The Movies:

1939 is considered to be the greatest year in Hollywood's history as the output of quality material and the immense box-office returns reached their zenith. My personal favorite year would have been 1976 if we only take quality as criteria, but it's very hard not to see 1939 as the best year for the Hollywood studio system. In order to celebrate 1939, Warner Bros released a glossy Blu-ray package with five of the best examples from the "golden year".

The box set, which houses the discs in a flipbook reminiscent of the Star Wars Saga and The Indiana Jones sets, consists of the exact same discs found in separate releases of the films themselves, with a bonus DVD containing an hour-long documentary about great films from 1939.

Dark Victory:

This is a melodrama that's fairly typical of the genre examples from the era, elevated mostly by Bette Davis' insightful and layered performance. Davis plays Judith, a socialite who finds out that she will die from an inoperable brain tumor. As she comes to terms with her impending mortality, she falls in love with the doctor (George Brent) in charge of her case. Davis' performance is a must for any aspiring actress to study on how to emote an emotionally repressed character's inner conflict.

As Judith's dire situation becomes more and more tangible to her, she doesn't break her pleasant and polite socialite persona, but Davis is perfect in the way she brings out the fear behind her social mask. The film also contains a haunting sequence similar to one found in Akira Kurosawa's Masterpiece Ikiru, as Judith singing a somber tune breaks a fun party. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Kurosawa was inspired by this scene. 3.5 Stars

The Hunchback of Notre Dame:

Aided heavily by director's William Dieterle's directorial upbringing in German Expressionism, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a gorgeous and immensely touching adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel. We all know the epic story, at the very least you must have seen the Disney version, so I'm not going to waste space describing it. All I can say is that even after 76 years, this version is still the best retelling of the story. Of course, having a legend like Charles Laughton soulfully portray Quasimodo really helps my case.

Sure, Lon Cheney's turn in the famous silent version was a marvel in make-up effects at the time, but as far as sheer emotional connection is concerned, you can't do better than Laughton. Unfortunately, this adaptation suffers from the same fate as many others, tacking on an ending that's very different from Hugo's somber original finale (Apparently only the 1959 version starring Anthony Quinn keeps the original ending intact), but it's still a rousing Hollywood classic in the best sense. 4.5 Stars

Ninotchka:

Billy Wilder always said that he was first and foremost a writer, and that he took up directing because he got tired of seeing his work butchered by tone-deaf directors. I don't think it's far-fetched for me to state that out of all the directors from Wilder's era, Ernst Lubitsch was the closest to Wilder's sensibilities. Perhaps that's why Ninotcka, directed by Lubitsch and co-written by Wilder, is one of the best realizations of Wilder's writer-for-hire work. Perfectly utilizing Wilder and Lubitsch's sly sense of humor ("I love your five-year plan, I've been fascinated with it for the last fifteen years" is a perfect Wilder-Lubitsch line), Ninotchka is a delightful romantic comedy about a Russian woman (Greta Garbo) who falls in love with the lawyer (Melvyn Douglas) in charge of keeping the jewelry her people needs.

Garbo constructs an impressive arc with her character, transitioning from a comically robotic performance to a woman who rediscovers her femininity while still holding onto her ideals. The film's depiction of Russian characters are surprisingly levelheaded, considering the US wasn't in the Cold War with Russia in 1939, and Lubitsch finds a delicate balance between classic Hollywood romance and crafty political humor. 4.5 Stars

Dodge City:

Western is a genre that went through so many stylistic and narrative updates as decades went by, that it's hard to watch an old-school Hollywood example and not feel like it's extremely dated. Errol Flynn is terribly miscast (He even admitted so later on in life) as the badass sheriff tasked to clean up his town ravaged by criminals, which is perhaps the most archetypal Western premise ever. In fact, you can see Dodge City as the straight version of Blazing Saddles. However, the thin material is elevated by director Michael Curtiz's (Casablanca) dedication to the project, the gorgeous Technicolor cinematography, and two very impressive action set pieces that bookend the film. 3 Stars

Gone With the Wind:

What can I write about such a beloved Hollywood classic in one paragraph that hasn't been written in length already? All I can say is that, if you can ignore the film's blatant racism and revisionist history, which is admittedly very hard to do sometimes, Victor Fleming's 4-hour epic about the on-again, off-again relationship between the devious Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and the spoiled Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) against the backdrop of the Civil War still holds up as a glorious benchmark of Hollywood filmmaking. 4 Stars

The Blu-rays:

Video:

Dark Victory: I couldn't help but notice a significant amount of DNR in Dark Victory's black-and-white 1080p transfer. The lines look too rigid and there's a lack of grain in the presentation. Otherwise, it captures the contrast and black levels of the original cinematography as fine as it could. 3.5 Stars

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: This is a Criterion-level pitch-perfect transfer that does justice to the film's expressionistic roots. The contrast and depth is astounding and the 1080p transfer retains a very film-like look. 5 Stars

