BLACHEFAN
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Destry Rides Again (1939)
Directed by George Marshall and starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, "Destry Rides Again" is set in Bottleneck, a lawless town run by corrupt saloon owner, Kent (Brian Donlevy), who finds himself at odds with the new pacifist deputy sheriff, Tom Destry, Jr. (James Stewart). Inspired by Max Brand's novel of the same name, "Destry Rides Again" was Stewart's first western -- laced with comedy and musical numbers -- and helped revive the career of Marlene Dietrich. The 1939 film was was one in a long line of remakes -- it was a remake of a 1932 Tom Mix-ZaSu Pitts vehicle of the same name and was itself remade in 1954 as "Destry." In addition to portrayals on the big screen, the story also received new life on television and on Broadway.
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Cologne: From the Diary of Ray and Esther (1939)
This fourteen-minute black-and-white silent documentary salutes the "good natured Germans or Hollanders" of Cologne, Minnesota as photographed by local amateur filmmakers Esther and Raymond Dowidat. Cologne, population 350, is located southwest of Minneapolis in the midst of dairy farms. When "examined more closely, the town is really quaint and picturesque" we're told by Esther's handwritten "diary" which serve as the film's narration. It stands out not because its subject matter is particularly unique, but because it exhibits a cinematic sophistication and artistry not usually found in home movies, while capturing a distinct flavor of time and place.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/cologne.pdf
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The City (1939)
Sponsored by an association of professional planners, "The City" premiered at the 1939 World's Fair in New York where its producers hoped to influence public opinion and public policy. The director-cinematographer team of Ralph Steiner and Willard Van Dyke, aided by an Aaron Copland score, presented a montage of scenes depicting various aspects of city life from quaint New England towns to the industrial blight of Pittsburgh to overcrowded, over-commercialized New York streets to idyllic family-friendly planned communities. A mixture of staged and actuality footage illustrated a script by sociologist and literary critic Lewis Mumford from an outline by documentarian Pare Lorentz. World War II initially stalled acceptance of the film's American dream, but by the late 1940s, veterans eager to take advantage of G.I. home loans helped to fuel its popularity.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/city.pdf
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Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
Considered the "quintessential" Howard Hawks male melodrama by many, "Only Angels Have Wings" stars Cary Grant as the tough-talking head of a cut-rate air freight company in the Andes. Grant has a dangerous business to run and spurns romantic entanglements, fearing women blanch at the inherent danger. Displaced showgirl Jean Arthur arrives and tries to prove him wrong. Along with sparkling dialogue from Grant, Arthur and renowned character actor Thomas Mitchell, "Only Angels Have Wings" captivates with dazzling air sequences featuring landings on canyon rims, vertiginous ups and downs and perilous flights through foggy mountain passes.
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Under Western Stars (1938)
"Under Western Stars" turned Roy Rogers into a movie star. In the film, Rogers plays a populist cowboy/congressman elected to champion for small ranchers' water rights during the Dust Bowl. He and his golden palomino Trigger appeared in nearly 100 films and a long-running television series. Known as "King of the Cowboys," the popular Rogers had an enormous impact on American audiences. Rogers was perceived as the almost perfect embodiment of what a cowboy should be in appearance, values, good manners and chivalrous behavior.
The expanded essay is below this description.
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The River (1938)
As he did with "The Plow That Broke the Plains," Pare Lorentz infuses this short documentary about the Mississippi River with artistic and persuasive scenes intended to further the Roosevelt administration's policies. The film portrayed the devastation caused by irresponsible farming and timber practices that caused massive erosion and pushed nearby residents to the brink of poverty. In the end, Lorentz presents the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as savior with its use of dams to prevent flooding and its advocacy for less damaging farming techniques. Audiences responded mostly favorably, though a number of viewers as well as most critics found its propagandistic approach often overshadowed its artistry.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/river2.pdf
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Porky in Wackyland (1938)
Produced by Warner Bros. as part of its Looney Tunes cartoon series, this black-and-white short film supervised by Bob Clampett is a surreal adventure inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Porky Pig -- voiced by Mel Blanc -- stars as an explorer who goes to Darkest Africa to hunt the rare do-do bird, a trickster who endlessly alludes and exasperates Porky. Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin called the film an "eye-popping tribute to the unlimited horizons of the animated cartoon." It was remade in Technicolor in 1949 as "Dough for the Do-Do."
