2009 marks the 70th anniversary of American cinema’s all-time annus mirabilis, 1939 – the frequently-cited consensus pick for the single finest year of movies that has ever been. Certainly, that’s the start of a discussion rather than the end of it, and there are plenty of strong arguments to be made for this or that year as “the best ever” (for myself, especially if non-American films are brought into the equation, I’m a big fan of 1964). But we can all agree, at the very least, that 1939 bore witness to a lot of great movies.
In honor of this august septuagennial, it’s my pleasure to introduce a new series: on the fourth Sunday of every month this year, I’m going to take a look at one of the classic films released during the ’39 glut. Perhaps it will give us a chance to revisit some old standbys from a new perspective; maybe it’s just a likely excuse to rewatch some great old films. Either way, I’m going to start announcing titles in advance (okay, beginning with February), to encourage all of you my regular readers to re-watch these films right alongside me – or to see them for the first time, if that’s the case.
The first entry goes up tonight. The film is the great Howard Hawks’s pit-stop in between directing two of the most perfect comedies in Hollywood history: the action-adventure Only Angels Have Wings, itself as close to perfect as nobody’s business.