Ranking Only the Best (and the Very Worst) of a Movie Year Project

[CinemaInternational]

Now is the time for 1939. Next up will be 1962.

1939 (Films Seen:110)

The Best:

1 Gone with the Wind
2 The Wizard of Oz
3 Goodbye Mr. Chips
4 Midnight
5 The Old Maid
6 Intermezzo
7 The Women
8 Drums Along the Mohawk
9 Love Affair
10 Ninotchka
11 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
12 Beau Geste
13 Dark Victory
14 Golden Boy
15 In Name Only
16 On Borrowed Time
17 Union Pacific
18 Wuthering Heights
19 Gunga Din
20 Idiot's Delight
21 Bachelor Mother
22 The Hound of the Baskervilles
23 The Hunchback of Notre Dame
24 The Roaring Twenties
25 Stagecoach
26 It's a Wonderful World
27 The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
28 At the Circus
29 First Love
30 Of Mice and Men
31 You Can't Cheat an Honest Man
32 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
33 The Rains Came
34 The Cat and the Canary
35 The Great Victor Herbert
36 Jesse James
37 The Light That Failed
38 Another Thin Man
39 Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever
40 Everything Happens at Night
41 Hollywood Cavalcade
42 The Star Maker
43 When Tomorrow Comes
44 King of the Underworld
45 Beauty for the Asking
46 Gulliver's Travels
47 Babes in Arms
48 Each Dawn I Die
49 One Third of a Nation....
50 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes


The Worst:


1 Lady of the Tropics
2 Jamaica Inn
3 The Lady and the Mob
4 Beware Spooks

[LawrenceA]

1939

Favorites
The Roaring Twenties
Gone with the Wind
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Stagecoach
The Wizard of Oz
Daybreak
Destry Rides Again
Gunga Din
The Light That Failed
On Borrowed Time
Only Angels Have Wings
The Rules of the Game
Wuthering Heights

Least Favorites
The Gorilla
The Devil's Daughter
Midnight Shadow
Torture Ship

[Detective Jim McLeod]

1939 films seen-30

The Best

Gunga Din
The Wizard Of Oz
Gone With The Wind
Stagecoach
Of Mice And Men
Son Of Frankenstein

The Worst

The Mystery Of Mr Wong

[kingrat]

1939 was a good year, though hardly Hollywood's greatest, as some have claimed. Most of the years from 1939-1951 are strong, and the next year CinemaInternational has proposed, 1962, is a strong candidate for the best year of the studio era.

Favorites:

Gone With the Wind
Le jour se lève
The Wizard of Oz
The Rains Came
The Women
Midnight
Juarez
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Light That Failed
Beau Geste
Stagecoach
Ninotchka
Dark Victory
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Also liked:

Babes in Arms
The Cat and the Canary
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
Dodge City
Fifth Avenue Girl
The Four Feathers
Gunga Din
Love Affair
The Old Maid
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
The Roaring Twenties
The Rules of the Game
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
Wuthering Heights

[Swithin]

Ten favorites from 1939
(Okay, twelve, because I suppose I have to include the obligatory GWTW and The Wizard of Oz, which I certainly like, but not as much as the others on this list.)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Drums Along the Mohawk
Gone With the Wind
Goodbye Mr. Chips
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Juarez
The Light That Failed
Only Angels Have Wings
The Roaring Twenties
Stanley and Livingstone
The Wizard of Oz
Wuthering Heights

The best entrance of 1939: Humphrey Bogart and the white rabbit in:
The Return of Doctor X

[Feinberg]

1939

Of the 109 films that I have seen from this year these are my favourites ranked in order ...

The Wizard of Oz
Gone With the Wind
Of Mice and Men
Stagecoach
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Goodbye Mr. Chips
The Four Feathers
Destry Rides Again
Gunga Din
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Stars Look Down
Ninotchka
Rules of the Game
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Only Angels Have Wings
Beau Geste
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
Another Thin Man
Son of Frankenstein
Wuthering Heights
Bachelor Mother
At the Circus
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Prisoners of the Earth
Stanley and Livingstone
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

and here are some that I didn't care for at all ...

Babes In Arms
Daughters Courageous
Drums Along the Mohawk
The Lion Has Wings
Full Confession
Million Dollar Legs (with Betty Grable)
Hollywood Cavalcade
Old Mother Riley Joins Up
South of the Border

[skimpole]

I've seen around 37. Here are my favorites:

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. The Rules of the Game
3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
4. Stagecoach
5. Ninotchka
6. Daybreak
7. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums
8. Only Angels Have Wings
9. Gone with the Wind
10. The Four Feathers
11. The Women
12. Dark Victory
13. You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man

[CinemaInternational]

It is now time for marvelous 1962 to take the stage, one of the best years for films. Next up will be 1984.

1962 (Films Seen: 87)

The Best:


1 To Kill a Mockingbird
2 The L-Shaped Room
3 The Counterfeit Traitor
4 Sundays and Cybele
5 Long Day's Journey Into Night
6 All Fall Down
7 Advise and Consent
8 Mamma Roma
9 Gypsy
10 Billy Budd
11 Term of Trial
12 The Music Man
13 Lawrence of Arabia
14 Light in the Piazza
15 Lisa
16 That Touch of Mink
17 Jules and Jim
18 Experiment in Terror
19 Ride the High Country
20 Tender is the Night
21 The Miracle Worker
22 Vivre Sa Vie
23 The Manchurian Candidate
24 Hatari!
25 Billy Rose's Jumbo
26 Pressure Point
27 A Kind of Loving
28 Lolita
29 The Longest Day
30 Days of Wine and Roses
31 David and Lisa
32 Birdman of Alcatraz
33 In Search of the Castaways
34 L'Eclisse
35 Requiem for a Heavyweight
36 Sweet Bird of Youth
37 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
38 Satan Never Sleeps
39 Mutiny on the Bounty
40 Two Weeks in Another Town
41 Boys' Night Out
42 An Autumn Afternoon
43 Cape Fear
44 Gay Purr-ee
45 How the West Was Won
46 Electra
47 Five Finger Exercise
48 Walk on the Wild Side
49 Dr. No
50 If a Man Answers
51 Jessica