Ninotchka: The 1080p transfer stays true to the film's glossy romantic comedy look and brings a hefty level of detail that must have been missing from previous home video releases. 4 Stars

Dodge City: Warner Bros usually sets a very high standard when it comes to transferring Technicolor material, and this 1080p presentation stays true to the technique's bright colors. As far as getting that old-fashioned Techicolor Western look right, this is as good as it gets. 4 Stars

Gone With the Wind: Since this disc still utilizes the film's original Blu-ray transfer from the first years of the format, it's surprising to find such an impressive Technicolor 1080p transfer. Gone With the Wind is the first film that usually comes to mind when the best examples of the Technicolor process are mentioned, and this transfer does it justice. 4 Stars

Audio:

Dark Victory: I'm glad to hear DTS-HD 1.0 transfers on the mono mixes found in this box set, as opposed to 2.0 mono presentations. The grandiose score is essential in enjoying this melodrama and this audio presentation does an amazing job delivering the emotional layers of the piece. One minor problem is that the dialogue is mixed a little too softly, so get ready to keep a finger on the volume control while watching late at night. 4 Stars

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Another DTS-HD 1.0 presentation, one that perfectly captures the film's epic scale. The mix is transferred so well, that once the bells start ringing, you won't even notice that the sound is only coming out of the center speaker. 5 Stars

Ninotchka: Another DTS-HD 1.0 presentation. Ninotchka is a dialogue-based comedy and doesn't rely on its score as much as the previous two films. The dialogue is heard clearly and this mix shows a presentation that stays loyal to the source material. 4 Stars

Dodge City: Even though we're dealing with an action-heavy Western, the film's DTS-HD 1.0 transfer is strong enough to not wish for a 5.1 remix. The classic Western score and gunplay are captured very well in this presentation. 4 Stars

Gone With the Wind: Viewers can pick between the lossy Dolby Digital 1.0 mono mix and the Dolby True HD 5.1 presentation. If the mono mix was in HD, I could have recommended that one, but you can't go wrong with the 5.1 version, especially once the theme music brings your system to life as the title swoops across the screen. 4.5 stars

Extras:

Dark Victory:

Commentary by James Ursini and Paul Clinton: This is a very informative commentary by the critics and historians, who delve into the films from the era as well as Dark Victory itself. It helps that the commentary was recorded with the two of them in the same room, since they can remind each other if one of them misses a detail.

Warner Night at the Movies: I love this feature found in some Warner Bros releases of classic films. Basically, you can watch Dark Victory the way it would have been shown in theatres at the time, complete with a trailer, a newsreel, a short film, and a cartoon. This feature also comes with an intro by Leonard Maltin. These features can also be watched separately.

Tough Competition for Dark Victory: This is a short featurette with film historians who think that Dark Victory would have become an even bigger classic if it weren't released during such a high profile year.

Radio Broadcast: A one-hour audio-only version of the story, with Bette Davis reprising her role.

We also get a Trailer.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame:

Interview with Maureen O'Hara: A ten-minute interview where O'Hara, who played the gypsy woman Esmeralda, talks briefly about the production. It looks like it was shot in the early 80s.

Drunk Driving: A very slow-paced short about the dangers of DUI.

The Lone Stranger and Porky: A very racist (The text before it begins also admits it) Porky Pig cartoon. I don't know why the short and the cartoon weren't included as another Warner Night at the Movies feature.

We get another Trailer.

Ninotchka:

Prophet Without Honor: A short about Matthew Fontaine Maury, a relatively forgotten Naval officer.

The Blue Danube: A delightful fantasy cartoon from the era. Again, why weren't these part of a Warner Night at the Movies option?

We get a Trailer.

Dodge City:

Warner Night at the Movies: Finally, we get another one of these, with the usual trailer, newsreel, short, and cartoon. It comes again with an intro by Leonard Maltin.

Go West, Errol Flynn: A group of film critics weigh in on what they consider to be an influential Western classic in this brief featurette.

Guess what? Trailer.

Gone with the Wind:

Commentary by Rudy Behlmer: Historian Behlmer's commentary, found in a lot of home video releases of Gone with the Wind is one of the most levelheaded and informative audio commentaries ever recorded. Very highly recommended, even if you're not a huge fan of the film.

Bonus DVD:

Hollywood's Greatest Year: A one-hour documentary about 1939, and how much the year meant to the studio system. This is a very tightly paced doc that tells the story of each studio through distinct chapters.

We also get some of the Cartoons, Shorts, and Trailers from the other discs.

Final Thoughts:

The Golden Year Collection is a comprehensive package of some of the best that Hollywood had to offer from 1939. It's kind of upsetting that The Wizard of Oz wasn't included, since it was also a Warner release, and is one of the first films mentioned when critics talk about the best films of 1939. Otherwise, this is a solid collection.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com