30 Essential Movies of the 1930s: #15-#11

15. The Thin Man (1934)

It is not uncommon for actors to be cast in roles to which they are very well suited. Whether it be in look or in style, casting decisions frequently turn out well. However, it is rare for an actor to be so well cast that they not only become synonymous with character, but actually improve on it. This is the case for William Powell and Nick Charles, Powell took Dashiell Hammett's Charles which was well written to begin with, and made it into one of the best characters in movie history. Powell embodies Charles' wit, humorous, sarcasm, class, and brains in The Thin Man, managing to make you believe that this wise-cracking man with a Wire Fox Terrier named Asta (Skippy) is also a brilliant private detective who solves the case of a missing man (Edward Ellis) and barely leaves has to leave his robe to do it. The Thin Man isn't a one man show though, Powell has a perfect foil in Myrna Loy, who plays Charles' wife Nora. The two have dynamic on screen chemistry and the scenes they are in together breeze by with such charm that you forget that you are watching a mystery. But then, The Thin Man is just as much a comedy as it's a mystery, with elements of slapstick along with zinging one liners as well as back-and-forth screwball elements. Powell especially is absolutely delightful firing verbals barbs way over the heads of wanna-be tough guy thugs. Like all great movies, The Thin Man defies labeling and is just an entertaining, funny, movie with two actors at the top of their game and one adorable dog. It also happens to have a pretty good mystery in it too.

14. The Awful Truth (1937)

Because sound in the movies allowed for spoken dialogue on the screen, screwball comedies, which are based mostly on verbal humor, exploded into Hollywood during the 30s. This was perfect for the time because audiences were desperate for lighthearted entertainment to take the minds off of the Great Depression. One of the best screwball comedies of the 1930s is The Awful Truth, starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a married couple who, after a misunderstanding, are determined to gets a divorce, disagreeing over who will get their dog Mr. Smith (Skippy again!). Dunne moves on to the kind-hearted Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy) while Grant turns to socialite Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont). However, their hearts aren't really in it and throughout the course of the movie they try to sabotage the other's relationship. It is a story that is as more about their love for one another than any vitriol after the misunderstanding, which is a welcome difference from the more negative turns most romantic comedies take these days. Though he was in two dozen or so movies before it, The Awful Truth marked the beginning of Grant's rise to stardom, a reign that would last for three decades, a run of hit after hit at the box office. It is easy to see why Grant became a star after this performance, his comedic ability and charisma are irresistible. And though Dunne never became as big a star as some of Grant's other leading ladies, the two make a terrific screen pairing that was repeated again two more times. The Awful Truth is one of the very best, and funniest screwball comedies that also manages to tug the heart strings at times as well.

13. The 39 Steps (1935)
In Europe during the lead up to World War II there was an abundance of political intrigue taking place as unrest grew. This led to an influx in spy fiction, which eventually invaded the movie theaters as well. The 39 Steps, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a prime example of this, containing mysterious women, secret organizations, spies, and vague stolen documents. It is also an early example of Hitchcock staples of the wrong man and a MacGuffin. The innocent man on the run is Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), plays a Canadian visiting London, who meets a mysterious woman named Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim) who is clearly distressed. Richard brings Annabella back to his apartment where she explains she is a spy who has uncovered a plot to steal British intelligence plans, as well as mentioning something called "the 39 steps" in Scotland. The next morning, Richard finds Annabella dead and, knowing he will be accused of the murder, flees to Scotland to clear his name. Along the way, Richard becomes involved in the intrigue, first hindered and then assisted by the beautiful Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) as he attempts to thwart the enemy agents. Though it has a fairly grim premise and some pretty dark plot elements, The 39 Steps never gets too bogged down with its own seriousness. There is plenty of humor and a love story, which reflects a a common characteristic of  1930s cinema: most movies of that time, no matter how serious the overall plot, usually had some lighter parts. The 39 Steps manages this balance as well as any, as it is both charming and gripping at the same time.

