1930s Films: Best Movies, Directors And Trends
Talkies everywhere, Hollywood's golden run, and Technicolor at the end of the decade.
Below: the films worth watching from the 1930s, the directors behind them, what was changing in cinema, and the year-by-year screen highlights from 1930 to 1939.
Useful for a film night, a themed party, a quiz round or working out what someone grew up watching.
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Best films of the 1930s
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).
- Dracula and Frankenstein (both 1931).
- King Kong (1933).
- The 39 Steps (1935), Hitchcock.
- Modern Times (1936), Chaplin.
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - the first feature-length animation.
- The Lady Vanishes (1938).
- The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939).
- Stagecoach (1939), John Ford.
Directors who defined the 1930s
- Alfred Hitchcock in his British period, making the thrillers that got him to Hollywood.
- John Ford, turning the western into something serious.
- Frank Capra, and the decade's appetite for the decent man against the system.
- Walt Disney as a producer changing what animation could be.
- Alexander Korda, building a British film industry at Denham.
Cinema trends of the 1930s
- Sound is universal by 1932; silent stars whose voices did not suit are finished.
- The Hays Code is enforced from 1934, and what can be shown narrows sharply.
- Three-strip Technicolor arrives, still rare and expensive.
- Double features, B pictures and the serial - cinema as a weekly habit, not an event.
- 1939 is the most celebrated single year in Hollywood history.
Going to the pictures
- Twice-weekly attendance was normal; programmes changed mid-week.
- Art deco super cinemas with a Wurlitzer organ that rose out of the floor.
- Saturday morning children's clubs with a serial that ended on a cliffhanger.
- The newsreel was how most people saw the news, weeks after it happened.
Film and television, year by year
- 1930 - Talking pictures had taken over the cinemas within two years of arriving.
- 1931 - Cinema was the cheapest night out and the most popular.
- 1932 - The BBC made experimental television broadcasts using the Baird system.
- 1933 - King Kong and The Private Life of Henry VIII were released.
- 1934 - The Man Who Knew Too Much and It Happened One Night were released.
- 1935 - The 39 Steps was released.
- 1936 - The BBC began the world's first regular high-definition television service on 2 November, from Alexandra Palace.
- 1937 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in December in America and reached Britain the next year.
- 1938 - The Lady Vanishes was released.
- 1939 - BBC television closed at noon on 1 September and did not return until 1946.
Years covered in the 1930s
- 1930 - The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930
- 1931 - The National Government, the gold standard abandoned and the means test. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1931
- 1932 - Broadcasting House opened, the Empire Service began and hunger marches reached London. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1932
- 1933 - Bodyline, the first Loch Ness photograph and the opening of the Tube map. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1933
- 1934 - Driving tests announced, Belisha beacons and the Queen Mary being built. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1934
- 1935 - The Silver Jubilee, the first driving tests and the 30mph limit. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1935
- 1936 - Three kings in one year, the Jarrow March, Butlin's and the first television service. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1936
- 1937 - The coronation of George VI, the Hindenburg and the first Billy Butlin summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1937
- 1938 - Munich, gas masks and the Holidays with Pay Act. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1938
- 1939 - Evacuation, the blackout, the declaration of war and television going off air. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1939
- That is every 1930s year we have written up so far: 1930 to 1939.
How to use this
- Film night: one film from the decade, the matching party playlist before it, and a quiz round after.
- Quiz round: read a film and ask for the year, or read a director and ask for the film.
- Reminiscence: ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was, and who took them.
- Anyone born in 1930 turns 50 in 1980, 60 in 1990 and 70 in 2000.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop prints and posters Look back to 1930 Look back to 1931 Look back to 1932
How to write it so it lands
- Check the UK release date as well as the year - plenty of American films reached Britain months later.
- For a themed night, pick the film from the year someone turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
- Ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was. It gets a better story than asking their favourite.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 1930
- Look back to 1931
- Look back to 1932
- Look back to 1933
- Look back to 1934
- Look back to 1935
- Look back to 1936
- Look back to 1937
- Look back to 1938
- Look back to 1939
- 1930s books, films and TV
- 1930s calendar: year by year
- 1930s trivia: fun facts
- 1930s music: albums, artists and songs
- 1930s shopping guide
- The 1930s: the whole decade
- Victorian and vintage parlour games
- Village fete and church hall games
- Traditional British party games
- Seaside and beach games
- Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade films: best films and directors by era
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Decade shopping guides by era
- Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Guess the year quiz
- Milestone birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Birthday cards for kids
- Good luck cards
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best films of the 1930s?
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). The full list above names real films with their release years, from the 1930s.
Which directors defined the 1930s?
Alfred Hitchcock in his British period, making the thrillers that got him to Hollywood. The directors section above covers the rest.
What was cinema like in the 1930s?
Sound is universal by 1932; silent stars whose voices did not suit are finished. The trends and going-to-the-pictures sections above cover both the industry and the experience.
Do you sell films or DVDs?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a film night.