The Worst:


1 Period of Adjustment
2 I Thank a Fool
3 The Pigeon That Took Rome
4 Who's Got the Action?
5 The Interns
6 Bon Voyage!
7 The War Lover
8 Diamond Head
9 Phaedra

[kingrat]

1962: the last great year of the classic era. One of the best years ever. Darn it, I've taped but haven't watched Sundays and Cybèle.

Two all-time favorites:

Lawrence of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate

Favorites (alphabetical):

All Fall Down
Cape Fear
Cleo from 5 to 7
David and Lisa
Days of Wine and Roses
L'Eclisse
Experiment in Terror
The Exterminating Angel
Jules and Jim
Knife in the Water
The L-Shaped Room
Lisa
Lolita
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Mafioso
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Music Man
Ride the High Country
To Kill a Mockingbird

Also liked:

Birdman of Alcatraz
The Counterfeit Traitor
Eva
Five Minutes to Midnight
In the French Style
Light in the Piazza
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
The Longest Day
Salvatore Giuliano
Term of Trial
That Touch of Mink
The War Lover

Two films by great directors whose work I often love but not this year:

The Trial
Winter Light

Stinky the Skunk's Jane Fonda Triple Feature:

The Chapman Report
Period of Adjustment
Walk on the Wild Side

Stinky the Skunk Awards:

I Thank a Fool
Two Weeks in Another Town (chosen as "Most Odoriferous")

Note: Considering that Jane Fonda's next film, In the Cool of the Day (1963), has already won a Stinky the Skunk Award, it's hard to think of another actor who starred in four consecutive early films this bad, and who gave bad performances in all of them, yet rebounded to have a major career.

[Feinberg]

1962: the last great year of the classic era. One of the best years ever. Darn it, I've taped but haven't watched Sundays and Cybèle.

After you have watched Sundays and Cybele I highly, no, very highly recommend viewing the DVD Extra interviews with both Hardy Kruger and Patricia Gozzi which can be found on youtube with a simple search. They are really great.

[Feinberg]

1962

Of the 130 films that I have seen from this year these are my favourites ranked in order ...

Lawrence of Arabia
The Longest Day
Lolita
Dr. No
To Kill a Mockingbird
Jules and Jim
Cape Fear
Days of Wine and Roses
Birdman of Alcatraz
Billy Budd
Sundays and Cybele
Requiem For a Heavyweight
Ride the High Country
The Manchurian Candidate
The Trial
The L-Shaped Room
Lonely Are the Brave
Ivan's Childhood
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Sweet Bird of Youth
The Miracle Worker
Mutiny on the Bounty
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Harakiri
The Tale of Zatoichi
Family Diary
The War Lover
Damn the Defiant
Salvatore Giuliano
Hell Is For Heroes
Hatari
The Doll
Big Red

and here are some that I did not care for at all ...

The Brainiac (though I liked it as a kid)
Taras Bulba (and I lthought this was great when I saw it a few times as a kid)
Zotz
Road to Hong Kong
Journey to the Seventh Planet
Tarzan Goes to India
King Kong vs. Godzilla
All Fall Down
Samson vs. the Vampire Women
Santo vs. the Zombies
Girls! Girls! Girls!
The Amorous Prawn
Billy Rose's Jumbo
The Bellboy and the Playgirls
She Knows Y'Know
Danger On My Side

[Swithin]

Ten 1962 favorites

Dr. No
The Exterminating Angel
Gypsy
How the West Was Won
In Search of the Castaways
Jules and Jim
The L-Shaped Room
Lawrence of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Special mention:

The Brain that Wouldn’t Die
The Brainiac
Mondo Cane

[Detective Jim McLeod]

1962 films seen-45, this is my favorite year in film.

The Best- I gave more 10/10 ratings this year than any other, the following are all 10/10

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane
Dr. No
The Manchurian Candidate
Carnival Of Souls
Ride The High Country
David And Lisa
Sundays And Cybele

The Worst

The Chapman Report
Mutiny On The Bounty

[Detective Jim McLeod]

1962: the last great year of the classic era. One of the best years ever. Darn it, I've taped but haven't watched Sundays and Cybèle.

After you have watched Sundays and Cybele I highly, no, very highly recommend viewing the DVD Extra interviews with both Hardy Kruger and Patricia Gozzi which can be found on youtube with a simple search. They are really great.

I have the DVD with those extras and they are great, amazing to see Patricia Gozzi all grown up.

[Feinberg]

1962: the last great year of the classic era. One of the best years ever. Darn it, I've taped but haven't watched Sundays and Cybèle.

After you have watched Sundays and Cybele I highly, no, very highly recommend viewing the DVD Extra interviews with both Hardy Kruger and Patricia Gozzi which can be found on youtube with a simple search. They are really great.

I have the DVD with those extras and they are great, amazing to see Patricia Gozzi all grown up.

Hardy tells stories like Ustinov or Niven. How the entire film came about is quite amazing. I was so impressed with Patricia Gozzi in that film, especially seeing it the second time around. She had to recreate her entire performance in looping