What was the greatest year for movies?

Eighty-one years ago, the still quite young art of motion pictures hit a pinnacle that, to this day, most film buffs consider unequaled. "Gone with the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"... you know the score. But has anyone bothered to comb through every subsequent year to verify if this assumption holds water? Is '39 just an easy point of reference, or is it really, truly The Greatest Year in Cinema History? This is just one man's opinion, but having pored over fairly complete lists of releases from the last eight decades, there might be one or two years that top ol' '39. And given that directors tended to take greater care with their shot composition and lighting in the predigital days, don't be surprised if the last decade isn't well-represented on this list.