Rebecca (1940) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot summary: A rich widower remarries despite ample baggage left over from his first marriage (including a head servant who psychotically misses her old boss).

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson


Best of: Great tension set by director Alfred Hitchcock - in his only Academy Award Winning Picture - and composer Franz Waxman.

Worst of: Overly dramatic at times.

I would have liked it better if: the climax had lived up to the build up.

Also nominated: The Philadelphia Story, The Grapes of Wrath

Gone With the Wind (1939) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Unlikeable woman has dysfunctional relationship with unlikeable man in the Old South.

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Best of: By far the most epic and elaborate of the best picture winners to date. And, the first to be in color. Beautifully made. Well acted. There is something very alluring about the whole production.

Worst of: Am I supposed to like Scarlet O'Hara? Cause I hated her. Passionately. Also didn't care for Rhett Butler. Not sure who the heck I was supposed to be rooting for. At least it doesn't end well for either.

I would have liked it better if: it didn't take multiple sittings to watch. It did not take four hours to tell this story. Also, I really could have used a bit more sympathy for the leading lady...that is to say, any sympathy at all.

Also nominated: The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939 is often cited as one of Hollywood's greatest years)