The Top 250 Movies of the 1930s

1

City Lights https://www.flickchart.com/movie/CA103CCA4C 1931, 87 min.

Charles Chaplin  •   Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee

Comedy Drama  •  Comedy  •  Drama

3

It Happened One Night https://www.flickchart.com/movie/A67A0AEA7F 1934, 105 min.

Frank Capra  •   Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly

Comedy  •  Newspaper Film  •  Pre-Code Hollywood

5

Grand Illusion https://www.flickchart.com/movie/06CB4F7D4C 1937, 114 min.

Jean Renoir  •   Starring: Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Pierre Fresnay

Anti-War Film  •  Drama  •  Escape Film

7

The Thin Man https://www.flickchart.com/movie/BD771A80F4 1934, 91 min.

W.S. Van Dyke  •   Starring: William Powell, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell

Based-on-20th-Century-Literature  •  Comedy Thriller  •  Comedy

9

Bringing Up Baby https://www.flickchart.com/movie/4E00EBD4B0 1938, 102 min.

Howard Hawks  •   Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles

Comedy  •  Romance  •  Romantic Comedy

11

Duck Soup https://www.flickchart.com/movie/B10788C9F9 1933, 68 min.

Leo McCarey  •   Starring: Harpo Marx, Groucho Marx, Chico Marx

Absurd Comedy  •  Comedy  •  Farce

13

Bride of Frankenstein https://www.flickchart.com/movie/5C88310710 1935, 75 min.

James Whale  •   Starring: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Gothic Film  •  Horror

15

Stagecoach https://www.flickchart.com/movie/9A51AC2B06 1939, 96 min.

John Ford  •   Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell

Action  •  Adventure Drama  •  Adventure

17

The 39 Steps https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E313FB9BE2 1935, 86 min.

Alfred Hitchcock  •   Starring: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim

Based-on-20th-Century-Literature  •  Chase Movie  •  Escape Film

19

Trouble in Paradise https://www.flickchart.com/movie/21885C38D8 1932, 83 min.

Ernst Lubitsch  •   Starring: Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall

Based-on-Theatre  •  Comedy  •  Con Artist / Hustler

21

Top Hat https://www.flickchart.com/movie/C0674B68B8 1935, 101 min.

Mark Sandrich  •   Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton

Comedy  •  Musical Comedy  •  Musical Romance

23

The Invisible Man https://www.flickchart.com/movie/93E66AC33C 1933, 71 min.

James Whale  •   Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Horror  •  Sci-Fi Horror

25

Freaks https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E137B3F63B 1932, 64 min.

Tod Browning  •   Starring: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova

Drama  •  Horror  •  Melodrama

27

Holiday https://www.flickchart.com/movie/687573DD4C 1938, 95 min.

George Cukor  •   Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan

Based-on-Theatre  •  Comedy  •  Domestic Comedy

29

L'atalante https://www.flickchart.com/movie/F2C61596EB 1934, 89 min.

Jean Vigo  •   Starring: Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté

Adventure Drama  •  Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

31

You Can't Take It With You https://www.flickchart.com/movie/61B611210C 1938, 126 min.

Frank Capra  •   Starring: Edward Arnold, Mischa Auer, James Stewart

Based-on-Theatre  •  Comedy  •  Romance

33

Gone with the Wind https://www.flickchart.com/movie/CC15AB077A 1939, 238 min.

Victor Fleming  •   Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard

Epic  •  Historical Epic  •  Historical Film

35

Make Way for Tomorrow https://www.flickchart.com/movie/0C653933D4 1937, 92 min.

Leo McCarey  •   Starring: Victor Moore, Beulah Bondi, Fay Bainter

Drama  •  Marriage Drama

37

Horse Feathers https://www.flickchart.com/movie/4BCA2DE6C1 1932, 68 min.

Norman Z. McLeod  •   Starring: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx

Comedy  •  Pre-Code Hollywood  •  Sports Comedy

39

The Public Enemy https://www.flickchart.com/movie/0C94F368E8 1931, 83 min.

William A. Wellman  •   Starring: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods

Action  •  Crime Drama  •  Crime

41

Captain Blood https://www.flickchart.com/movie/5134602CE4 1935, 119 min.

