My top ten films for each year of the 1930s. These are always up for revision as I watch more films, revisit ones I’ve seen before, and think about them over time. The films as listed in the “Best of Year” section are held fast at the end of the year (and include a listing of all films I saw that year as well as films released that year).
Oh, and I don’t really believe in top “ten” lists, despite using the common nomenclature for the title of this page. This is going to be the top several films of each year, down to whatever point I think the films stop being worthy of inclusion. Might be eight one year, might be twenty-three another.
1939
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Women
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
- Gone With the Wind
- Stagecoach
- Ninotchka
- Midnight
- Wuthering Heights
- Bachelor Mother
- Dark Victory
- Destry Rides Again
- Dodge City
- Drums Along the Mohawk
- Only Angels Have Wings
- Love Affair
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
The Rules of the Game
The Roaring Twenties
Young Mr. Lincoln
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
1938
- The Adventures of Robin Hood
- Bringing Up Baby
- You Can’t Take It With You
- The Lady Vanishes
- Four Daughters
- Holiday
- Porky in Wackyland
- Topper Takes a Trip
- Jezebel
- Carefree
TOP FIVE NOT YET SEEN
Angels with Dirty Faces
Alexander Nevsky
Port of Shadows
La bete humaine
Olympiad
1937
- Stage Door
- The Awful Truth
- Grand Illusion
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- A Day at the Races
- Topper
- Nothing Sacred
- Stella Dallas
- Shall We Dance
- A Star is Born
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
Captains Courageous
Make Way for Tomorrow
Pepe le Moko
You Only Live Once
Way Out West
The Good Earth
1936
- Modern Times
- Swing Time
- Libeled Lady
- After the Thin Man
- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
- Follow the Fleet
- Sabotage
- Poor Little Rich Girl
- My Man Godfrey
- Three Smart Girls
- The Petrified Forest
TOP FIVE YET TO WATCH
Dodsworth
Things to Come
Camille
The Lower Depths
The Crime of Monsieur Lange
1935
- Top Hat
- Captain Blood
- The 39 Steps
- Bride of Frankenstein
- A Night at the Opera
- The Little Colonel
- Triumph of the Will
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
The Informer
A Tale of Two Cities
Anna Karenina
David Copperfield
Dangerous
1934
- The Thin Man
- It Happened One Night
- The Gay Divorcee
- Tarzan and His Mate
- Twentieth Century
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
The Girl from Missouri
The Scarlet Empress
A Story of Floating Weeds
It’s a Gift
L’Atalante
1933
- King Kong
- Lady for a Day
- 42nd Street
- Gold Diggers of 1933
- Dinner at Eight
- Duck Soup
- The Story of Temple Drake
- Mystery of the Wax Museum
- Little Women
- Footlight Parade
- Design for Living
- Queen Christina
- The Kennel Murder Case
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
Bombshell
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Sons of the Desert
Zero for Conduct
I’m No Angel
1932
- Trouble in Paradise
- Love Me Tonight
- Scarface
- American Madness
- This is the Night
- I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
- Horse Feathers
- White Zombie
- One Hour With You
- The Old Dark House
- Red Dust
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
Shanghai Express
Vampyr
Freaks
Island of Lost Souls
The Mummy
1931
- Frankenstein
- M
- City Lights
- Private Lives
- The Miracle Woman
- The Public Enemy
- The Champ
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- Monkey Business
- Dracula
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
Night Nurse
Maedchen in Uniform
The Front Page
The Maltese Falcon
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas
1930
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- The Big Trail
- Animal Crackers
- The Blue Angel
TOP FIVE YET TO SEE
People on Sunday
Ladies of Leisure
Morocco
Hell’s Angels
Murder!