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Movies: Popular Movies of the 1930s (1930-1939)

Movies in chronological context: The 1930s (pronounced "nineteen-thirties" and commonly abbreviated as "the '30s" or "the Thirties") was a decade that began on January 1, 1930, and ended on December 31, 1939. In the United States, the Dust Bowl led to the nickname the "Dirty Thirties". The decade was defined by a global economic and political crisis that culminated in the Second World War. It saw the collapse of the international financial system, beginning with the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the largest stock market crash in American history. The subsequent economic downfall, called the Great Depression, had traumatic social effects worldwide, leading to widespread poverty and unemployment, especially in the economic superpower of the United States and in Germany, which was already struggling with the payment of reparations for the First World War. The Dust Bowl in the United States (which led to the nickname the "Dirty Thirties") exacerbated the scarcity of wealth. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who took office in 1933, introduced a program of broad-scale social reforms and stimulus plans called the New Deal in response to the crisis. The Soviet's second five-year plan gave heavy industry top priority, putting the Soviet Union not far behind Germany as one of the major steel-producing countries of th... ()

Movies of a single year: 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939


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16,253 movies found (page 1/542):

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937)

3.6/5 (with 3,368 votes)

A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.

The Wizard of Oz(1939)

3.8/5 (with 2,468 votes)

Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.

Gone with the Wind(1939)

G
| 3h 53min | Drama, War, Romance / Love
4.0/5 (with 1,869 votes)

The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

Modern Times(1936)

G
| 1h 27min | Comedy, Drama
4.2/5 (with 1,636 votes)

The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.

City Lights(1931)

G
| 1h 27min | Comedy, Romance / Love, Drama
4.2/5 (with 992 votes)

In this sound-era silent film, a tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower seller.

M(1931)

PG-13
| 1h 57min | Drama, Action, Thriller, Crime
4.1/5 (with 931 votes)

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

Frankenstein(1931)

NR
| 1h 11min | Drama, Horror, Science Fiction
3.7/5 (with 709 votes)

Dr. Henry Frankenstein attempts to create life by assembling a creature from body parts of the deceased. Aided by his loyal misshapen assistant, Fritz, Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster, but, confused and traumatized, it escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc. Frankenstein searches for the elusive being and eventually must confront his tormented creation.

King Kong(1933)

NR
| 1h 44min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
3.8/5 (with 618 votes)

Adventurous filmmaker, Carl Denham, sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to displayed on Broadway as Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.

It Happened One Night(1934)

NR
| 1h 45min | Comedy, Romance / Love
3.9/5 (with 504 votes)

A renegade reporter and a young heiress meet on a bus heading for New York, and end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops.

Freaks(1932)

NR
| 1h 2min | Drama, Horror
3.9/5 (with 503 votes)

A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

Dracula(1931)

NR
| 1h 12min | Horror, Drama, Fantasy
3.6/5 (with 493 votes)

British estate agent Renfield travels to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a castle in London and is, unbeknownst to Renfield, a vampire. After Dracula enslaves Renfield and drives him to insanity, the pair sail to London together, and as Dracula begins preying on London socialites, the two become the subject of study for a supernaturalist professor, Abraham Van Helsing.

Stagecoach(1939)

3.9/5 (with 465 votes)

A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.

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Bringing Up Baby(1938)

NR
| 1h 42min | Comedy, Romance / Love
3.8/5 (with 442 votes)

David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939)

NR
| 2h 9min | Comedy, Drama
4.0/5 (with 437 votes)

Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed to the United States Senate by the puppet governor of his state. He soon discovers, upon going to Washington, many shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss.

The Bride of Frankenstein(1935)

NR
| 1h 15min | Horror, Science Fiction
3.8/5 (with 427 votes)

After recovering from injuries sustained in the mob attack upon himself and his creation, Dr. Frankenstein falls under the control of his former mentor, Dr. Pretorius, who insists the now-chastened doctor resume his experiments in creating new life. Meanwhile, the Monster remains on the run from those who wish to destroy him without understanding that his intentions are generally good despite his lack of socialization and self-control.