Michael Curtiz  •   Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone

Action  •  Adventure  •  Based-on-20th-Century-Literature

43

Scarface https://www.flickchart.com/movie/8300B079CD 1932, 93 min.

Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson  •   Starring: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft

Crime Drama  •  Crime  •  Drama

45

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse https://www.flickchart.com/movie/5F5B539EF4 1933, 122 min.

Fritz Lang  •   Starring: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Oscar Beregi Sr.

Crime  •  Foreign Language Film  •  Horror

47

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang https://www.flickchart.com/movie/D5B96D8D7D 1932, 93 min.

Mervyn LeRoy  •   Starring: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson

Drama  •  Message Movie  •  Pre-Code Hollywood

49

Island of Lost Souls https://www.flickchart.com/movie/6096C47A4B 1932, 70 min.

Erle C. Kenton  •   Starring: Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Body Horror  •  Horror

51

Mutiny on the Bounty https://www.flickchart.com/movie/F284480425 1935, 132 min.

Frank Lloyd  •   Starring: Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan

Adventure  •  Adventure Drama  •  Based-on-a-True-Story

53

The Blue Angel https://www.flickchart.com/movie/DE01E58947 1930, 124 min.

Josef von Sternberg  •   Starring: Emil Jannings, Marlene Dietrich, Kurt Gerron

Drama  •  Erotic Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

55

The Maltese Falcon https://www.flickchart.com/movie/8485AD55CF 1931, 80 min.

Roy Del Ruth  •   Starring: Bebe Daniels, Una Merkel, Dwight Frye

Based-on-20th-Century-Literature  •  Detective Film  •  Mystery

57

The Roaring Twenties https://www.flickchart.com/movie/735CC0FAFB 1939, 104 min.

Raoul Walsh  •   Starring: James Cagney, Jeffrey Lynn, Priscilla Lane

Crime  •  Crime Drama  •  Drama

59

42nd Street https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E02143A5EC 1933, 89 min.

Lloyd Bacon  •   Starring: Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler

Comedy  •  Musical Comedy  •  Musical

61

The Man Who Knew Too Much https://www.flickchart.com/movie/230407DBB6 1934, 75 min.

Alfred Hitchcock  •   Starring: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre

Psychological Thriller  •  Thriller

63

Libeled Lady https://www.flickchart.com/movie/DD17A3F3B8 1936, 98 min.

Jack Conway  •   Starring: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy

Comedy  •  Screwball Comedy

65

Stage Door https://www.flickchart.com/movie/72715F00C7 1937, 92 min.

Gregory La Cava  •   Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou

Comedy Drama  •  Drama  •  Ensemble Film

67

The Women https://www.flickchart.com/movie/AF41FA3DF5 1939, 133 min.

George Cukor  •   Starring: Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine

Based-on-Theatre  •  Comedy  •  Ensemble Film

69

The Mummy https://www.flickchart.com/movie/7032E3EB4F 1932, 73 min.

Karl Freund  •   Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners

Horror  •  Monster Film  •  Pre-Code Hollywood

71

Drácula https://www.flickchart.com/movie/9BE6456945 1931, 104 min.

George Melford  •   Starring: Barry Norton, Lupita Tovar, Eduardo Arozamena

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Costume Horror  •  Foreign Language Film

73

The Black Cat https://www.flickchart.com/movie/DD87936E05 1934, 65 min.

Edgar G. Ulmer  •   Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners

Adventure  •  Crime Thriller  •  Crime

75

Wuthering Heights https://www.flickchart.com/movie/13932162DA 1939, 104 min.

William Wyler  •   Starring: Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Costume Romance  •  Drama

77

Son of Frankenstein https://www.flickchart.com/movie/FB6D557835 1939, 99 min.

Rowland V. Lee  •   Starring: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi

Costume Horror  •  Drama  •  Gothic Film

79

Port of Shadows https://www.flickchart.com/movie/C6DEB71FF9 1938, 91 min.

