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Posts from the ‘1939’ Category

Mar 16

The Rules of the Game

The Rules of the Game is one of those compelling movies that feels somewhat out of reach, perhaps it is because it so consistently ranks among critics as one of the greatest films of all time. It is a motion picture that has been studied and analyzed to great detail by film historians and critics the world over, making it a bit of an intimidating prospect to dig into within the frame of a mere blog such as this. Even so, it helps that the movie remains not all that unapproachable after all.

In fact, Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game is almost deceptive in its simplicity. It unfolds as a sort of country house ensemble piece, taking charge as a comedy of manners that is charged with an electric and satisfying critique of society’s upper crust in France at the start of the Second World War. The 1939 film was initially trashed for its critique on French upper class people, but it has gone on to garner much praise around the world.

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Sep 3

Only Angels Have Wings

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Howard Hawks’ Only Angels Have Wings is said by some to be his best motion picture. The 1939 was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects) and would up inspiring a television series in the 80s. As a tale of camaraderie among pilots, it’s a tale not unlike our modern movies of male bonding. As anything else, however, it’s a bit perplexing and, frankly, a bit drab.

The main reason to see Only Angels Have Wings lies in its portrayal of the procedural elements of the small air service it involves. Hawks does well showing the men of the story discussing their options, discussing the danger of flying, and discussing the feeling of not being able to fly anymore along with the hell that brings. The women are necessarily evils, but they aren’t particularly at the forefront of the story despite a somewhat forced relationship taking centre stage.

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Jul 7

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The Wizard of Oz

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As one of the most renowned classics of American film, The Wizard of Oz is a treat. The 1939 movie ushered in a new era of cinema, turning L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s book into one of Hollywood’s greatest creations. It was developed thanks in large part to the success of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and helped usher in the modern film fantasy genre that we all know today. As the quintessential film about a journey to a strange land with strange creatures and characters, Oz is a masterpiece.

Amazingly enough, The Wizard of Oz was not considered a commercial success upon its initial release. The years have been kind to the movie, though, and it has become one of the most popular films of all time thanks in large part to countless television airings. Some believe Oz to be among the most-watched films in history.

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Jul 26

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Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind is one of the greatest films of all time. It picked up ten Academy Awards in 1940, setting a record that would stand for twenty years until Ben Hur would surpass it in 1960. In AFI’s 2007 version of its Top 100 American Films of All Time list, Gone with the Wind ranked at number six. It was responsible for the melodramatic framework that most soap operas would wind up using, too, and is perhaps most interesting because of the notion that the characters are all perfectly flawed human beings.

Based on Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel of the same name, Gone with the Wind is an epic film set in the American South around the time of the Civil War. We are introduced to a large cotton plantation in rural Georgia in the year 1861. Called Tara, this plantation is home to the Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara (Thomas Mitchell), his wife Ellen (Barbara O’Neill), and their three daughters. Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) is the eldest of the three daughters and she is seemingly sought after by just about every young man in the area. The man she wants is Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), but Ashley is getting engaged to Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland) and that’s that.

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Mar 26

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1939′s classic film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, is one of the most lauded classics of all time. It was nominated for several Oscars and won the Oscar for Best Writing of an Original Screenplay. It was nominated for just about every other major Academy Award in 1940, including Best Picture and Best Actor. In a year that featured ten best picture nominees (including The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach, Of Mice and Men, Love Affair and the eventual best picture winner Gone with the Wind), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was in some excellent company.

Frank Capra’s masterpiece is rather simple in terms of the general plot. A naive man is sent to Washington from his small town to serve in the Senate. He is appointed to be a seat-filling Senator, courtesy of the other Senator from his state, and is essentially set up not to bother anyone because it is assumed that he will be too naive to accomplish anything. Jefferson Smith has other ideas and actually does accomplish something, taking on big business and corruption in one of the most sweeping and exhausting segments of film ever.

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