The 39 Steps(1935)

NR
| 1h 26min | Mystery, Thriller
3.7/5 (with 386 votes)

Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.

The Lady Vanishes(1938)

NR
| 1h 36min | Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
3.8/5 (with 373 votes)

On a train headed for England a group of travelers is delayed by an avalanche. Holed up in a hotel in a fictional European country, young Iris befriends elderly Miss Froy. When the train resumes, Iris suffers a bout of unconsciousness and wakes to find the old woman has disappeared. The other passengers ominously deny Miss Froy ever existed, so Iris begins to investigate with another traveler and, as the pair sleuth, romantic sparks fly.

The Invisible Man(1933)

NR
| 1h 11min | Horror, Science Fiction
3.8/5 (with 338 votes)

Working in Dr. Cranley's laboratory, scientist Jack Griffin was always given the latitude to conduct some of his own experiments. His sudden departure, however, has Cranley's daughter Flora worried about him. Griffin has taken a room at the nearby Lion's Head Inn, hoping to reverse an experiment he conducted on himself that made him invisible. But the experimental drug has also warped his mind, making him aggressive and dangerous. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to restore his appearance.

Duck Soup(1933)

1h 9min | Comedy, War
3.7/5 (with 331 votes)

Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.

All Quiet on the Western Front(1930)

2h 13min | Drama, War
3.9/5 (with 321 votes)

A young soldier faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War I. Together with several other young German soldiers, he experiences the horrors of war, such evil of which he had not conceived of when signing up to fight. They eventually become sad, tormented, and confused of their purpose.

The Adventures of Robin Hood(1938)

3.8/5 (with 306 votes)

Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.

Grand Illusion(1937)

1h 54min | Drama, History, War
3.9/5 (with 283 votes)

A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

The Mummy(1932)

NR
| 1h 13min | Horror, Drama, Fantasy
3.4/5 (with 250 votes)

An ancient Egyptian priest named Imhotep is revived when an archaeological expedition finds his mummy and one of the archaeologists accidentally reads an ancient life-giving spell. Imhotep escapes from the field site and searches for the reincarnation of the soul of his lover.

Scarface(1932)

1h 33min | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
3.8/5 (with 245 votes)

In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio "Tony" Camonte, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.

The Rules of the Game(1939)

3.8/5 (with 237 votes)

A weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut bourgeois acquaintances.

Vampyr(1932)

NR
| 1h 14min | Horror, Fantasy
3.7/5 (with 213 votes)

Traveler Allan Gray arrives in the village of Courtempierre and takes lodgings in a small inn. Gray has a great interest in the supernatural, particularly vampires. He's barely settled in when he feels a sinister force descending upon him. In the night an old man enters his room to tell him 'she must not die'. One of the old man's daughters, Leone, has been bitten by a vampire. In order to break the curse, Gray and Leone's sister Gisele must find the original vampire and drive a stake through her heart.

A Night at the Opera(1935)

NR
| 1h 36min | Comedy, Music
3.7/5 (with 206 votes)

The Marx Brothers take on high society and the opera world to bring two lovers together. A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.

The Thin Man(1934)

NR
| 1h 31min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
3.8/5 (with 186 votes)

A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.

L'Atalante(1934)

3.8/5 (with 174 votes)

Capricious small-town girl Juliette and barge captain Jean marry after a whirlwind courtship, and she comes to live aboard his boat, L'Atalante. As they make their way down the Seine, Jean grows weary of Juliette's flirtations with his all-male crew, and Juliette longs to escape the monotony of the boat and experience the excitement of a big city. When she steals away to Paris by herself, her husband begins to think their marriage was a mistake.

Directed by Jean Vigo - With Dita Parlo, Michel Simon, Claude Aveline, Paul Grimault, Gen Paul, Jacques Prévert, ...

You Can't Take It with You(1938)

NR
| 2h 6min | Comedy, Romance / Love
3.8/5 (with 163 votes)

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the Kirbys are invited to dinner to become better acquainted with their future in-laws, things don't turn out the way Alice had hoped.

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