The Best Films of the 1930s Worth Revisiting

The 1920s is known as the start of Hollywood's Golden Age, when silent films transitioned into "talkies". By the 1930s, full-length films and big studio pictures became the standard. Technicolor brought vibrant hues to the big screen. It was a decade that gave rise to many big stars like Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, James Stewart, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, and Bette Davis. But over time, many films made during this incredible decade have become easy to overlook. These are some of the best films of the 1930s.

The power of cinema became more than just storytelling; the addition of sound made it easier for audiences to step into another world and leave reality behind, if just for a few hours. But while this decade was an important part of cinema history, many films from this era have been passed over by generations of movie lovers. These 30s gems deserve some attention; some were way ahead of their time, and others perfectly represent this unique time in history.

We created a list of some of the best films of the 1930s worth revisiting, from comedies to love stories to war films. To compile the list, 24/7Tempo researched films from the 1930s, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and other entertainment sites.

This post was updated on September 13, 2025 to clarify the timeline of full-length features, the Prize Fighter Oscar nomination, and the cast of The 39 Steps.

• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Producer: Michael Balcon
• Cast: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim

The 39 Steps is widely regarded as one of Hitchcock's signature British classics. The plot revolves around an innocent man trying to clear his name and uses a favorite plot device of the director, The MacGuffin, which pushes the plot forward through something the characters care about but is not important to the audience.

Although this is by no means Hitchcock's most famous film, it was well-loved by his contemporaries. Orson Welles claimed it was his favorite picture to come from the talented director; however, even many Hitchcock fans have skipped over this one.

• Director Harold Young
• Cast Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, and Raymond Massey

The film The Scarlet Pimpernel is based on a popular novel and play of the same name. It may just be one of the original regular-guy-turns-hero films. The story is set in the French Revolution and is based on an aristocrat who hides his identity and rescues those sentenced to death by guillotine.

Outwardly a bumbling and awkward man, this precursor to Clark Kent is secretly a hero. The novel and play were extremely popular, as was this first film version. In 1982, a television remake aired featuring Jane Seymour and Ian McKellen.

• Director Howard Hawks
• Cast Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant

The acting duo Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn made several films together, and this one was, at the time it was released, considered the worst. The comedy was not well-received by audiences and considered a box office failure, so it is no surprise that you have probably never heard of it. But you may have heard of a couple of films that were inspired by this film, like Who's That Girl starring Madonna and the French take on it, Une Femme ou Deux starring troubled actor Gerard Depardieu.

While the film was not a success at the time, it later gained a cult following and is one of the earliest films to feature a scatterbrained but lovable manic pixie dream girl.

• Director William A. Wellman
• Cast James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods

Long before Chuck D and Flavor Flav were rapping "Fight the Power" and "911 is a Joke," the film Public Enemy hit theatres. The early gangster film set during Prohibition was one of the first starring James Cagney as a heartless gangster. The film was well-received by critics and audiences alike.

Much of the violence takes place off-screen and is alluded to, making it seem quite tame to audiences today. But it is an excellent representation of gangster films of this era.

• Director W.S. Van Dyke
• Cast Myrna Loy, Max Baer, Primo Carnera

Nothing is more romantic than boxing, or at least that is what the filmmaker thought. This film is chock full of love and knockouts. The Prize Fighter stars three professional boxers and features more boxing than actual story. Nonetheless, the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, so it's definitely worth a watch.

• Director Tod Browning
• Cast Lew Ayres, Jean Harlow, Robert Armstrong

Before Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. made Marvel's Iron Man a box-office success, there was another "Iron Man" film. Browning's The Iron Man tells a tale as old as time about a woman who leaves her unsuccessful man, who then later becomes successful, and she comes back fully ready to win him back only for her own gain. The movie was so successful it was remade twenty years later with Jeff Chandler and Evelyn Keyes.

• Director Frank Capra
• Cast Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

This comedic film about a spoiled heiress and her suitors was a surprise hit at the time. The story could be considered one of the first odd couple traveling films, and many of the scenes have been recreated in other films, like showing a leg hitchhiking and hanging a sheet between two people sleeping in the same bed. Audiences loved the chemistry between the lead actors, and two distinct scenes impacted popular culture.

The scene where Clark Gable removes his shirt and, shockingly for the time, doesn't have an undershirt on and the scene where the lead actress takes a Greyhound bus. Both scenes influenced audiences – undershirt sales went down, and Greyhound bus travel increased after the film debuted. If you haven't seen it, you should because it still holds up today; it's funny with a well-written story and is quite bold for the time.

• Director Jean Renoir
• Cast Michel Simon, Janie Marèse, Georges Flamant

If you like dark French films, then La Chienne should be on your list of old movies to see. The plot follows a married artist who despises his wife and takes a mistress who despises him and is only with him for his money. The film is dark, with no likable characters or happy ending.

The main reason it makes the list is because of its unusual step into the darker parts of humanity, especially for the time as a love story that lacks love. Renoir's later films, such as The Grand Illusion, touched on race and gender and earned him disdain from political conservatives.

• Director John Ford
• Cast John Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine

This film follows the story of a group of strangers traveling by stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory. The characters are a mixed bag of people from questionable backgrounds who come together for the journey.

The thing that truly sets this classic John Wayne Western apart from the millions of others is the deep dive into the psyche of each character, presenting them as fully fleshed-out characters with backstories.Each person is neither good nor bad; they are a mix of everything, making them realistic.

Stagecoach has been remade two times, once in 1966 and another time in 1986. It's easy to see how modern filmmakers were influenced by its timelessness; just look at Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.

• Director Gregory LaCava
• Cast Carole Lombard, William Powell

Film critic Roger Ebert once called this black-and-white comedy "beautiful," and he wasn't the only one to praise this feel-good story; critics have long praised the original storytelling and comedic timing. My Man Godfrey centers around a wealthy family and a homeless man with integrity who is hired as their butler.

The comedy relies on misunderstanding and tall tales to keep audiences laughing, while the happy ending inspires filmgoers to be good people. The film was so popular it was remade in 1956. If you like silly comedies with offbeat characters who have a heart of gold, you will love this film.

• Director Tod Browning
• Cast Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates

Not quite a horror film and not quite drama, the movie Freaks sits somewhere in between genres. It is a controversial film and has been banned from many theatres. During a few of the early screenings audience members actually fled the theater due to the graphic nature of the film.

The plot follows a group of sideshows and circus performers as they navigate love and revenge. It's dark and weird, and not for everybody. But if you like horror-adjacent films, then it is a must-see.

• Director Lewis Milestone
• Cast Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim

Set during the First World War, All Quiet on the Western Front is a film about war that does not glorify the pain, anguish, and absolute horrors of war. It was one of the first films to show the grim realities that soldiers faced and would face again as the Second World War approached. The film is based on the book by German author Erich Maria Remarque and draws on his experiences and observations of World War I, though it is not strictly autobiographical.

Aside from highlighting the gruesome side of war, it is uniquely told from the perspective of the German soldiers, which was not common at this time in Hollywood.

• Director William Wyler
• Cast Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven

If you like your love stories with country estates and rustic foggy landscapes, then this film is for you. It is based on Emily Brontë's book of the same name and captures the longing and loss of the tragic love story between Heathcliff and Cathy. Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff is casting at its finest, and the cinematography turns the countryside into a character of its own. This film is perfect for moviegoers who love a good period piece.

While the film is based on the characters and their ill-fated love story, it doesn't follow the book exactly and focuses mainly on the first half of the story, so if you are a Brontë purist, you might not enjoy the cinematic version.