12. A Night At The Opera (1935)
It would take much, much more than a couple of paragraphs to describe the comedic genius of the Marx Brothers, and then it would take up even more space describing their influence on comedy. Each one of the main three, Groucho, Chico, and Harpo, had their own distinct comedic style, yet they could also play off one another in multiple different ways depending on the scene. Each one could effortlessly go from straight-man to comic, alternating between delivering the humor and being the butt end of the comedy. It's not just that they were uproariously funny, but also that they were experts at things the little things in comedy, like timing and rhythm, and revolutionary in their approach to humor. It also helped that they had been performing together since they were teenagers. A Night At The Opera is the best of their traditional comedies, almost all of which are completely hilarious. Groucho plays Otis B. Driftwood, who is trying to get money (and marriage) out of the rich widow Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont), though he has a rival for her affections in Herman Gottlieb (Sig Ruman), the head of the New York Opera Company who wants to use her money to sign Opera star Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King). Also wishing for a big break with the Opera is bit player Riccardo Baroni (Alan Jones), who hires his friend Fiorello (Chico) to be his agent. Also kicking around the Opera house is Lassparri's dresser Tomasso (Harpo). To attempt to describe any of the multitude of humorous scenes would not only be futile, but also a disservice. The Marx Brothers are best enjoyed but just sitting back, watching, and hoping you aren't eating or drinking anything during certain scenes.  

11. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
After the collapse of the stock market in 1929, many were becoming disillusioned with the American Dream and patriotism was slowly dying throughout the 1930s. Corruption, whether real or not, was thought to be rampant in both business and government while rights and values were being trampled in the ground by greedy crooks. Enter Frank Capra, who placed the title of hero squarely on the shoulders common man willing to do what is right no matter the circumstances around him. Whether it's Longfellow Deeds or George Bailey, Capra's leading men are usually surrounded by corruption, but instead of letting that kill their spirit, it inspires them to stand up and fight for the American Dream. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is the clearest example of this, with it's hero, Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), going from idealistic Boy Rangers leader to Washington D.C. Senator. He is selected by his state's governor (Guy Kibbee) to serve as junior Senator to the revered Sen. Joseph Paine (Claude Raines) but also to be the unknowing figurehead for corrupt political boss Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold). Smith arrives in Washington eager to see the monuments and make a modest difference, but soon discovers just how much corruption there is political structure of his state, and even the Senate itself. Smith begins, with the help of his secretary Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur), to do all he can to expose Taylor, but soon runs into more and more trouble as the crooked political machine keeps turning. Though it has some comedic parts, much of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is more drama and even turns tragedy as Smith is left a broken man after his last ditch filibuster fails, but in the end American values triumph. Released a month after the beginning of World War II and just two years before Pearl Harbor, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington provided a much needed shot in the arm to disillusioned Americans that would need all the fortitude they could muster for the next of four years of war. 

30 Essential Movies of the 1930s: #20-#16

20. The Public Enemy (1931)

In 1934, distress over the luridness (for its time) of movies led to the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code, which put severe restrictions on what content could be put in movies. Movies released prior to this are referred to as "Pre-Code" and were, while very tame by today's standards, much loser morally than the films that came after the Code. A perfect example of this are the gangster films that were hugely popular during the early 1930s. These films glorified the life of gangsters, often reveling in their crimes, a big no-no post-Code, but a big hit with audiences before it became taboo. The Public Enemy is one of a number of seminal pre-Code crime films, along with the likes of Little Caesar (1931) and Scarface (1932), that centered around a small-time gangster's rise up the ranks of the crime world. Due to the presence of James Cagney, who became synonymous with gangster films, The Public Enemy is the best the genre has to offer. His ability to play a hardened criminal, yet still remain appealing to the audience is crucial to the success of the film; it also helps that Cagney is a tremendous actor. Cagney plays Tom Powers, who begins a life of petty crime along with his best friend Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) during the Prohibition era. The two eventually start a bootlegging syndicate and the money starts rolling in, with women not far behind. Tom especially goes through women quickly, from Kitty (Mae Clarke) to Mamie (Joan Blondell) before finally meeting Gwen Allen, played by pre-Code superstar Jean Harlow, who is perfect for the salacious nature of a crime drama. While The Public Enemy does a great job showing both Tom's rise and downfall in the crime world, the way his personal life collapses, particularly his relationship with his family, is even more intriguing. Between Cagney, Harlow, and the exciting shoot-outs directed by William A. Wellman, The Public Enemy is still thrilling and entertaining today.

