best film: Bringing Up Baby from Howard Hawks. Hepburn, Grant and Hawks all had a strong resume leading up to this film in the 1930’s but it wasn’t until Bringing Up Baby that they solidified themselves as one of the directors and actors on the planet respectively.
most underrated: Capra’s You Can’t Take it With You is one of those maligned Oscar Best Picture winners (it isn’t one of his best films) that is now underrated (it failed to land anywhere on the TSPDT top 2000). It doesn’t have the artistic ambition to compare with the best films of 1938—but the consistent populist thematic voice you hear throughout his work is evident here- clearly the work of an auteur.
most overrated: I’m nit-picking but Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes feels like it’s 300 slots too high at #607- which is where the TSPDT consensus has it right now.
a great little use of blocking here in Hitch’s The Lady Vanishes
gem I want to spotlight: Le Bête Humaine from Renoir is depressing, grave, macabre and quite devastating to the viewer. It’s tough to watch but certainly well-orchestrated by Renoir.
trends and notables:
- 1938 is the calm before the storm that would come in 1939 which is Hollywood’s great year. There are films in and near the top 5 of this year that simply wouldn’t be on the top 10 for 1939 at all.
- it is a down year in terms of depth as well- under 20 archiveable total films from 1938 right now. That is the lowest since 1930
- Michael Curtiz is churning out quality work at Warner Brothers. Angels With Dirty Faces, Four Daughter and especially, the Technicolor The Adventures of Robin Hood all impress and are in the archives
Curtiz simply made some of the best films of the era- three archiveable films in 1938 including The Adventures of Robin Hood here and below
admirably artistic direction, a winning cast, bravado musical score, entertaining filmmaking
- The Marx brothers continue their dominance of the 1930’s with their seventh archiveable film of the decade.
- Wyler now has his 4th top 10 of the year quality film in the last three years
Wyler now has his 4th top 10 of the year quality film in the last three years– this is from Jezebel
no discussion of Eisenstein is complete without noting his work during “the battle on the ice” from Alexander Nevsky
best performance male: Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby is the best male performance of the year. Comedies (especially this zany) are rarely if ever acknowledged by the Oscar so Cary wasn’t even nominated (nor was Hepburn) but it’s become his signature performance (along with North By Northwest) and he’s a top 10 actor of all-time. If you needed any more reason to go with Grant here- both he and Hepburn are superb again in Cukor’s Holiday– which also falls in the top 10. You do have to acknowledge the magnificent run Jean Gabin is on. He’s worth a mention in this category for Le Bête Humaine and Port of Shadows isn’t far behind. So he’s very good in two of the best four films of 1938, and that’s sandwiches between the Renoir masterpieces in 1937 and 1939. Nikolay Cherkasov as the titular Alexander Nevsky gets my third and final mention of 1938. A strong year in this category.
best performance female: Katharine Hepburn walks away with no real competition in this category in 1938. Her closest rival is Katharine Hepburn in Holiday– haha.
top 10
- Bringing Up Baby
- La Bete Humaine
- Alexander Nevsky
- Port of Shadows
- The Adventures of Robin Hood
- The Lady Vanishes
- Holiday
- You Can’t Take it With You
- Jezebel
- Test Pilot
I’ve said it before but for an auteur known for (and rightly so) his editing- there are plenty of painterly images from Eisenstein’s work
Archives, Directors, and Grades
| A Slight Case of Murder-Bacon | R |
| Alexander Nevsky- Eisenstein | MS |
| Angels With Dirty Faces- Curtiz | |
| Boys Town-Taurog | R |
| Bringing Up Baby- Hawks | MP |
| Four Daughters- Curtiz | R |
| Holiday- Cukor | HR |
| Jezebel-Wyler | HR |
| La Bete Humaine- Renoir | MS |
| Port of Shadows- Carne | HR |
| Pygmalion- Asquith | HR |
| Room Service- Seiter | R |
| Sidewalks of London- Whelan | R |
| Test Pilot- Fleming | HR |
| The Adventures of Robin Hood- Curtiz | HR |
| The Citadel- Vidor | R |
| The Dawn Patrol- Goulding | R |
| The Lady Vanishes- Hitchcock | HR |
| You Can’t Take It With You- Capra | HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
is bringing up baby funny and entertaining. I’m looking for something light. Would you recommend???