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Our Day (1938)
Wallace Kelly of Lebanon, Kentucky, made this exquisitely crafted amateur film at home in 1938. "Our Day" is a smart, entertaining day-in-the-life portrait of the Kelly household, shown in both idealized and comic ways. This silent 16mm home movie uses creative editing, lighting and camera techniques comparable to what professionals were doing in Hollywood. His amateur cast was made up of his mother, wife, brother and pet terrier. "Our Day" also contains exceptional images of small-town Southern life, ones that counter the stereotype of impoverished people eking out a living during the Depression. The 12-minute film documents a modern home inhabited by adults with sophisticated interests (the piano, literature, croquet) and simple ones (gardening, knitting, home cooking). Kelly, a newspaperman, was also an accomplished photographer, painter, and writer. He began shooting film in 1929 and continued until the 1950s.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/our_day2.pdf
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March of Time: Inside Nazi Germany (1938)
This edition of the popular newsreel series concentrates solely on Nazi Germany: its propaganda machine, discrimination against Jews, youth indoctrination, and increasing militarization. It persuasively criticizes the regime, but often through unethical methods not uncommon at the time: stock footage was edited out of context, events were re-enacted or fabricated, and voiceovers misrepresented the images depicted. While this newsreel fueled anti-Nazi sentiment, its manipulative approach perpetuated a journalistic movement that valued sensationalism over reality.
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Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
This is the fourth installment in the 16-film series about the adventures of a typical middle class family from middle America. Returning are many of the series regulars, principally teen son Andy (Mickey Rooney) and his father the judge (Lewis Stone), but the film may best be remembered for guest appearances by Lana Turner as Cynthia, whose boyfriend has hired Andy to keep an eye on her, and Judy Garland as neighbor Betsy Booth. Her second picture with Rooney, Garland returned to the series for two more films before her career took off.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/love_finds_hardy.pdf
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Jezebel (1938)
Bette Davis won her second Academy Award for this William Wyler-directed classic. Cast to perfection as a tempestuous southern belle, Davis' head-strong heroine must eventually learn self-sacrifice in order to save the man she loves. Despite its melodramatic underpinnings, the film endures because of Davis' flawless performance and for its examination of both the American South and women's societal roles. The movie co-stars Henry Fonda and Fay Bainter, who also won an Oscar for her work.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/Jezebel.pdf
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Bringing Up Baby (1938)
In this fast-paced screwball comedy from director Howard Hawks, Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn), an eccentric heiress with a pet leopard named Baby, proves a constant irritant to paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant), who is trying to raise $1 million to complete his dinosaur skeleton reconstruction project. Based on a short story by Hagar Wilde, Hawks worked closely with Wilde and screenwriter Dudley Nichols to perfect the script, in which the role of Susan Vance was written specifically with Hepburn in mind. Although now considered a cinematic classic, "Bringing Up Baby" received mixed critical reviews upon release and performed well in only certain areas of the United States, thus reaffirming the film industry's then-current view of Hepburn as "box office poison." Significantly, "Bringing Up Baby" is possibly the first American film to use the term "gay" as a reference to homosexuality.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/BringingUpBaby.pdf
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The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
When Richard the Lion-Hearted is captured and held for ransom, evil Prince John (Claude Rains) declares himself ruler of England and makes no attempt to secure Richard's safe return. A lone knight, Robin Hood (Errol Flynn), sets out to raise Richard's ransom by hijacking wealthy caravans traveling through Sherwood Forest. Aided by his lady love, Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), and band of merry men (including Alan Hale and Eugene Pallette) Robin battles the usurper John and wicked Sheriff of Nottingham to return the throne to its rightful owner. Dashing, athletic and witty, Flynn is everything that Robin Hood should be, and his adversaries are memorably villainous, particularly Basil Rathbone with whom Flynn crosses swords in the climactic duel. One of the most spectacular adventure films of all time, and features a terrific performance by the perfectly cast Flynn. Only a spirited and extravagant production could do justice to the Robin Hood legend; this film is more than equal to the task. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score won an Oscar, as did the editing and art direction.
