Gone with the Wind was pulled from HBO Max in June, a month after it was added to the streaming service, citing the need for “an explanation and a denouncement” of the movie’s depictions of race relations. It quickly went to number one on Amazon’s list of best-selling DVDs and Blu-rays. Although it subsequently returned to the streaming service with a disclaimer, the fact that a film with an 80-year history as one of the greatest films ever made could so easily be removed only serves to strengthen the argument for physical media over streaming, which is at the whim and will of the streaming service who can and do remove films you might thought would be available forever.

Gone with the Wind is always cited first by those declaring 1939 as the greatest year in movie history. A new book, however, cites 1962 as that year.

Cinema ‘62 by Stephen Farber and Michael McClellan, foreword by Bill Condon, makes a persuasive argument, but I wonder if taken film by film one would agree with that argument. Here, then, are a baker’s dozen examples to ponder.

Epic vs Epic – Gone with the Wind vs Lawrence of Arabia

Both won Best Picture and a slew of other Oscars, but neither won the traditional pre-Oscar prizes handed out by the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle. In 1939, NBR went with Confessions of a Nazi Spy, Gone with the Wind not having been seen by its membership until 1940 when it came in in 9th place. The NYFCC compromised on a split between Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington by giving its award to Wuthering Heights. In 1962, NBR went with The Longest Day. The NYFCC were involved in a prolonged newspaper strike and didn’t vote at all.

Both are among the greatest films of all time, but the advantage goes to the more emotionally fulfilling Gone with the Wind.

Child vs Child – The Wizard of Oz vs To Kill a Mockingbird

Both films with young girls at their center are screen triumphs, but which one would you show to a young girl first? Advantage: 1939’s The Wizard of Oz.

Washington Politics vs Washington Politics – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington vs Advise & Consent

Both were eye-openers and both should be seen more than once, but which one is more spellbinding? Advantage: 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Adaptation vs Adaptation – Wuthering Heights vs Mutiny on the Bounty

Although it was only the first part of Emily Bronte’s novel, William Wyler’s 1939 adaptation of Wuthering Heights remains its most indelible incarnation whereas Lewis Milestone’s version of Mutiny on the Bounty may be beautiful to look at but Marlon Brando’s insufferable lead performance weighs it down. Advantage: 1939’s Wuthering Heights.

Game Changer vs Game Changer Stagecoach vs The Longest Day

Both are historically important. John Ford’s 1939 western brought a new maturity to the genre while Daryl F. Zanuck’s 1962 war film was the most vivid war movie yet made, a painstaking reenactment of D-Day 1944 not matched until 1998’s Saving Private Ryan. Advantage: 1962’s The Longest Day.

Spy Drama vs Spy Drama – Confessions of a Nazi Spy vs The Manchurian Candidate

Pre-World War II Nazis or Cold War era Communists, which made for more insidious on-screen excitement? Advantage: 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate.

Love Story vs Love Story – Love Affair vs David and Lisa

Love Affair has the disadvantage of having been remade even better as 1957’s An Affair to Remember whereas David and Lisa remains a one-of-a-kind gem. Advantage: 1962’s David and Lisa.

Inarticulate Hero vs Inarticulate Hero – Of Mice and Men vs Billy Budd

Lon Chaney Jr.’s Lennie or Terence Stamp’s Billy? I’ll take the latter. Advantage: 1962’s Billy Budd.

Beloved Male Lead vs Beloved Male Lead – Goodbye, Mr. Chips vs The Music Man

Robert Donat’s Oscar-winning schoolteacher or Robert Preston’s Golden Globe-nominated con man? I’ll take the former. Advantage: 1939’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Beloved Female Lead vs Beloved Female Lead – Dark Victory vs The Miracle Worker

Bette Davis going blind or Anne Bancroft helping the blind and deaf Helen Keller? I’ll take the latter. Advantage: 1962’s The Miracle Worker.

Putting on a Show vs Putting on a Show – Babes in Arms vs Gypsy

Amateurs Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland or stage mother Rosalind Russell and daughter Natalie Wood? The latter for me. Advantage: 1962’s Gypsy.

Comedy vs Comedy – Ninotchka vs Lolita

Who would you rather spend time with? Enigmatic Greta Garbo or pouty Sue Lyon? Advantage: 1939’s Ninotchka.

More Comedy vs More Comedy – The Women vs That Touch of Mink

The Women was a laugh riot from beginning to end whereas the Golden Globe winner That Touch of Mink was an insufferable bore to anyone under 30 then or now. Advantage: 1939’s The Women.

And the winner is 1939 with seven vs 1962 with six – closer than I would have expected.

This week’s new releases include the Blu-ray releases of Clara’s Heart and The Comfort of Strangers.