Greatest Single Year in Movie History?

[toef]

Instead of the more typical "best decade" debates (in which opinions generally seem split between the 1970s and whatever the current decade is), how about debating the best single year in movie history?

I know that a lot of film historians consider 1939 to be the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and plenty of film buffs/cinephiles would agree that it was the best year in movies.

For a humorous yet informative look at 1939, here's an excerpt from a book by famous screenwriter/author William Goldman:

You probably don't remember the Oscar winner for '39, but let me list five movies and then you guess:

Golden Boy
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Intermezzo
Juarez
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

To help you along, a few refreshers: Golden Boy introduced us to William Holden; Intermezzo to Ingrid Bergman. Charles Laughton played the Hunchback, Paul Muni starred in Juarez, and Bette Davis was Elizabeth, one of her more famous performances.

The envelope please...

[Show spoiler]

Answer? None of the five. In fact, none of the five even got a Best Picture nomination. But here are the five that did:

Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Ninotchka
Of Mice and Men
Stagecoach

Again, please, the envelope...

~
~
~

Same answer: none of the above. (They nominated more than five pictures back in those days.) And one of the five I didn't list was Wuthering Heights.

Which also didn't win, because '39 was also the year of The Wizard of Oz.

Which also didn't win because Gone With the Wind did.

Pretty impressive year.

So what do you think. If not 1939, then what year was the single greatest in movie history, and why?

[jhiggy23]

I go with 1963 because it has two films I consider to be among the top 7 of all-time: To Kill a Mockingbird and Lawrence of Arabia. No other single year produced two of the top 15 movies of all-time in my personal estimation. Of course, the rest of 1963 wasn't as solid but I think the strength of those two alone propel it into consideration.

[Sussudio]

jhiggy, I would counter with 1939 - Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz released, not to mention this year was during the golden age. An exciting and prosperous year for both audiences and Hollywood. Of course, where anyone places these movies on their top whatever # list is their own opinion, as you state

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Sussudio

jhiggy, I would counter with 1939 - Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz released, not to mention this year was during the golden age. An exciting and prosperous year for both audiences and Hollywood.

Def can't disagree.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I go with 1963 because it has two films I consider to be among the top 7 of all-time: To Kill a Mockingbird and Lawrence of Arabia. No other single year produced two of the top 15 movies of all-time in my personal estimation. Of course, the rest of 1963 wasn't as solid but I think the strength of those two alone propel it into consideration.

Yes, that year also had The Longest Day, Music Man, and Mutiny on the Bounty. Another good year was 1941 with Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Sergeant York, Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion, and the winner that year, How Green Was My Valley.

[bone crusher]

Pretty hard to know exactly what all came out on which year but from what I know 1995 was big; Braveheart, Heat, Apollo 13, Seven, Toy Story, Casino. There's probably a few others I am missing.

[toef]

Originally Posted by bone crusher

Pretty hard to know exactly what all came out on which year but from what I know 1995 was big; Braveheart, Heat, Apollo 13, Seven, Toy Story, Casino. There's probably a few others I am missing.

The Usual Suspects is another popular movie from that year.

And don't forget Babe (since it was nominated for Best Picture, afterall).

~~~

Some others from 1939 that Goldman left off his list, that might be worth noting:

Gunga Din (he actually mentions this in the book, but not in the part I quoted)
Young Mr. Lincoln (the John Ford movie, starring Henry Fonda)
Destry Rides Again (classic western with Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich)
The Four Feathers (the original, obviously not the Heath Ledger remake)
Dark Victory (starring Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and a young Ronald Reagan)

Aside from the movies made that year, 1939 also saw the births of legendary directors/producers Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Joel Schumacher, Wes Craven and the infamous Michael Cimino, as well as actors like F. Murray Abraham, John Cleese, and Harvey Keitel, among others. Crazy year.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by toefer

The Usual Suspects is another popular movie from that year.

And don't forget Babe (since it was nominated for Best Picture, afterall).

Also another great film from 1995 which I think is vastly underrated is Just Cause. I like 1994 as well with the likes of Shawshank Redemption & Pulp Fiction. 2 of the greatest films ever made in my opinion! Got Em!!

[JLant19]

Originally Posted by bone crusher

Pretty hard to know exactly what all came out on which year but from what I know 1995 was big; Braveheart, Heat, Apollo 13, Seven, Toy Story, Casino. There's probably a few others I am missing.

I def agree with 1995. SOOOO many movies from that year that I love.

[Atreyu]

My vote goes to 1939, just watch the TCM documentary on that year to find out why it was the best.

[Elvis]

yes critics have always said 1939 was the greatest but the greatest for me in my lifetime was 1977. Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Saturday Night Fever. Now 1994 is considered a great year because of Shawshank, Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.

[Blu Titan]

2009 has Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, Star Trek, Moon, District 9, Up, and The Hurt Locker...Very good year.

[nathanp]

1939, pretty tough to argue with it. Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind almost seal it on their own.

[Good Intentions]

Agree with Blu Titan, 2009 was the best year we have had in a while as far as the overall quality of the flicks to come out. It was a pleasant surprise.

[Evra]

57 was a good year

Bridge Over The River Kwai and 12 Angry Men

[Fighter]

I'm going with the year I was born 1976

Taxi Driver (my personal fav)
Rocky
Marathon Man
All the Presidents Men
The Omen
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Shootist
Network

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Good Intentions

Agree with Blu Titan, 2009 was the best year we have had in a while as far as the overall quality of the flicks to come out. It was a pleasant surprise.

I'd have to disagree. I think 2008 and 2006 were stronger years.

But hey, if you found a bunch of films you liked last year all the power to you!

[surfdude12]

agree with 1939, just too many great films in one single year.

i'd agree with jhiggy: 2006 was far better than 2009 (Lives of Others, Pan's Labrynth, The Fountain, The Fall), and one of my favorite years for films.

[Romulus]

I think 2006 was the best year for film this decade.

EDIT: Surfdude beat me to it.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Romulus

I think 2006 was the best year for film this decade.

EDIT: Surfdude beat me to it.

no, i said its better than 2009, you beat it to it being best of the decade!