19. Modern Times (1936)

During the Silent era, there was no bigger star than Charlie Chaplin and his Tramp character, so much so that he was annually the top paid actor in Hollywood and highest earn for his studio. However, so much of the Tramp was tied to silent film and Chaplin had trouble embracing sound, to the point that he didn't create a fully talking picture in The Great Dictator in 1940, thirteen years after talkies debuted. Despite this fact, several of his best pictures came after the advent of sound, including Modern Times, which has a couple of lines of spoken dialogue, but none by any of the principle characters. Chaplin, one of the first auteur directors, was almost completely responsible for the creative process surrounding his movies, frequently writing, producing, directing, scoring, and starring in his movies. Such is the case with Modern Times, where Chaplin's Tramp appears as a hapless assembly line worker, marking the character's last appearance on the screen. Much of the movie's humor is derived from the Tramp attempting to operate the assembly line and fix the various machines in the factory where he works. He is also arrested a number of times for various humorous reasons and tries to get a new job as a waiter, with typically hilarious results. An underlying theme of the movie is the Tramp's relationship with a gamine (Paulette Goddard) and their attempts to make a living for themselves during the turbulent times of the Great Depression. Chaplin mixes in a saccharine love story between the Tramp and gamine that, like most of Chaplin's movies is just as likely to touch your heart as it is to split your sides with laughter. Modern Times is a master at work in all facets of film-making and proof that great visual humor will always be funny, talking or not.

18. Gunga Din (1939)

One of the best things a movie can do is to transport you to a different place and a different time, fill you with a sense of adventure and dangerous unknown. These are often the most entertaining films because they allow you to escape your daily life for an hour or two and live the life of an hero or adventurer in a far-off land. Gunga Din, based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling, is exactly that type of movie. It's impossible not be swept was away with the sense of adventure that absolutely permeates spirit and charm. Set on the Indian frontier in the late 1800s, Gunga Din stars Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as a trio of British army Sergeants and best friends who, along with Indian water carrier Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe), investigate a Thuggee murder cult. This leads to all sorts of small skirmishes, before ending with a giant, rip-roaring battle at the movie's climax. A subplot involves Fairbanks Jr's relationship with Emmy Stebbins (Joan Fontaine), who he intends leave the army and marry her, much to the chagrin of his two friends, who do every thing they can to get him to stay in the army, even resorting to trickery. For a movie that deals with some pretty serious subject matters like war, sacrifice, and a murder cult, Gunga Din is surprising lighthearted and downright humorous at points. Part of the reason for this is the writers (Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur) and the director (George Stevens), all three veterans of comedy films. This provides a much-need levity to the some of the dark elements of the film. Gunga Din is a terrific adventure movie that is both fun as well as a stirring drama.

17. The Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Most horror movies in the 1930s and 40s focused on a singular monster as it's main attraction, from Frankenstein's monster, to the Wolfman, Dracula, and the Invisible Man, it is usually that one character that holds the audience's fascination. An unfortunate side-effect of this is that those movies tend to suffer when these characters aren't on screen, leading to uneven films. This is one of the reasons that The Island of Lost Souls really stands out and above those movies because it successfully incorporates numerous terrifying characters and horror elements while creating a terrific sense of atmosphere, keeping the audience engaged and on edge throughout the movie. Based on The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells, the movie stars Richard Arlen as Edward Parker who, after his ship is wrecked, is picked up by a boat that is transporting animals to a remote island in the South Seas. Parker ends up stuck on the island and finds out that is inhabited by Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) and his hideous creations, human-like creatures created through the vivisection of various animals. These creatures have rudimentary abilities to function as humans, including speech, and include the Sayer of the Law (Bela Lugosi) and M'ling (Tetsu Komai), Moreau's servant. Also inhabiting the island is beautiful, yet simple minded Lota (Kathleen Burke) who Parker falls in love with, despite being engaged to another woman (Leila Hyams), who is desperately trying to find him. The special effects and makeup for the beast-men is a touchstone for monster makeup, equal parts twisted and grotesque, yet also believable. The Island of Lost Souls is chock-full of shocking and horrifying moments, while also carrying over some of the more philosophical themes in Wells' novel. 