@Azman– yes and yes– you may want to take a swing at Katharine Hepburn in it but that’s the point. Very funny and entertaining.
watched baby last night. terrific film. didn’t laugh so much watching a movie since i saw ferris bueller. maybe more. love the performances and the use of the color white in the mise en scene by auteur hawks
Great job here, i’m really excited to see the updated 1939 page, there are a lot of beautiful images for that year.
Marie Antoinette(1938)? Did it miss out on the archives?
@Azman- I have seen it and didn’t archive it
What is the funniest film of all time? It should be noted that this is a very different question than what the greatest comedy is (The Grand Budapest Hotel would be my choice for that prompt).
I think Bringing Up Baby strikes a pretty strong case for being the funniest. It never lets up on the chaotic hilarity. Life of Brian is a viable choice as well.
I’m going to throw in a film that isn’t even in the archives – Airplane. It is a flawed film and I wouldn’t put it among the best comedies as cinema art. But purely in terms of laughs, there is so much packed in there.
You know, my parents made me watch that a year ago and I don’t remember laughing once over the entire runtime of the film. I was utterly puzzled at what everybody (and I don’t just mean my parents; I mean everybody!) thought was so damn funny.
Of course given that I thought Salò was the funniest shit (pun not intended haha) ever, I guess my tastes in comedy might not be the most common in the world. But I do sincerely love Bringing Up Baby which, until I think of a better option (and I actually do think there is one at the moment) is probably going to default to my choice.
I mean whether you laugh or not does come down to personal taste. I’ve seen people sit through Bringing Up Baby without cracking a smile. The subjectivity of humour just comes with the nature of the discussion about the “funniest” film. Bringing Up Baby is the infinitely better film – that much is clear when it comes to talking about cinema as art. As a film, Airplane is virtually formless and leaves a lot to be desired. But taking the individual gags on their own, they are well-constructed in their set ups and punchlines. There’s a reason it’s still being quoted decades later.
Aside from my love of cinema I spent a few years studying theatre improv in a troupe. These interests don’t often overlap, but it has helped me learn the anatomy of a good joke, and it also taught me how wildly varying audiences can be in their tastes. There is a logic to comedy, but that isn’t always enough to win everyone over.
I was just at 1967 and I’m surprised none of us (including myself) have brought up The Graduate yet.
Another one that I love (but I’m not sure is archivable; needs a fourth viewing to be sure) is Idiocracy.
You’re suggesting The Graduate as possibly the funniest film of all time? Really? I mean, it’s a great movie, but it’s not even that much of a comedy. It’s a serious look at situations that I suppose could otherwise appear comedic.
For a different question, how about cinema’s funniest scene? I simply could not stop laughing while watching the City Lights boxing scene or North by Northwest auction.
I mean if you don’t think The Graduate is funny than that’s fine; but I often think films that aren’t straight comedies – like The Graduate – are funnier than ones that are (Bringing Up Baby is one notable exception), and let’s not forget my tastes in comedy are so distorted as to consider Salò one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen so there’s that.
Drake,
Curious to why you rank Bringing Up Baby so highly. Not that I disagree, loved the performances, the humor, and the story. It’s just that this would seem to be a film that is driven largely by a great screenplay and great performances which you typically don’t value as much as the visuals, form, etc. (an observation not a criticism)
I have only seen once and plan on watching again soon, do you find it strong on a visual level? Just curious as to what to look for on the rewatch.
@James Trapp- sort of my worry here with Hawks. To answer your question I have not seen this particular film in quite some time. I’d like to think I am improving the site little by little each day so we shall see when I get to it again.