1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year

Jul 2, 2009

1h 9m

★ 7.5

Overview

This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.

Genres

Documentary

TV Movie

Production Companies

New Wave Entertainment

1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Narrator (voice)

Kenneth Branagh

Self (archive footage)

Clark Gable

Self (archive footage)

Vivien Leigh

Self (archive footage)

Olivia de Havilland

Self (archive footage)

Judy Garland

Self

Leonard Maltin

Self (archive footage)

Errol Flynn

Self (archive footage)

Bette Davis

Self

Thomas Schatz

Self

F. X. Feeney

Self

Scott Eyman

Self

Jeanine Basinger

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.

5.3

The Imperial Lullaby

Mar 21, 2020

The armies of Fascist Italy conquered Addis Ababa, capital of Abyssinia, in May 1936, thus culminating the African colonial adventure of the ruthless dictator Benito Mussolini, by then lord of Libya, Eritrea and Somalia; a bloody and tragic story told through the naive drawings of Pietro Dall'Igna, an Italian schoolboy born in 1925.

7.7

Something the Lord Made

May 30, 2004

A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.

6.9

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

Jun 6, 2018

The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.

6.0

The Massie Affair

Apr 18, 2005

In the waning days of summer 1931, Honolulu's tropical tranquility was shattered when a young Navy wife made a drastic allegation of rape against five nonwhite islanders. What unfolded in the following days and weeks was a racially-charged murder case that would make headlines across the nation, enrage Hawai'i's native population, and galvanize the island's law enforcers and the nation's social elite.

1.4

Best Actress

Mar 18, 2000

A Hollywood writer becomes embroiled while investigating into the lives of five fictitious actresses all nominated for the Academy Award for best actress.

6.6

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical

Mar 1, 2006

From an ominous Lecturer, a small 1930s middle American community learns of the Harper Affair, in which young Jimmy Harper finds his life of promise turn into a life of debauchery and murder thanks to the new drug menace marijuana. Along the way, he receives help from his girlfriend Mary and Jesus Himself, but always finds himself in the arms of the Reefer Man and the rest of the denizens of the Reefer Den.

8.0

Atatürk, père de la Turquie moderne

Oct 22, 2023

No overview available.

No Image Available

10.0

Hitler's Forgotten Victims

Oct 2, 1997

The story of black and mixed race people in Nazi Germany who were sterilised, experimented upon, tortured and exterminated in the Nazi concentration camps. It also explores the history of German racism and examines the treatment of Black prisoners-of-war. The film uses interviews with survivors and their families as well as archival material to document the Black German Holocaust experience.

6.0

Elemental: Hydrogen vs. Hindenburg

Apr 9, 2018

"Elemental" is the groundbreaking television event from Academy Award-winning executive producer Robert Zemeckis that reveals how the elements of the periodic table have controlled the outcome of human history. This one-hour drama tells the harrowing story of the Hindenburg disaster. Sophisticated cinematography, animation and spectacular visual effects bring this fiery saga to life in a way no audience has seen before.

7.2

Nanking

Feb 10, 2007

The story of the rape of Nanking, one of the most tragic events in history. In 1937, the invading Japanese army murdered over 200,000 and raped tens of thousands of Chinese. In the midst of this horror, a small group of Western expatriates banded together to save 250,000. Nanking shows the tremendous impact individuals can make on the course of history.

6.4

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case

Feb 26, 1976

Fact-based story of the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr., son and namesake of the famed pilot, and ensuing trial of accused and convicted killer, Bruno Hauptmann.

6.8

The Riddle of the Stinson

Jul 25, 1988

A true story. In 1937, a routine passenger and mail flight crashes during bad weather on a flight between Brisbane and Sydney. A local bushman begins his own search, and finds the wreckage and two survivors ten days after the crash.

6.5

Enid

Nov 16, 2009

A poignant biography of one of the most successful and wildly-read writers of the 20th century. Her stories enthralled children everywhere but her personal struggles often proved too much.

0.0

Dix Jours dans la guerre d'Espagne

Feb 14, 2016

No overview available.

6.8

The Naked Civil Servant

Dec 17, 1975

Story of the life of Quentin Crisp, an Englishman who was brave enough to live his life according to his own style even in the hostile days of WW2.

6.2

Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight

Jun 12, 1994

In 1928, Amelia Earhart gains fame by undertaking a transatlantic flight as a passenger. In 1937, she and her navigator Fred Noonan undertake her longest flight: a round-the-world attempt. However, the plane disappears in the process.

6.7

Hitler's Games, Berlin 1936

Aug 23, 2016

Summer 1936 - The Berlin Olympics, organized by the Nazi regime on the eve of World War II, acted as a grand showcase for a Germany that was athletic, peaceful and rejuvenated. The violence and hate that until then had reigned in the streets of Berlin suddenly vanished. Adolf Hitler became the triumphant host of European countries he would soon try to invade or face in a deadly global conflict.

7.5

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

Oct 8, 1999

There's not a person in the world who wouldn't recognize Mickey Mouse. But until now, not many knew the man who originally gave shape, movement and personality to the world's most beloved icon. "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story" takes you behind the scenes to meet Walt Disney's best friend and chief animator.

8.6

The Eagle and the Lion: Hitler vs Churchill

Sep 20, 2017

Winston Churchill, one of the most revered men of the twentieth century. Adolf Hitler, one of the most hated leaders in contemporary history. Between 1940 and 1945, these two enormously contradictory personalities faced each other in both politics and war. A clash of giants whose story begins in the trenches of the World War I and ends with the debacle of the World War II.