16. Top Hat (1935)

When it comes to on-screen pairings, it doesn't get any better than Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Like many screen-teams, they co-starred in many pictures together (nine total), yet there is something special about the pair. Perhaps the most important part of their partnership was the fact that not only could Ginger dance, but she could dance just as well as Fred. It's one thing for an actor and actress to have screen chemistry, which they had in spades, it is quite another when the two of them could go literally go toe-to-toe during the frequent song-and-dance numbers. Add to that the fact that they dance like a couple in love and you've got a dynamic pairing. For the most part, Astaire/Rogers movies have a flimsy plot that serves as the framework for the musical elements, a few, however, are more complete movies with good, entertaining stories. Top Hat, which was the pair's biggest hit, is one of those that transcends trivial entertainment and becomes a very good movie, regardless of genre. Astaire plays Jerry Travers, a dancer who accidentally disturbs Ginger's Dale Tremont while practicing for his next show. He immediately falls in love with her, yet through a case of mistaken identity she believes that he is already married and refuses to ever see him again. Besides an entertaining plot, Top Hat also includes some of their best loved songs (written by Irving Berlin and Max Steiner), including "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" and "Cheek to Cheek," which are now considered classics of American music. Even the cheesier of the Fred and Ginger's movies are worth watching because of the songs, dances, and the pair's magnetism, but when these a combined with a great story, they become absolutely essential viewing. 

30 Essential Movies of the 1930s: #25-#21

25. Freaks (1932)
Though the silent film era had it's share of classic horror cinema, the 1930s saw a rapid growth of the genre beginning in 1931 when Boris Karloff's Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi's Dracula were released to huge successes. After these successes, Dracula director Tod Browning took an even bolder step in the genre the following year with Freaks. Set in the carnival, particularly among the sideshow, Freaks doesn't use professional actors in makeup. Instead Browning, who worked at a carnival before his time in Hollywood, took the remarkable step and cast real sideshow performers to play their screen counterparts. Real people with real genetic deformities. Like so man horror films have, it would be easy for Freaks to be exploitative of these people, instead it does the exact opposite, exposing the wickedness of those "regular" circus members who take advantage of the "freaks," and even murder one for personal gain. Despite how scary and occasionally disturbing it can be, Freaks never loses sight of the humanity of it's characters, which is rare in the horror genre. After it was cut by 26 minutes because of disastrous test screenings, Freaks was a critical and commercial failure that effective ended the career of Browning. Despite this, Freaks is one of the best horror films of the all time, able to not only terrify, but also send a message of unparalleled depth for it's time.

24. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Today, most animated movies and TV shows are made with computers and the classic animation styles are slowly disappearing from the screen. This is a shame because there is nothing quite like cel-animation, it has such a distinct, beautiful look; the way the color pops from the screen and movements flow is wholly unique to the medium. No matter how much computer power you put behind it, nothing can replace the care and detail that goes into each hand-drawn animation cel. The first full-length cel-animated feature film was Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is not only a beautiful piece of animated art, but also a hugely influential movie that opened the door for for ever single animated movie after it. Snow White deviates from the classic fairy tale only to make itself more family friendly (the original story is a little darker) and to add some musical numbers, written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. Walt Disney himself produced the film, which helped lead to a unified look the film, despite the presence of six different directors, seven writers, as well as the numerous animators who worked on it. Though today some who watch it might find the animations simplistic compared to the more advanced techniques that marked later animated films, however this minimalism in many ways makes it more beautiful as the colors are purer, less diluted by detail lines. Even 75-plus years after it release, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a timeless, beautiful piece of classic animation that influenced countless artists since it was first released.   

