We've come to the end of this mini series on the 1930's, a decade which brought us immensely enjoyable films, extraordinarily talented actors, actresses, directors, cinematographers, producers and stunning costumes too.
To cap it off, I'd like to talk a little bit on the golden year for movies; 1939. Two films instantly stand out for me, The Wizard Of Oz and Gone With The Wind, both directed by Victor Fleming. The stunningly beautiful cinematography in both movies, along with outstanding performances by the stars in both films (GWTW: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel and more, and TWOO: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton and the Munchkins, gave audiences more than enough reason to flock to the cinemas that year. Films of 1939 that also made a big impact include Dark Victory with the wonderful Bette Davis, Mr Smith Goes To Washington with James Stewart, Stagecoach with John Wayne and Claire Trevor, and Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon.
There are a few films of 1939 that I would definitely recommend to people. They include The Women, featuring an all woman main cast, including Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford and Paulette Goddard. If you love romantic dramas, Love Affair is by far one of the best to watch. Other gems to watch are Destry Rides Again, which includes a memorable cat fight scene between Marlene Dietrich's and Una Merkel's characters, Gunga Din, Made For Each Other and Each Dawn I Die. I'd love to give a more in depth insight into every film of 1939 but I would be here all night so sadly I've selected only a few here.
The next mini series focusses on everything 1940's, a decade of film noir, slapstick comedy, musicals, everything. I will also talk a little about James Cagney's Oscar-winning performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy, and as with this mini series, I'll be talking about the stars, movies and costumes.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about my views on the 1930's and the next mini series will be coming very soon.
Photo credit: Entertainment Weekly and Google.
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