Marcel Carné  •   Starring: Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan

Crime Drama  •  Crime  •  Drama

81

Gunga Din https://www.flickchart.com/movie/D46CC0774F 1939, 117 min.

George Stevens  •   Starring: Cary Grant, Sam Jaffe, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Adventure  •  War  •  War Adventure

83

Shall We Dance https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E302CB2BCC 1937, 109 min.

Mark Sandrich  •   Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton

Musical Comedy  •  Romantic Comedy  •  Comedy

85

Goodbye, Mr. Chips https://www.flickchart.com/movie/AF0D6BBDEE 1939, 114 min.

Sam Wood  •   Starring: Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Lyn Harding

Costume Romance  •  Drama  •  Marriage Drama

87

L'Age d'Or https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E221B053AD 1930, 60 min.

Luis Buñuel  •   Starring: Gaston Modot, Lya Lys

Avant-garde / Experimental  •  Comedy  •  Drama

89

Pépé le Moko https://www.flickchart.com/movie/DFB7A92BA0 1937, 94 min.

Julien Duvivier  •   Starring: Jean Gabin, Gabriel Gabrio, Saturnin Fabre

Crime  •  Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

91

The Human Beast https://www.flickchart.com/movie/32D2677B43 1938, 96 min.

Jean Renoir  •   Starring: Jean Gabin, Simone Simon, Fernand Ledoux

Crime Drama  •  Crime  •  Drama

93

Topper https://www.flickchart.com/movie/81303FB027 1937, 97 min.

Norman Z. McLeod  •   Starring: Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young

Comedy  •  Fantasy  •  Fantasy Comedy

95

Shanghai Express https://www.flickchart.com/movie/4AC2DACB8B 1932, 80 min.

Josef von Sternberg  •   Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong

Adventure Drama  •  Adventure  •  Drama

97

Jezebel https://www.flickchart.com/movie/6698F6C198 1938, 104 min.

William Wyler  •   Starring: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent

Based-on-Theatre  •  Costume Romance  •  Drama

99

Baby Face https://www.flickchart.com/movie/C7B71D291A 1933, 76 min.

Alfred E. Green  •   Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook

Drama  •  Melodrama  •  Pre-Code Hollywood

101

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes https://www.flickchart.com/movie/81C42E6164 1939, 85 min.

Alfred L. Werker  •   Starring: Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino, Basil Rathbone

Crime  •  Mystery  •  Thriller

103

The Gay Divorcee https://www.flickchart.com/movie/96EBE8CE07 1934, 107 min.

Mark Sandrich  •   Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Alice Brady

Comedy  •  Musical Comedy  •  Musical Romance

105

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas https://www.flickchart.com/movie/173A37B1D0 1931, 84 min.

F.W. Murnau  •   Starring: Matahi, Anne Chevalier, Bill Bambridge

Adventure Drama  •  Adventure  •  Docudrama

107

Mad Love https://www.flickchart.com/movie/C22342A143 1935, 68 min.

Karl Freund  •   Starring: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive

Body Horror  •  Horror  •  Psychological Horror

109

Boudu Saved from Drowning https://www.flickchart.com/movie/A64EEF566A 1932, 85 min.

Jean Renoir  •   Starring: Michel Simon, Charles Granval, Marcelle Hainia

Comedy  •  Comedy of Manners  •  Foreign Language Film

111

Dinner at Eight https://www.flickchart.com/movie/6E66B69D3A 1933, 113 min.

George Cukor  •   Starring: Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Edmund Lowe

Comedy Drama  •  Ensemble Film  •  Hyperlink Film

113

The Wizard of Oz https://www.flickchart.com/movie/8108BAAE45 1933, 9 min.

Ted Eshbaugh

Adventure  •  Animated Musical  •  Animation

115

At the Circus https://www.flickchart.com/movie/0C37A215EB 1939, 87 min.

Edward Buzzell  •   Starring: Harpo Marx, Florence Rice, Willie Best

Comedy  •  Satire  •  Slapstick

117

Little Women https://www.flickchart.com/movie/FC1C6DDB52 1933, 115 min.

George Cukor  •   Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Coming-of-Age  •  Drama

119

The Informer https://www.flickchart.com/movie/A0EAB10E7C 1935, 91 min.