23. 42nd Street (1933)
If Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were the king and queen of musicals in the 1930s, then Busby Berkeley was the prime minister. His visual style as both director and choreographer shaped the genre for the decade and those that followed. While many filmmakers were content to just transpose Broadway to the screen, Berkeley was the first to utilize the camera as a tool for his creative vision. Instead of just planting the camera where the audience would be during a stage performance, Berkeley's shots slither in and out of the action, track through the legs of the chorus line, rise up to shoot from straight above, and use dramatic angles for perspective tricks. If Berkeley's direction went against the norm, then his choreography was downright revolutionary. From his psychedelic kaleidoscopes of dancers and the fluid undulation of the chorus lines to the many times downright ludicrous costumes, Berkeley pushed the creative envelope with each dance sequence he designed. As with most of Rogers and Astaire's movies, the appeal with Berkeley's pictures isn't the story, characters, or acting, it is the terrific musical numbers. 42nd Street, which stars Rogers, Warner Baxter, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell is the best of Berkeley's pictures (Lloyd Bacon directed the non-musical parts) but also has a credible and entertaining story of the life behind a Broadway musical, while also having great music, written by Harry Warren and Al Durbin, and choreography courtesy of Berkeley. In a genre that usually follow a tried and true formula, Berkeley's creativity and downright weirdness can be a breath of fresh air and all his movies are worth watching.      

22. The Four Feathers (1939)
One of the most important figures in British cinema during the 1930s 40s, and 50s, was director and producer Alexander Korda. After mostly flopping as a director in Hollywood during the 1920s, Korda returned to Britain in 1932 and started London Films, which became one of the biggest British movie studios of the cinema's Golden Age. Korda either directed or produced most of the studios biggest films, the former in the case of The Four Feathers, which is directed by his younger brother Zoltan, though Alexander was certainly more hands on with the film than more producers. The story, about a disgraced British army officer who goes to Sudan during the Mahdist War (1981-1899) to regain his honor, was adapted by R.C. Sheriff, Lajos Biro, and Arthur Wimperis' from A.E.W. Mason's novel. John Clements stars as Harry Faversham, the shamed officer, who is given four white feathers (a sign of cowardice) by three of his fellow officers (Ralph Richardson, Donald Grey, and Jack Allen) and his fiancée (June Duprez) after he resigns his commission on the eve of war. Haversham travels to the Sudan on his own to regain their respect, finding himself in the middle of a vicious war. Shot in beautiful Technicolor on location in the Sudan, The Four Feathers it looks even today and doesn't look dated at all. From the small, touching moments of courage to the large set-piece battle sequences, The Four Feathers never stops thrilling and entertaining. It is one of the best adventure movies of all time because of the way it mixes exciting action, beautiful desert visuals, and a tremendous story that stirs the heart with a tremendous sense of adventure.

21. Twentieth Century (1934)

With the advent of sound, filmmakers were able to transport the dialogue of the stage onto the screen in a way that Silent film never allowed. This development led to a new genre of movie: the screwball comedy, which was highlighted by witty, rapid fire lines, slapstick, and an element of the ridicules. Twentieth Century was one of the first screwball comedies to grace the screen, and as much as any of the genre, it owes a debt to the romantic comedy stage plays the preceded it because it was lifted directly from Broadway. Adapted for the screen by the original authors, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, Twentieth Century centers around a manic Broadway producer Oscar "O.J." Jaffe (John Barrymore) who tries to convince his former star and girlfriend Lily Garland (Carole Lombard) to star once again in one of his plays. The bulk of the action occurs on a train, the 20th Century Limited from Chicago to New York, which takes the place of a stage as a backdrop to the performers. Both Barrymore and Lombard are excellent, going back and forth with scathing insults and explosions of hilarious temper and emotion. Barrymore especially gives the best comedic performance of his career. Director Howard Hawks would eventually go on to direct two of the best screwball comedies ever made, Bringing Up Baby (1938) and His Girl Friday (1940), and much of the greatness of those two movies, particularly the rhythm of the dialogue, can be seen here as Hawks masterfully balances Barrymore and Lombard's over-the-top theatrics while still keeping everything coherent despite the speed of of the verbal tete-a-tete's.

