The Best Years for Movies: Seven Superb Films from the 1930s and 1940s

The best movies of the 1930s and 1940s benefited from better scripts than those in recent decades as I see it.

I think this golden age of moviemaking in the 1930s and 1940s produced the best motion pictures.

Special effects and bright colors in recent decades are superior to those of the past, but quality screenplays typically seem to be lacking in modern films.

Below I list seven movies from the 1930s and 1940s that I consider among the best ever made. Following the list I elaborate about each.

Independent reviewers rank most of these seven highly as well, though not as highly as I do. A 2007 American Film Institute list of “The 100 Greatest American Films of All Time” includes five of my seven, all five in the top 46 in fact.

The Seven Movies

1. Casablanca (1942)
2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
6. Imitation of Life (1934)
7. It Happened One Night (1934)

1. Casablanca (1942):

This is the best movie Hollywood ever made as I see it. The script magnificently blends humor, drama, war, music, and a love triangle.

You need to see it at least twice to appreciate it. The first time you'll likely miss several subtleties and may be confused by some aspects and/or some cast members. I’m confident you’ll enjoy it much more the second time--really.

Casablanca includes a love triangle, but is not really a love story. It includes wonderful humor, but isn’t a comedy. It takes place during World War II, but isn’t really a war story--even though it was likely produced as wartime propaganda.

It is a magnificent drama with the ending perhaps a surprise, though even if you know the ending you can still appreciate its greatness, as well as the acting of its marvelous cast.

Below is a photo of a VHS tape of Casablanca. By the way, though I treasure my complete DVD set of the 1966-1968 Batman television series, I own more VHS tapes than DVDs.

2. The Wizard of Oz (1939):

This classic aired annually during my childhood and was a pleasure to watch several times. It can be called a children’s story, an allegory, or a lot of other things. But it’s nicely done. Need I state more about this film that most have seen multiple times?

Below is a photo of a VHS tape of The Wizard of Oz.

3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939):

This magnificent political satire starring Jimmy Stewart as a naïve, idealistic United States Senator is superb. I love it. It may be as timely now as it was when it came out.

Many (including me) feel that 1939 was the best year for Hollywood movies. And although I include two 1939 movies among my seven from the 1930s and 1940s, I omit Gone With the Wind (which won the best picture Academy Award that year). I also omit the British film Goodbye, Mr. Chips, which won best actor for Robert Donat.

4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947):

This Christmas classic featuring Santa Claus and efforts to dispel a young girl’s disbelief--and the disbelief of a court of law--is well done. This 1947 version is far superior to the remake as I see it.

5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946):

Jimmy Stewart stars in this heartwarming movie aired frequently at Christmas. It features an angel and flashbacks to enable Stewart’s character to visualize how his life has been much more significant than he realizes.

Below is a photo of a VHS tape of It’s a Wonderful Life.

6. Imitation of Life (1934):

This movie contains humor, as well as romantic love. But the thought-provoking depiction of racism and its impact is the film’s focus.

This magnificent picture was far ahead of its time in its depiction of racism and its effect on a young lady. Louise Beavers and Fredi Washington are African-Americans in major roles at a time when that was uncommon. Claudette Colbert does a great job.

Some of the stereotypes are a bit dated now, but it remains a great movie. I consider this version superior to the 1959 remake.

7. It Happened One Night (1934):

This movie won Academy Awards for best picture, best director, best screenplay, best actor, and best actress--the first movie to win all five.

It’s a nice comedy-drama-romance. It stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. You may get a sense of deja vu watching a few parts of it, since some of its memorable scenes were imitated in later film and television productions.

Closing Thoughts

Any list of superb movies is subjective. And I’m not an expert. Indeed, there are lots of quality Hollywood movies I’ve never seen and can’t evaluate--including most in recent decades. I rarely watch movies now. And I’ve not considered foreign films, and have seen few of them. But I did take a few film courses as electives during my college years. I enjoyed taking electives in a variety of subjects.

Cigarette smoking and alcoholic beverage consumption were more common in mainstream movies decades ago than they are now. But overall, I feel these classic movies from decades ago reflect higher moral values than more recent ones. I also think they feature better written scripts and remain more timeless than the best ones produced more recently--based on my limited viewing of movies.

The seven movies I list are classics as I see it. What do you think? Am I biased or being relatively accurate?

NOTE:

This article was last modified on October 17th, 2022.