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Ranking 1930s Best Picture Winners

The first decade for the Academy Award for Best Picture was very polarizing. Some of the winning movies are immensely dated now and they rank among the worst in the category’s history. However, others are undisputed masterpieces that have stood the test of time as genuine classics. Without further ado, here is my ranking of the 1930s Oscar Winners. Included in this ranking are also the two winners from the late twenties.

12. Cimarron

Although many would put either The Broadway Melody or Cavalcade on the last spot, I personally find Cimarron to be the definite worst winner from this period in Academy’s history. Irene Dunne is good and the cinematography is great. But everything else is so bad. Richard Dix is terrible in the main role and the movie is overlong, boring and very dated, especially for its tired western conventions and racist overtones. It’s such a forgettable movie that never had any business being nominated, let alone winning the damn Oscar.

Film That Should Have Won: The Front Page

Best Film of the Year: City Lights

11. The Great Ziegfeld

This one is problematic not just in and of itself, but also because it had this terrible legacy on the Best Picture contenders having to be epic and overlong to win. The production design and all technicalities are impressive undoubtedly, and per usual William Powell is wonderful himself. However, the movie is very boring because it’s so incredibly long and especially because its musical numbers just never end. It’s an artificially epic movie that never justified its length to me at all. Its overall structure is also too timely and not timeless.

Film That Should Won: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Best Film of the Year: My Man Godfrey

10. The Life of Emile Zola

Paul Muni and Joseph Schildkraut were both excellent in their respective roles in this film that was very dramatic and powerful for its time, especially in its themes and excellent dialogue. Unfortunately though, The Life of Emile Zola is way too didactic to be enjoyed more nowadays. Yes, this is another winner from the thirties that is unquestionably dated and its impact is seriously blunted in this day and age.  Once again, one of the weaker nominees this year frustratingly ended up winning the big thing.

Film That Should Have Won: The Awful Truth

Best Film of the Year: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

9. The Broadway Melody

I personally like The Broadway Melody. I do get why many hate it, but clearly this wasn’t the worst BP winner of all time, not even close, so I do not share that assessment with many others. Bessie Love is excellent and the sister relationship at its core is so good. The same should be said for its fun soundtrack. The whole movie is breezy and irreverent, but the storyline as a whole is very clichéd, especially in its tired love triangle. It did spawn an entire franchise, but it had no business winning the Oscar, though the competition was weak.

Film That Should Have Won: Alibi

Best Film of the Year: The Docks of New York

8. Cavalcade

Cavalcade is all about this British family that somehow witnesses all the major events from the first half of the 20th century. It’s ludicrous, I can’t deny that. The acting is also very stagey and it did not age well whatsoever. Still, this is a guilty pleasure for me as I really appreciated its epic tone, great technical aspects and a lot of very engaging period piece scenes that present a spectacle for sure. Again, it should never have won, but still it’s far from the worst winners in Oscar history as many would say.

Film That Should Have Won: I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

Best Film of the Year: King Kong

7. Grand Hotel

This is the point on the list where we come to the good movies. Grand Hotel to me is quite underrated. Yes, it’s a mess. Obviously, when you take so many stars of the day, some are bound to get the underutilized treatment. However, Garbo is so memorable, though very over-the-top, but it fits the role well. Crawford and Barrymore steal the show as the best parts of this ensemble. The plot is slim, but the main metaphor is good and the movie is visually very appealing. It’s one of the most entertaining flicks on this list.

Film That Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Film of the Year: Freaks

6. Wings

With groundbreaking and striking aerial combat scenes, stunning cinematography, deft editing and professional direction from William Wellman, Wings truly is a fine technical achievement with the performances from Charles Rogers, Clara Bow and Richard Arlen all being superb as well. Some may find it too old-fashioned, but for me Wings aged very well and is still an absolute joy to behold and a definite spectacle of a film. It wasn’t the best nominee, but it still stands as a pretty good first Oscar winner.

Film That Should Have Won: Sunrise

Best Film of the Year: Sunrise

5. You Can’t Take It with You

Edward Arnold playing Anthony P. Kirby in the best arc and Lionel Barrymore who is this wonderful soul are the standouts in what is one of the most purely joyous Oscar winners of all time. Yes, its storyline is utterly predictable, but I ultimately did not mind it at all as nobody can deny the movie’s immense charm and a huge heart. It preaches some important messages and is one of those Frank Capra movies that are very inspirational and incredibly moving. This was back in the day when a fun, charming romantic comedy could actually win an Oscar.

Film That Should Have Won: The Adventures of Robin Hood

Best Film of the Year: The Adventures of Robin Hood

4. All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front remains the very best, quintessential World War I picture, one that still has to be rivaled with ‘1917’ coming the closest to its quality. Lew Ayres was snubbed for such a great performance in the main role while the technical aspects are uniformly amazing in what is one polished, highly realistic war film. It is the most admirable in its for its time unusual sentiment that wars are all foolish and unnecessary. It’s anti-war to its core and I love that about it.

Film That Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Film of the Year: In Agreement

3. Mutiny on the Bounty

You’ve got the great Clark Gable here. You’ve got the excellent Franchot Tone. And most importantly, you’ve got one hell of a turn from the always phenomenal Charles Laughton. All three deserved their nominations and the film benefits strongly from their interactions and a strong conflict at the film’s heart. Along with all those great elements, the adventure here is unprecedented. The movie is hugely entertaining, dazzling and intrepid, and I am so glad that the Academy recognized all of that, again something that they wouldn’t do nowadays.

Film That Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Film of the Year: In Agreement

2. It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night was the first movie to win the Big Five Oscars (acting, directing, picture and screenplay), and it couldn’t have happened to a better movie. This is the quintessential romantic comedy, the one that all rom coms after it tried to emulate, but never did successfully. It captured everybody at the height of their powers – Gable, Colbert and Capra. It is incredibly romantic while never forgetting to be funny, and it truly is hilarious at times. The dialogue is amazing and the line delivery is top-notch as well.

Film That Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Film of the Year: In Agreement

1. Gone with the Wind

Iconic. Transcendent. Best. Those are the words that I would use to describe my favorite film of all time. Yes, Gone with the Wind blows me away every single time I see it. The Technicolor is gorgeous, the score is simply brilliant and the movie is a giant spectacle in its every frame. But it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well hadn’t it had the great human elements, and it does have those in spades. Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara is the best character in movie history and her journey is incredibly inspirational. The double ending remains my favorite scene in film history. It’s by far the most deserving Oscar winner of all time.

Film That Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Film of the Year: In Agreement