30 Essential Movies of the 1930s: #30-#26

30. Grand Hotel (1932)
Looking at the cast of Grand Hotel, it's easy to forget just how large a confluence of star power the movie brought together. Grand Hotel straddled the end of the Silent era and the birth of sound and because of this, many people today are not familiar with just how popular the cast members were individually. Much of their hay was made in silent movies and as a result of this, modern audiences are unfamiliar with their popularity. Greta Garbo was arguably the biggest star in Hollywood at the time, while brothers Lionel and John Barrymore were both critical and popular successes, including Lionel winning the Academy Award for Best Actor the year before (A Free Soul). Today, Joan Crawford is better known for her later movies, but her star burned the brightest in the early 30s. Even Wallace Beery, a relative afterthought now, was a big star who had billing over Clark Gable earlier that year, and had won Best Actor for The Champ in 1931. All of this is to say that Grand Hotel was, to that point, the biggest collection of stardom in movie history. Grand Hotel uses the Hotel Esplanade in Berlin to unfold the encounters of several, previously unacquainted. Each character arrives at the hotel at a different point in their life, John Barrymore is a bankrupt Baron who supplements his income with an occasional jewel theft. Lionel plays an accountant who has recently discovered he is dying and befriends the Baron, who plans on stealing a the jewels of a burned out ballerina (Garbo). Beery plays an industrialist, who hires Crawford to be his stenographer. Each comes to the hotel unaware of each other, but by the end of the movie each is intertwined in the lives of one another. The great joy of Grand Hotel, along with watching great actors on the screen together, is seeing how each life is affected by the other through the kind of random encounters you can have on a daily basis.

29. My Man Godfrey (1936)

Sandwiched between the affluent "Roaring Twenties" and World War II, America in the 1930s were a distinct period of culture. The Great Depression had a profound affect on the movies of the 30s especially, with no movie being a better example of this than My Man Godfrey. Not only is it a screwball comedy, the genre that defined the decade in an attempt to provide lighthearted entertainment to masses, but it also highlighted the big class differences of the decade. Based on the short story "1011 Fifth" by Eric Hatch, My Man Godfrey stars William Powell as Godfrey Smith, a penniless man living in the New York City dump. His fortunes change when he is taken, as part of a scavenger hunt looking for a "forgotten man," to a party of the wealthy by socialite Irene Bullock (Carol Lombard). Bullock takes a fancy to Godfrey, a sentiment that is only added to by the way he irks her older sister Cornelia (Gail Patrick). Irene employs Godfrey as the new family butler, where he must deal with Cornelia's attempts to get him fired, as well that the eccentric antics of the rest of the Bullock family, including the frustrated patriarch, (Eugene Pallette), his nutty wife Angelica (Alice Brady), and her preening protege Carlo (Mischa Auer). Another hurdle for Godfrey is that Irene has seemingly fallen in love with him, and idea that makes him uncomfortable. Through it all, despite his lowly state at the beginning of the movie, he keeps his dignity and respect, sending a clear message that being poor isn't a disgrace, a notion that would certainly appeal to the masses that would have seen it. My Man Godfrey provides plenty of the laughs and escapism for the poor, struggling lower class people who populated the movie halls during the Great Depression, but what it also provides a little bit of hope as well. Why not, like Godfrey a man who lost his life to the Depression, couldn't any one of the unfortunate souls out in the audience also be picked out of the squalor and taken into the rich, extravagant life of the upper class? Something to dream about at least.