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
A virtual watercolor painting come to life, the details in the Disney animation never fail to amaze. The kind and beautiful Snow White charms every creature in the kingdom except one - her jealous stepmother, the Queen. When the Magic Mirror proclaims Snow White the fairest one of all, she must flee into the forest, where she befriends the lovable seven dwarfs. When the Queen tricks Snow White with an magic apple, only a kiss from her true love can save her.
The expanded essay is below this description.
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Republic Steel Strike Riot Newsreel Footage (1937)
Paramount studio's news division scooped other newsreel services with its footage of demonstrators marching toward a Chicago steel plant in confrontation with city police officers hired to keep the strikers away from plant. The clash escalated into what became known as the Memorial Day Massacre in which 10 demonstrators were killed and 60 were injured. The footage was initially kept out of theaters, and not released for more than a month following Congressional Civil Liberty hearings in which the footage was presented as evidence that police used excessive force against the strikers.
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The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
A romantic adventure from David O. Selznick, "The Prisoner of Zenda" harkens back to a time of chivalry and swordplay. Anthony Hope's 1894 novel served as the basis for this and as many as five other filmed interpretations. When an Englishman (Ronald Colman) tours a small kingdom he is discovered to bear a striking resemblance to that country's royal family, placing Colman in a dual role amid a tangled tale of mistaken identity. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. portrays the scoundrel bent on exposing the charade. Madeleine Carroll is the king's regal fiance, and Raymond Massey plays the king's evil brother. Selznick banked on the film's escapist charm and capitalized on the world's fascination with the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII of England, who gave up his throne to marry a commoner. His instinct proved right and the production was a box-office success.
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The Old Mill (1937)
This cartoon, produced by the Walt Disney Company as one of its Silly Symphony entries, depicts a community of animals—mice, doves, bats, bluebirds and an expressive owl—battling a severe thunderstorm that nearly destroys their home in an abandoned windmill. Directed by Wilfred Jackson, the film acted as a testing ground for audience interest in longer form animation as well as for advanced technologies, including the first use of the multiplane camera, which added three-dimensional depth. It also featured more complex lighting and realistic depictions of animal behavior that would be perfected in "Snow White," "Fantasia" and "Bambi." The dazzling imagery was complemented by Leigh Harline's compelling orchestral scoring inspired by a Strauss operetta. In "The 50 Greatest Cartoons Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals," edited by historian Jerry Beck, Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston recalled, "Our eyes popped when we saw all of The Old Mill's magnificent innovations—things we had not even dreamed of and did not understand." The film won an Academy Award for best animated short in 1937, and the studio won an Oscar for its revolutionary camera.
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Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
Director Leo McCarey's progressive Depression-era drama, based on a play by Helen and Nolan Leary and a novel by Josephine Lawrence, follows a penniless elderly couple (Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore) forced by their self-absorbed children to live separately in order to save money. Challenging the tried-and-true conventions of late-‘30s films, "Make Way for Tomorrow" presents the "golden years" with realism and tenderness. The film received only modest reviews and average box office in 1937, but the sensitive screenplay by Viña Delmar and touching performances by Bondi and Moore have earned the respect and affection of modern audiences turned off by the bloated and saccharine "family" pictures typical of the ‘30s.
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The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
M-G-M was the studio generally associated with "prestige" pictures -- those with lavish sets and costumes, often boasting literary source material. Here the high-brow opulence is courtesy of Warner Bros., typically known for modern "ripped-from-the-headlines" stories, and the experiment in grandeur earned the studio an Oscar for Best Picture and another for best screenplay. William Dieterle directed Paul Muni as French novelist Zola who defends the falsely accused Captain Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut in an Oscar-winning performance). The Dreyfus case, which was a cause célèbre of antisemitism during the latter years of the Nineteenth Century, formed an exciting climax to Zola's career as a champion of truth and liberty, and is, consequently, the dramatic highlight of this film biography.