John Ford  •   Starring: Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Margot Grahame

Drama  •  Political Drama

121

Things to Come https://www.flickchart.com/movie/F4AF248254 1936, 97 min.

William Cameron Menzies  •   Starring: Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson

Dystopian Film  •  Post-Apocalyptic Film  •  Psychological Sci-Fi

123

Morocco https://www.flickchart.com/movie/A49E470583 1930, 92 min.

Josef von Sternberg  •   Starring: Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Adolphe Menjou

Drama  •  Melodrama  •  Pre-Code Hollywood

125

The Million https://www.flickchart.com/movie/23237AAB49 1931, 81 min.

René Clair  •   Starring: René Lefèvre, Paul Ollivier, Annabella

Chase Movie  •  Comedy  •  Foreign Language Film

127

Sons of the Desert https://www.flickchart.com/movie/2A98116BA7 1933, 68 min.

William A. Seiter  •   Starring: Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel

Buddy Film  •  Comedy  •  Odd Couple Film

129

A Tale of Two Cities https://www.flickchart.com/movie/EBFBFB4D11 1935, 121 min.

Jack Conway  •   Starring: Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allen, Blanche Yurka

Adventure  •  Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Drama

131

You Only Live Once https://www.flickchart.com/movie/88A7E7024A 1937, 86 min.

Fritz Lang  •   Starring: Henry Fonda, William Gargan, Jean Dixon

Crime Drama  •  Crime  •  Drama

133

A Farewell to Arms https://www.flickchart.com/movie/5B58ECE811 1932, 89 min.

Frank Borzage  •   Starring: Helen Hayes, Adolphe Menjou, Mary Philips

Based-on-20th-Century-Literature  •  Drama  •  Melodrama

135

Boys Town https://www.flickchart.com/movie/30DE02F138 1938, 93 min.

Norman Taurog  •   Starring: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull

Based-on-a-True-Story  •  Biopic  •  Drama

137

The Raven https://www.flickchart.com/movie/47017620BE 1935, 61 min.

Lew Landers  •   Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lester Matthews

Gothic Film  •  Horror

139

Stella Dallas https://www.flickchart.com/movie/796B738108 1937, 106 min.

King Vidor  •   Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Anne Shirley, John Boles

Drama  •  Family Drama  •  Marriage Drama

141

Nothing Sacred https://www.flickchart.com/movie/900B4D4B73 1937, 77 min.

William A. Wellman  •   Starring: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger

Comedy Drama  •  Romance  •  Romantic Comedy

143

The Champ https://www.flickchart.com/movie/D203994E4B 1931, 87 min.

King Vidor  •   Starring: Jackie Cooper, Roscoe Ates, Edward Brophy

Drama  •  Melodrama  •  Sports Drama

145

Queen Christina https://www.flickchart.com/movie/33CC5B6841 1933, 99 min.

Rouben Mamoulian  •   Starring: John Gilbert, Elizabeth Young, Greta Garbo

Based-on-a-True-Story  •  Biopic  •  Drama

147

Way Out West https://www.flickchart.com/movie/FF3EA2B193 1937, 65 min.

James W. Horne  •   Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Sharon Lynn

Comedy  •  Slapstick  •  Western

149

A Story of Floating Weeds https://www.flickchart.com/movie/6631468E35 1934, 86 min.

Yasujirô Ozu  •   Starring: Takeshi Sakamoto, Chôko Iida, Kôji Mitsui

Drama  •  Foreign Language Film  •  Melodrama

151

Room Service https://www.flickchart.com/movie/A653FE405D 1938, 78 min.

William A. Seiter  •   Starring: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx

Comedy  •  Slapstick

153

Show Boat https://www.flickchart.com/movie/2D32B1762B 1936, 113 min.

James Whale  •   Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger

Based-on-Theatre  •  Comedy  •  Costume Romance

155

Babes in Toyland https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E4514C5EEF 1934, 77 min.

Gus Meins, Charley Rogers  •   Starring: Oliver Hardy, Charlotte Henry, Stan Laurel

Comedy  •  Fairy Tales and Legends  •  Family-Oriented Adventure

157

San Francisco https://www.flickchart.com/movie/B08A1DBD20 1936, 115 min.

