spurgeonryan, patron saint of forum posters, suggested I make a thread about this.

I mentioned in a post in his top 50 movies thread that 1939 was the best year in the 118-year history of movies.

My justification is that several outstanding and influential movies debuted in 1939, in America and beyond. They are: Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, The Rules of the Game, Stagecoach, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

There are other famous movies from 1939 -- like Dark Victory, Ninotchka, and Goodbye, Mr Chips -- but I haven't had the opportunity to watch them yet. Even without them, though, the 1939 line-up is amazing. There are six movies I would include in my top 100 list, and one -- The Rules of the Game -- that could easily be considered the greatest movie ever made.

What do YOU think?

No, simply NO. Its getting tiresome that all movie snobs consider that pre-50's are the golden age of movies. Yes there where plenty of influential movies in those times, but movies evolved ever since. Just because we have a lot of commercial crap these days it does only mean that it is a commercially viable medium.

Also UK/US movies tend to be way to prude, and there are probably only around two dozen US movies that I would even consider in my top 100 of all times. Stop being so self-absorbed and widen your movie culture a bit

its really hard to pick a year...i mean so many movies come out each year from variouse countries its impossible IMO.
I saw almost all the movies above and yes a great year but im unable to pick a specific year.

The year they matched Wizard of Oz with Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest year in cinema.
It comes down to taste though, some people will love 1999, or 1977. 1939 had some great movies undoubtedly.

I also love the complete lack of a question mark in the threads title, 1939, respect! :)

hunter_alien said: No, simply NO. Its getting tiresome that all movie snobs consider that pre-50's are the golden age of movies. Yes there where plenty of influential movies in those times, but movies evolved ever since. Just because we have a lot of commercial crap these days it does only mean that it is a commercially viable medium. Also UK/US movies tend to be way to prude, and there are probably only around two dozen US movies that I would even consider in my top 100 of all times. Stop being so self-absorbed and widen your movie culture a bit

I hope you appreciate the irony in your post, but I'm sure you don't.

There's a reason the period between the 1930s and 1950s is considered the golden age of movies. Moviemakers made huge advances on the technical front -- cinematography, editing, production design, lighting -- and in terms of storytelling. But the greatness of the era goes beyond its historical legacy. Some of the most beautiful, moving, and timeless movies debuted during this time: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Bicycle Thieves, Beauty and the Beast, Brief Encounter, It Happened One Night, The Third Man, The Best Years of Our Lives, Double Indemnity, The Philadelphia Story, L'Atalante, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Ivan the Terrible, etc. The list goes on and on.

So no movie snobbery here. If you're looking for pretentious and self-absorbed, I invite you to revisit your own post.

Veknoid_Outcast said: hunter_alien said: No, simply NO. Its getting tiresome that all movie snobs consider that pre-50's are the golden age of movies. Yes there where plenty of influential movies in those times, but movies evolved ever since. Just because we have a lot of commercial crap these days it does only mean that it is a commercially viable medium. Also UK/US movies tend to be way to prude, and there are probably only around two dozen US movies that I would even consider in my top 100 of all times. Stop being so self-absorbed and widen your movie culture a bit I hope you appreciate the irony in your post, but I'm sure you don't. There's a reason the period between the 1930s and 1950s is considered the golden age of movies. Moviemakers made huge advances on the technical front -- cinematography, editing, production design, lighting -- and in terms of storytelling. But the greatness of the era goes beyond its historical legacy. Some of the most beautiful, moving, and timeless movies debuted during this time: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Bicycle Thieves, Beauty and the Beast, Brief Encounter, It Happened One Night, The Third Man, The Best Years of Our Lives, Double Indemnity, The Philadelphia Story, L'Atalante, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Ivan the Terrible, etc. The list goes on and on. So no movie snobbery here. If you're looking for pretentious and self-absorbed, I invite you to revisit your own post.

Funny... half the movies you listed there did not manage to hold up well in time. We should probably arrive at a point where we dont apreciate the classics just for being old. If they dont pass the test of time, give it a nod for its age, revolutionary status and get over it. IMO in the 60s alone there where more quality movies made than all the years before it. But allas, I might actually watch movies with a critical eye, and not rose-tinted glasses

Art is evolving, and sometimes the older forms just come off as primitive, when compared to its newer forms. Its a normal effect and it happenes everywhere.

Yes, I agree that it all comes down to taste, but sometimes we can actually try and apreciate a movie on its own, and dont try and analyze it back to its forfathers roots, and say that its a cheap imitation, just because a similar scene appeared in a long-forgotten 40's movie...

My favorite year for movies was 2002. City of God, The Pianist, Infernal Affairs, Panic Room, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, The Two Towers, Hero, The Bourne Identity and many more.

Once again your argument is filled with hyperbole, sarcasm, and stereotypes. It doesn't lend much credibility to your opinion.

How on Earth could I be nostalgic for movies from the 1930s? I was born in 1983. I have no personal associations with these movies. I simply admire them for being the best of the best. You have every right to your opinion, but please do not delegitimize my opinion by claiming it's based on nostalgia.

Perhaps these movies do not hold up well to you, but they hold up very nicely for many others, including myself.

Lastly, I do appreciate older movies for being revolutionary, but I also appreciate them for being great. I said as much in my previous post. There are many great movies from the 1960s and 1970s -- Lawrence of Arabia, Five Easy Pieces, Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather Part II, 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc. -- but I would still identify the 30s, 40s, and 50s as the golden age. Great movies exist in every era, but I believe one reigns supreme.

That's a good choice :)

Have you seen Adaptation or Talk to Her? Two other great movies from 2002.

Your probably have a pre-fixed value pattern, based on which you look at art, that you have probably taken by somebody important from your life. Believe me, its not an unusual occurance, and its not shamefull.

Allas, taste is objective, and dont be offended because I find yours to be... ahm... questionable at best