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Article: To the nines ; Do you prefer to follow the yellow brick road or let the force guide you? The years 1939 and 1999 were great ones for film, no doubt, but which one deserves star billing? Making the most of the studio system
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- July 12, 2009
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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It's an article of faith that 1939 was the pinnacle of American
movies and it has all been downhill ever since. To say otherwise is,
in certain circles, to risk having your Criterion DVDs revoked and
be sentenced to eternally wander the multiplex in sackcloth and
ashes. The glow of that annus mirabilis extends into the future: The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' recent decision to
increase the Best Picture category from five nominees to 10 arose
during plans for this year's 70th anniversary celebration of 1939,
when a similar number were honored.
Is it true? Was the greatest year in the history of cinema seven
decades in the past? Actually, yes, but let's play devil's advocate ...