.99; ThinkFilm), a pretty good
documentary about the space race with some engaging characters, though the more elegant For AllMankind ($39.95; Criterion) from 2000 is still where novices should begin; Lillie ($59.99; Acorn),
the 1978 Masterpiece Theatre melodrama about the shockingly modern actress Lillie Langtry; AZed and Two Noughts and The Draughtsman's Contract ($29.99 each; Zeitgeist), two lovingly
presented films by Peter Greenaway done with the care his boldly original movies deserve; theutterly unique Kiki & Herb: Live at the Knitting Factory ($24.98; Alive Mind), which documentsthe legendary cabaret duo's Year of Magical Drinking tour with straightforward ease for all thoseunlucky enough to have missed them in person (available only at their website ); Romance &
Cigarettes ($24.96; Sony), John Turturro's oddball musical; The Bubble ($27.99; Strand),
promising director Eytan Fox's Israeli drama that is better about sexual politics than the real kind;The Legacy Of Stone Cold Steve Austin ($34.95; WWE) and the more surprised you are that it
"only" contains three discs the more likely you are to buy it; the genial detective show TheRockford Files Season Five ($39.98; Universal), which surprisingly never broke into the top 30;
and finally fans dismayed over having to say goodbye to the sitcom Girlfriends can ease their pain
by watching Girlfriends Third Season ($36.98; Paramount).
So how many movies from 1939 have you seen?
Comments for this post are now closed
"Washington
Unplugged"
Arianna was on CBS'
"Washington...
Huff TV Arianna
Appears on ABC's
"This Week"
Roundtable With
George
Stephanopoulos
(VIDEO)
Arianna was a guest this
morning on...
"BRUNO" TRAILER!
Calamity, African
Babies, Chase
Scenes And More
(NSFW VIDEO)
IT'S HERE! The trailer for
this July's Sacha BaronCohen...
NATO Leaders Focus
On Afghanistan, But
Most Reject Obama'sPlea For Troops
(SLIDESHOW)
STRASBOURG, France— On the eve of the
NATO...
First Lady Fashion At
Friday's NATO
Concert (PHOTOS)
Another night, another
fashion opportunity for
NATO leaders and their
spouses! See...
Diana Palin, Sarah
Palin's Sister-In-Law,
Arrested For
Breaking Into Home
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Police say Alaska Gov....
John Oliver Explains
The Real Reason You
Never Touch TheQueen (VIDEO)
John Oliver was upsetenough to drop his
monocle when he...
Jim Cramer Declares
The Depression
"Over" (VIDEO)
On Thursday's episode of
"Mad Money" host Jim
Cramer declared that the
depression...
New Jay Leno ShowRejected By NBCAffiliate In Boston
BOSTON — Boston'sNBC affiliate says it will air
a local newscast instead
of...
Ice Bridge Ruptures
In Antarctic (VIDEO)
An ice bridge linking a
shelf of ice the size of
Jamaica to two islands in
Antarctica has
Scientists Find
Rocket Fuel
Chemical In Infant
Formula
ATLANTA — Traces of a
Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]
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amberglow See Profile I'm a Fan of amberglow permalink
39 was wonderful, but i can't restrict myself to a favorite year alone--i have a soft spot for the mid-late
40s--a truly remarkable range of wonderful movies and brilliant directors, etc--Best Year of Our Lives,A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, Red Shoes, Gentlemen's Agreement, Lost Weekend,Brief Encounter, Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Notorious, Adam's Rib, Scarlet Street, Strange Love ofMartha Ivers, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Harvey Girls, Easter Parade, etc... (and that's not evencounting the Italian films and Japanese, etc)
waiguoren See Profile I'm a Fan of waiguoren permalink
Interesting post.
You mention Sidney Toller as "the lesser Charlie Chan."Could you not have mentioned the name, somewhere in the piece, of Swedish actor Warner Oland,
who would be "the greater Charlie."?
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]
normathumb See Profile I'm a Fan of normathumb permalink
I am curious to know which Chan films had Sol Hoopii in them?
3fingerbrown See Profile I'm a Fan of 3fingerbrown permalink
Good post, good comments. Another big moment in Hollywood history from 1939, this one taking place
off screen: Alfred Hitchcock arrives in Hollywood. Also from '39, one of my favorite Hollywoodanecdotes, from the Hollywood Reporter: "Hungarian director Michael Curtiz had his crew in hystericswhen he asked his prop man for a mohair-covered throne chair and specified, 'Be sure it's from a realmoe.' "
VictorAndTim See Profile I'm a Fan of VictorAndTim permalink
Everyone's list here is valid and just makes me long to see a good OLD movie. Can you imagine? Theymanaged to make classics without special effects, car chases or color film?
1939 was a great year among many great years.
realrick See Profile I'm a Fan of realrick permalink
My fave is 1962Lawrence of Arabia
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Longest Day
The Miracle WorkerBirdman of AlcatrazThe Manchurian CandidateThe Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceHow The West Was WonLonely Are the Brave
The Days of Wine and Roses
So many great ones that year.....(and now you can actually read the post!)
realrick See Profile I'm a Fan of realrick permalink
....Not to mention "Dr. No"......
anfractuous See Profile I'm a Fan of anfractuous permalink
1939 also brought us "Stanley and Livingstone", "Beau Geste", and "the Four Feathers", all spectacular
tales, all taking place in the confident Victorian era. Whenever, or if ever, they are remade, it is neverwithout a suffocating dose of modern irony.
liberaldawg See Profile I'm a Fan of liberaldawg permalink
1939 was the greatest year for film. Followed closely by 1967 with "The Graduate", "Bonnie & Clyde""In the Heat of the Night", "GuessWho's Coming to Dinner" "Cool Hand
1939
Academy Awards
Amy Ryan
Animation
Ben AffleckCabaretCasey Affleck
Charlie Chan
ClassicsErnst LubitschGone With The WindJames McAvoyJane AustenKiki And HerbMoviesMusicalsMysteriesOscarPeter GreenawaySitcomsWrestling TV
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: 1939 -- The Best Year For Movies...Ever!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-1939-the-best-ye_b_86897.html [4/5/2009 7:50:25 PM]
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Luke", "The Dirty Dozen"
Owlette See Profile I'm a Fan of Owlette permalink
My all-time favorite movie is from 1939 -- The Women.
Grulg See Profile I'm a Fan of Grulg permalink
I've always liked the Chans and Motos, I'll also speak up for Gunga Din from '39, that's worthy, too.
wm1066 See Profile I'm a Fan of wm1066 permalink
Loved Gunga Din, The blacks were black and the whites where white and the
cinemetographer knew what he was doing with his filters. Even the low lighting scenes where
done well. Would love to see that on a big screen.
LoRiseAntlers See Profile I'm a Fan of LoRiseAntlers permalink
I love me some Rockford Files.
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