Brits: '39 Very Good Year For Film

British filmgoers consider 1939 — the year of "Gone with the Wind," "Wuthering Heights" and "The Wizard of Oz" — the greatest year in Hollywood history, according to an Internet survey published Thursday.

Second place went to 1974, which saw the release of "The Godfather: Part II" starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, which won six Oscars. "Chinatown," "The Odessa File" and "The Great Gatsby" also came out that year.

"Gone with the Wind," starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, was the most popular film of its day and carried off eight Oscars. Other 1939 classics include the John Wayne western "Stagecoach"; director Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," starring James Stewart; "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with Charles Laughton, and "Of Mice and Men" with Burgess Meredith.

Other highly rated years were 1946 ("The Big Sleep," "It's a Wonderful Life," "The Postman Always Rings Twice"); 1941 ("Citizen Kane," "How Green was my Valley"); 1957 ("Zorro," "Bridge on the River Kwai") and 1971 ("The French Connection," "A Clockwork Orange).

The survey of 2,000 people was conducted by Internet polling company YouGov, which draws its samples from a larger pool of volunteers.

The U.S. Postal Service recognized 1939 as an outstanding year for films in 1990, with a block of four stamps featuring "Gone With The Wind," "The Wizard Of Oz," "Beau Geste," and "Stagecoach."