W.S. Van Dyke  •   Starring: Clark Gable, Jack Holt, Spencer Tracy

Costume Romance  •  Disaster Film  •  Drama

159

Les Misérables https://www.flickchart.com/movie/3073BA5761 1934, 281 min.

Raymond Bernard  •   Starring: Harry Baur, Charles Vanel, Paul Azaïs

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Drama  •  Foreign Language Film

161

Dead End https://www.flickchart.com/movie/70291C759B 1937, 93 min.

William Wyler  •   Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart

Based-on-Theatre  •  Crime Drama  •  Crime

163

Triumph of the Will https://www.flickchart.com/movie/72DE9A89AC 1935, 114 min.

Leni Riefenstahl  •   Starring: Martin Bormann, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler

Culture and Society  •  Documentary  •  Foreign Language Film

165

City Girl https://www.flickchart.com/movie/04668227EB 1930, 90 min.

F.W. Murnau  •   Starring: Charles Farrell, Mary Duncan, David Torrence

Drama  •  Melodrama  •  Romance

167

Bachelor Mother https://www.flickchart.com/movie/BC36474E3A 1939, 82 min.

Garson Kanin  •   Starring: Ginger Rogers, David Niven, Charles Coburn

Comedy  •  Romance  •  Romantic Comedy

169

A Christmas Carol https://www.flickchart.com/movie/925C695695 1938, 69 min.

Edwin L. Marin  •   Starring: Reginald Owen, Kathleen Lockhart, Barry Mackay

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Fantasy  •  Fantasy Comedy

171

Tarzan and His Mate https://www.flickchart.com/movie/55BB559353 1934, 104 min.

Cedric Gibbons  •   Starring: Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton

Action  •  Adventure  •  Jungle Film

173

Drums Along the Mohawk https://www.flickchart.com/movie/7F5D453B81 1939, 104 min.

John Ford  •   Starring: Claudette Colbert, Henry Fonda, Edna May Oliver

Adventure  •  Adventure Drama  •  Costume Adventure

175

Anna Karenina https://www.flickchart.com/movie/30A71F721D 1935, 95 min.

Clarence Brown  •   Starring: Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Freddie Bartholomew

Based-on-19th-Century-Literature  •  Costume Romance  •  Drama

177

Werewolf of London https://www.flickchart.com/movie/C79D93C4AA 1935, 75 min.

Stuart Walker  •   Starring: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson

Drama  •  Fantasy  •  Horror

179

The Crime of Monsieur Lange https://www.flickchart.com/movie/73BDC54A12 1936, 80 min.

Jean Renoir  •   Starring: René Lefèvre, Florelle, Jules Berry

Comedy  •  Crime Drama  •  Crime

181

Imitation of Life https://www.flickchart.com/movie/8B9279381E 1934, 111 min.

John M. Stahl  •   Starring: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson

Drama  •  Melodrama  •  Romance

183

Vivacious Lady https://www.flickchart.com/movie/161480FAFC 1938, 90 min.

George Stevens  •   Starring: Ginger Rogers, James Stewart, James Eillison

Comedy  •  Romance  •  Romantic Comedy

185

Cleopatra https://www.flickchart.com/movie/851281BA1A 1934, 100 min.

Cecil B. DeMille  •   Starring: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon

Costume Romance  •  Drama  •  Epic

187

Hell's Angels https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E1C02E0231 1930, 90 min.

Howard Hughes  •   Starring: James Hall, John Darrow, Douglas Gilmore

Adventure  •  Combat Films  •  Drama

189

Tarzan the Ape Man https://www.flickchart.com/movie/E6C4D91D68 1932, 100 min.

W.S. Van Dyke  •   Starring: Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, C. Aubrey Smith

Action  •  Adventure  •  Based-on-20th-Century-Literature

191

Heidi https://www.flickchart.com/movie/C3024680B3 1937, 88 min.

Allan Dwan  •   Starring: Shirley Temple, Jean Hersholt, Arthur Treacher