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Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage (1937)
One of the 20th Century's most vivid historic images is the crash of the airship Hindenburg at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937. The German hydrogen-powered passenger zeppelin had been in operation since March 1936. The disaster is documented as an assemblage of film footage gathered by four news organizations. It is frequently presented with narration by Chicago radio reporter Herbert Morrison, who recorded commentary on the scene at the time, but was broadcast later on radio and in combination with the newsreel footage. Minutes after ground handlers grabbed hold of a pair of landing lines dropped from the nose of the ship, the Hindenburg suddenly burst into flames and dropped to the ground in a little over half a minute. Of the 36 passengers and 61 crew on board, 13 passengers and 22 crew died, as well as one member of the ground crew.
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Daughter of Shanghai (1937)
B-films during the studio era often resonate decades later because they explore issues and themes not found in higher-budget pictures. Robert Florey, widely acclaimed as the best director working in major studio B-films during this period, crafted an intriguing, taut thriller. Anna May Wong overcame Hollywood's practice at the time of casting white actors to play Asian roles and became its first, and a leading, Asian-American movie star in the 1920s through the late 1930s. "Daughter of Shanghai" was more truly Wong's personal vehicle than any of her other films. In the story she uncovers the smuggling of illegal aliens through San Francisco's Chinatown, cooperating with costar Philip Ahn as the first Asian G-man of the American cinema.
The expanded essay is below this description.
https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/daughter_shanghai.pdf
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The Awful Truth (1937)
Leo McCarey's largely improvised film is one of the funniest of the screwball comedies, and also one of the most serious at heart. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are a pair of world-weary socialites who each believe the other has been unfaithful, and consequently enter into a trial divorce. The story began life as a 1922 stage hit and was filmed twice previously. McCarey maintained the basic premise of the play but improved it greatly, adding sophisticated dialogue and encouraging his actors to improvise around anything they thought funny. "The Awful Truth" was in the can in six weeks, and was such a success that Grant and Dunne were teamed again in another comedy, "My Favorite Wife" and in a touching tearjerker, "Penny Serenade." The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Lost Horizon (1937)
Frank Capra's big-budget romantic fantasy "Lost Horizon" (based on the James Hilton novel) offered an emotional respite to an American public seeking escape from the Depression and yearning for their own personal utopias. Through the book and film, the term Shangri-La became a household word. In the story, dashing diplomat Ronald Colman and a group of plane passengers are kidnapped and taken for mysterious reasons to a remote valley in the Himalayas where they find a seemingly blissful paradise, refuge from a world on the precipice of war. Along with memorable adventure, "Lost Horizon" stands out for its stunning cinematography and fantastic, extravagant sets, a hallmark of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
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With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain (1937-38)
This advocacy documentary about the Lincoln Brigade was shot during the Spanish Civil War to raise funds for bringing wounded American volunteers home. Some 2,800 Americans enlisted in the International Brigades to fight against fascism in defense of the Spanish Republic. The film was directed by Henri Cartier-Bresson with Herbert Kline and additional photography was provided by Jacques Lemare and Robert Capa. This film is held at New York University's Tamiment Library and is part of a vast collection of materials in the Abraham Lincoln Brigades Archive.
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Early Abstractions #1-5, 7, 10 (1939-56)
Harry Smith made his mark in many fields. He was a painter, archivist and compiler of the landmark "Anthology of American Music" (which helped stimulate a folk and blues revival). Smith also was a groundbreaking avant-garde filmmaker whose revolutionary animation challenged traditional concepts of cinema. His films used batik, collage and optical printing to create a tumult of shapes and images that integrates chaos with control. Consisting of seven films made over a 17-year span, "Early Abstractions" is a lovely, ever-moving collage of abstraction, color and imagery.