1939

The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: 1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees • Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

August 17, 2023

We wrap up our series on 1940 Academy Award Best Picture nominees with a conversation about William Wyler’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic gothic romance, ‘Wuthering Heights.’ How does it compare to the novel? Do Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier work as Cathy and Heathcliff? Is it something that works for us? Tune in!

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The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: 1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees • Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

August 10, 2023

We continue our journey through all the films nominated for Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards, today with Lewis Milestone’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men.’ It’s a strong film and provides for a fantastic conversation. Tune in!

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The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: 1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees • Love Affair

Love Affair

August 3, 2023

We continue our exploration of 1939 films nominated for Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards. In today’s episode, we discuss Leo McCarey’s ‘Love Affair’ with Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. Where does the film stand in comparison to its remakes? How are Dunne and Boyer as a pair? How iconic is that ending? Tune in!

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Dark Victory

July 27, 2023

We’re kicking off our 13th season of the show looking at various awards categories over the decades, starting with 1940 Academy Awards Best Picture nominees. Today, we discuss Edmund Goulding’s 1939 Bette Davis melodrama ‘Dark Victory.’ In the scope of disease films, how does it hold up? Tune in!

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The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: The Thin Man Films • Another Thin Man

Another Thin Man

December 29, 2022

We continue our time with Nick and Nora Charles, this time with the 1939 film ‘Another Thin Man,’ the third in the Thin Man series. Now, they have a baby and they’re back in New York! What do we think of the story? The characters? The mystery? The comedy? The drinking? Tune in!

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The Hound of the Baskervilles

April 7, 2016

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce became synonymous with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson after appearing in 14 film versions of various stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yet at the start, neither of them got top billing. Yet now, Rathbone’s look as the famous detective is the iconic look for him. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up this year’s series of films from 1939, commonly called the greatest year of cinema, with Sidney Lanfield’s 1939 version of the famous story.

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The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: 1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees • Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

March 31, 2016

Robert Donat defied the odds and beat both Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart for the Best Actor Oscar in the 1939 Academy Awards with his portrayal of Mr. Chips in Sam Wood’s “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.” It’s a movie that celebrates school heroes everyone had (or should’ve) and connects in its ability to reflect back on the nostalgia of one’s life. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our series on films from 1939 with Wood’s film.

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The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: 1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees • The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz

March 25, 2016

Victor Fleming didn’t just direct two movies in 1939, he directed two of what many consider to be the greatest films made – ”Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Where the former, though, has more problems to contend with in today’s society, what with its depiction of slavery and race in the South during the Civil War, the latter is nothing but pure cinematic joy. Seen by more people than any other movie, “The Wizard of Oz” has become infused in who we are. Quotes from the movie can pop up in everyday conversation without people even realizing they’re quoting it. The songs – particularly “Over the Rainbow” – have been burned into our brains at an early age. It truly is a shining example of what cinema can be. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our ‘films of 1939’ series with one of the great cinema achievements, Flemings’ “The Wizard of Oz.”

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The Next Reel • Season 12 • Series: 1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees • Stagecoach

Stagecoach

March 17, 2016

When John Ford decided to helm “Stagecoach” in 1939, he hadn’t done a western since his days in the silent film era. Yet it was this film, along with his relationship with John Wayne, that would lead to him making arguably some of the greatest westerns in cinema. Yet with this film, it was really more of a chance to make a western that could be a bit more serious, not just another b-level shoot-em-up, while still making a movie that was pretty light and entertaining. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our series on films from 1939 with Ford’s “Stagecoach.”

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The Women

March 10, 2016

After getting taken off what ended up being the biggest film of all time – ”Gone With the Wind” – George Cukor was given the adaptation of Claire Boothe’s very popular Broadway play, “The Women,” to direct. For someone called a ‘woman’s director,’ this was a good choice for both movies. That being said, it doesn’t mean Cukor’s film holds up well today. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we head back to our series on the year 1939 to really explore what made it the ‘best year of movies,’ and we kick it off with Cukor’s “The Women.”

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