1939 was a huge year not just for the Oscars, but for movies in general. Most consider this year to be the greatest year in film history. All the movies nominated for this year are considered classics and some of the greatest movies ever made. And I would agree as so far this is the best year for the Best Picture category probably in the short history of this award show. Hell, most of these movies are actually really good and very few are bad. But there are still a few films this year I would consider not great, and that sucks because this could have been a perfect year if not for some of the nominations. Still, what a way for this weird decade to end. Let’s hope the 1940s start off with a bang like these movies were.
1.The Wizard of Oz (1939):
I don’t think I even need to say why this is number one. You know it, I know it, The Wizard of Oz is a classic film that is still popular to this day. In case you don’t know the plot, Dorothy (Judy Garland) is a farm girl who gets sucked into a tornado and transferred to the magical land of Oz where she meets a group of strange people who try to help her get back home. There really isn’t a bad thing about this movie. It has beautiful sets, the colors all pop, the costumes are iconic, the songs are all great, the characters are fun and relatable, the villain is scary and fun, the acting is great all around, the direction is dynamic, the writing is fantastic, there really is nothing bad about this movie. Any type of plot hole you can come up with is drowned out by really good songs or piece of filmmaking that makes you feel like you are in the land of Oz. It’s a classic that will continue to reach new audiences all the time as this is a pretty perfect, timeless film.
2.Of Mice and Men (1939):
We go from one of the happiest movies ever made, to one of the saddest movies ever made. This is the story of two farmhands with big dreams of their own who end up working on a corrupt farm ranch. What makes this movie are the strong characters and great writing. This is based off of the very famous John Steinbeck book and it’s pretty faithful to the original story. The story of a mentally disabled farmhand with his friend both wanting their own piece of land is really well directed, acted, and especially written. But be warned, since this is a very depressing film, you will feel the urge to cry from time to time. I don’t want to spoil too much of this so all I will say is to check it out.
3.Stagecoach (1939):
Well this is a really fun action/adventure movie about a stagecoach full of people trying to avoid bandits, Indians, and the great wilderness of the Old West. Seriously though, this movie has a ton of great action set pieces and is super thrilling. It may not be the deepest movie on this list, but it has fantastic filmmaking that still holds up to this day. The characters are fun, there are twists and turns to keep you invested, and I consider it to be one of the best westerns ever made. Who knew that a prolonged chase sequence would be this much fun to watch?
4.Ninotchka (1939):
This is a really cute movie honestly. Nina Ivanovna “Ninotchka” Yakushova (Greta Garbo) is a strict Soviet Union diplomat who goes to Paris and ends up falling for a carefree bachelor named Count Leon d’Algout (Melvyn Douglas). The writing and acting are what really sell this movie as the dialogue is very cheeky and clever. The acting also makes you care about the two leads and the other side characters as well. And when it gets serious later in the film, it doesn’t feel like it comes out of nowhere as it builds to said tone change. This also might be the first time I’ve really liked Garbo as an actress. Usually she played the sexy bombshell that was always super serious. Here she is allowed to have more fun with the role and plays a serious, yet funny character. This is a nice little film that I had some fun with.
5.Dark Victory (1939):
This is the story of a woman going blind and possibly dying. Very different from Ninotchka isn’t it? It’s so weird how films like The Wizard of Oz and Stagecoach are also nominated along side films like this. It’s a super depressing movie with great acting from Bette Davis as she is the star of this story. It’s bleak tone may be too dark for some, but I enjoyed it thanks to the good writing and especially good acting by not just Davis, but everyone in the cast. It’s a solid melodrama that earns its emotional moments.
6.Love Affair (1939):
On a cruise liner, two people fall in love with each other but can’t be together because they have their own engagements. They decide to meet up in six months on top of the Empire State building after severing ties with their betroths. But something happens to them that interferes with their plans. I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot as I do think this movie deserves to be seen. It’s a romantic movie with great chemistry from the leading actors and it has a good script. Plus there are several twists within the plot to keep you invested. This story has been remade into the film An Affair to Remember (1957) and later parodied by Sleepless in Seattle (1994). If you’ve seen either of those movies, you’ll get this movies plot and characters since it’s the original. It’s a decent romance/drama that might make you cry if you’re already in a downer mood.
7.Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939):
This movie is about a school teacher and his life. The plot is pretty simple itself. It’s more of a character study about the life of a man who has dedicated his life to his work. Robert Donat as Mr. Chips is really good in this role as he is very dedicated to his work, while still being his own man with his own wants and desires like a family. He’s what makes the film and his Oscar win was well deserved I think. This is a nice, simple character movie about a very nice man and his struggles and victories in life. It might be a little too long as some plot beats go on for way too long, like him trying to find love. But this is an overall good movie with a very likeable main character.
8.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939):
This movie is corny as hell by today’s standards. It’s about Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) who goes into politics to try to change the system from the inside. This is a very dated film about how great the American system is and how it can be cured from its corruption through hard work. This movie wouldn’t fly today due to the current political climate. Hell, I think it was dated even when it came out. It’s a silly movie with big monologues about how great America is and how the system, while flawed, ultimately works. There are no real characters outside of Smith that matter and Stewart is very good in this film. But the writing and direction are so over-the-top and corny that you can’t take this story seriously. Capra once again strikes as the master of cringe as this is his corniest movie yet. And that is saying something.
9.Gone With the Wind (1939):
This movie is a big mess. It’s about a Southern belle named Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) and her life and love life during the Civil War. I do not like this film at all. I know a lot of people consider it the greatest film ever made, but I think it’s really dated and I hate the main character. I think on a technical level this movie works as it looks nice. But the story and characters do nothing for me. It makes heroes of the Confederacy and reduces African Americans as helpless slaves who only look after the well being of white people. So it’s very dated on that end. But my biggest complaint is Scarlett herself. She is a spiteful, rude, angry, vicious, awfully written character. Leigh is doing a good job in the role, but the character is so mean to everyone around her. She treats her friends like shit, she treats her loved ones with contempt, and she’s just an awful human being. She doesn’t change as she still is hung up on her old boyfriends and she treats everyone around her like garbage if she doesn’t get her way. I hate Scarlett and everything she stands for. Don’t bother watching this overly long, waste of space of a movie.
10.Wuthering Heights (1939):
While I think Gone With the Wind is a worse movie, I at least was not bored like I was with Wuthering Heights. It’s a love story set in England in the 19th century about a wealthy girl falling in love with a poor boy. I couldn’t have been more bored with this movie. It’s a love story that I never felt interested in thanks to bad chemistry between the lead actors and boring dialogue between the two of them. This is nothing more than a period piece melodrama with nothing interesting going on. The only thing I did remember was that there were ghosts at the end, I think? I don’t know, I was half paying attention to the dull story and characters. Which really sucks because I really wanted to put Gone With the Wind at the bottom of this list. But with that movie I felt something, extreme rage, but that was at least something to feel rather than the nothing I felt from this movie.
Movies for 20 Somethings 