28. Captain Blood (1935)

One of the defining aspects of the 1930s were the "screen teams," from musicals with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, to The Thin Man series with Myrna Loy and William Powell, and the comedies of Laurel and Hardy, the 1930s were rife with movie pairs. One of the most enduring of these duos are Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, who over the course of six years produced eight different pictures, mostly of the adventure variety, with Flynn playing the dashing hero and de Havilland his love interest. The first of these movies, the one that introduced the two to the world, was Captain Blood. Flynn plays the titular role as the Dr. Peter Blood, who is sold into slavery in the West Indies, as a punishment for treason. He is convicted because he treated a wounded leader of the failed Monmouth rebellion. While in the Indies, he is mistreated and abused, but eventually escapes, but not after earning the affection of his owner's daughter Arabella (de Havilland). Blood, along with many of his fellow slaves, take to a life of piracy and do battle with both British and private forces, including the villainous Captain Levasseur, who double-crosses Blood and his crew. Both Flynn and de Havilland were appearing in a starring role for the first time, with Flynn only being a bit player up until this point. The chemistry between the two is apparent from the start, and it is what drives many of the lesser movies the two made. In Captain Blood however, it is more than just a vehicle for the two, with tremendous sword fights and sea battles directed by a master of the genre, Michael Curtiz, as well as terrific acting by the supporting players, particularly Rathbone. Captain Blood is not only a great adventure movie, but it sparked a return to the adventure movies of the early 1920s with Flynn as the heir-apparent to Douglas Fairbanks.    

27. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Alfred Hitchcock is best known for his movies in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s but between The Man Who Knew Too Much, Young and Innocent, The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes, he produced a decade of movies that any director would be jealous of. All of Hitchcock's films in the 1930s and earlier were made in England and have a very different tone and style than his later work. The Man Who Knew Too Much, which would later be remade by Hitchcock himself in 1956, has the kind of intrigue you'd expect from one of his movies, but it is a little bit darker in tone than his later work, yet also with a kind of British charm that is missing from the remake and other later Hitchcock films. It tells the story of an English couple (Leslie Bank and Edna Best) trying to find their kidnapped daughter (Nova Pilbeam) while also investigating an planned assassination of an European official. The assassins are led by Abbott, played by Peter Lorre in his first English language film. Lorre, already an accomplished actor in Germany, gives a tremendous performance, at first appearing as a charming foreigner but eventually morphing into the conniving and vicious criminal. The fact that Lorre wasn't yet fluent in English only adds to the effect. The tension and suspense created during attempted assassination at the Royal Albert Hall rivals any of the big set-piece moments in later Hitchcock films, but the movie doesn't peak there. The aftermath of the failed assassination attempt leads into a dramatic standoff and shootout in the London docks. The 1930s were an important time for Alfred Hitchcock, who was going from the "gifted amateur" he described himself as at this time, to one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. It's is not a coincidence that this shift coincided with the advent of sound in movies, which gave Hitchcock more tools to create his patented suspense with.   

26. You Can't Take It With You (1938)

No director was more synonymous with the 1930s than Frank Capra. During the decade, he had three movies finish in the top 5 highest grossing for their years, five times he was nominated for Best Director, winning three, while six of his movies were nominated for Best Picture, with two winning. Sufficed to say that Capra was the premier director of the 30s. You Can't Take It With You was his biggest hit of the decade, topping the box office in 1938 as well as winning Best Picture and Best Director for Capra. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, it is a typical charming Capra romantic comedy that he became famous for. Obviously the base script, adapted for the screen by frequent Capra collaborator Robert Riskin, is fantastic and only enhanced by an all-star cast of James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold, and a young Ann Miller. Stewart plays Tony, the son of a wealthy banker, Anthony Kirby (Arnold) who falls in love with Alice Sycamore (Arthur), who is part a large family that is just as poor as it is eccentric. The class differences between the Kirby's and the Sycamore's make up the bulk of the humor as the two vastly dissimilar families interact. Barrymore plays the patriarch of the family, Grandpa Martin, while the rest of the supporting cast is filled out with a multitude of eccentric and amusing ancillary characters, another staple of Capra and the screwball comedy genre in general. Capra was a master of pacing, often cutting his films in a way that enhanced both the appeal and the humor of the scene, particularly using timed reaction shots, because he understood the charm of the human face as well as any director in history.