Library Student Assistants Honor Cinema’s “Golden Year”

1939 was a monumental year for cinema. Some historians have minted it as the greatest year in film history. Indeed, some of the 20th Century’s most memorable titles, including Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, came out during that year. The selections for 1939’s Oscars were so great that instead of the normal five nominations for Best Picture, ten films were nominated in this category.

Throughout November, student assistants from Burling Library’s Listening Room are honoring the seventieth anniversary of this memorable year in cinema by creating posters, presentations, and displays about films released in 1939. Be sure to check out the display of books on the first floor of Burling about the political, social, and cultural landscape that inspired the explosion of excellent cinema during this historic year. Related projects by Listening Room student assistants are also on display in the Listening Room and on the library’s first floor. The topics, ranging from censorship in 1939 films to film directors, are listed in more detail below.

The Libraries will co-sponsor an evening of “Pizza and a Movie” with SGA Films and the Student Government Association on Thursday, November 19th, at 7:00 pm in the Forum South Lounge. The featured film is one of 1939’s finest, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Appetizers, pizza, and beverages will be provided, and the event is free and open to the public. (Organized by Madeleine Allen ’10 and Rachel Smith ’11)

Other presentations are:

“Then & Now” (Katie Jones ’10) – Series of posters that compare how musicals, westerns and gangster movies have changed from 1939 to more recent releases. Highlights continuity and changes in those genres over the years. Location: Listening Room near the public computer terminal.

“The Good, The Bad, and the Censored” (Molly Kennedy ’11) -- An examination of films that either broke, cleverly bent or followed the “Hays Code” production guidelines that had been implemented just five years earlier. Presents a wide range of examples and what, if any, consequences resulted from those code violations. Location: Center of first floor book display.

“1939 Movie Posters” (Susan Kikuchi ’11) -- Examines advertisements from the three top grossing films of that year, with reproductions of each poster and a short analysis of the advertising schemes used. Specifically, it addresses target audience and strategic visual cues used to convey information about the films. Location: Window near the first floor entry to Burling.

“1939: The Arrival of Color to Movie Mainstream” (Michele Moore ’10) -- Presentation discussing the history of the use of color in films, obstacles to its use, its presence in the feature films, The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, and why mainstream films continued to be produced in black & white for decades after the process proved to be technically and commercially successful. URL: http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/collections/1939a.pdf.

“The Hays Code and the Films of 1939” (Thanh Nguyen ’12) – Explains what the Hays Production Code was and why it was created. Lists guidelines of the code. Locations: First floor display area and Listening Room.

“The Golden Year of Hollywood: An Analysis of Socio-Political Factors Contributing to the Success of the 1939 Motion Pictures” (Musa Rahman ’10) – Poster addresses some of the reasons why 1939 was such a successful year for film and explores the political and social backdrop of the time. Location: First floor book display.

“Victor Fleming: Hollywood’s Golden Director” (Andrew Stephenson ’10) -- Director Victor Fleming's steady hand oversaw the completion of both The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Poster discusses why Fleming replaced directors who had proceeded him and includes some interesting anecdotes about the director’s interactions with actor Judy Garland and his role in the development of the screenplay for Gone with the Wind. Location: Listening Room near the public computer terminal.

Project brochure (Caitlin Vaughan ’10) – Description of the 1939 Project including the purpose of the project and short descriptions of the 1939 films the Listening Room has in its collection. Includes a list of the other Listening Room student assistants and summary of their project presentations. Locations: First floor display area and Listening Room.