1939 (The 9 Years, Part 1)

As we are now in 2009, we can expect to see a great many articles trumpeting the 70th anniversary of the fabled "Best Movie Year," 1939. This is tradition, dating back probably to every 9 year of every movie-oriented decade. But is 1939 really the best year for movies? I don't know about that. It was undeniably magnificent, but after the watershed year 1979, I started having my doubts. In