Feature-Length Films of 1933
by xbutougames | created - 18 May 2017 | updated - 10 Feb 2023 | PublicAnnual Bests.
Picture: King Kong
Director: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, King Kong
Actor: Claude Rains, The Invisible Man
Actress: Barbara Stanwyck, Baby Face
Original Screenplay: King Kong
Adapted Screenplay: The Invisible Man
Cinematography: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Production Design: King Kong
Sound Mixing: Gold Diggers of 1933
Foreign Language: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Scene: "By a Waterfall", Footlight Parade
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How my Ratings Work:
100-90: Masterpiece, or very close. Very rare.
089-80: Fan-freaking-tastic. Near-lock for yearly top 10 list.
079-70: Definitely something special. Do not miss.
069-60: Very good, but missing some crucial element.
059-50: Didn’t work, but has many redeeming qualities.
049-40: Demerits clearly outweigh merits.
039-30: Didn't enjoy the film, but talent was involved.
029-20: When will this picture end. When...
019-10: Outright fiasco and/or unwatchably boring.
009-00: One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Very rare.
Note: This list is a constant work in progress.
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Master List: http://goo.gl/kG8QAC
< 1930s | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 >
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1. King Kong (1933)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Horror
A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Votes: 91,026 | Gross: $10.00M
Score: 77
2. Footlight Parade (1933)
Passed | 104 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell
Votes: 6,095 | Gross: $3.49M
Score: 74
3. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
Not Rated | 122 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A criminal mastermind uses hypnosis to rule the rackets after death.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Thomy Bourdelle, Gustav Diessl
Votes: 13,602
Score: 70
4. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Passed | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A wealthy composer rescues unemployed Broadway performers with a new play, but insists on remaining anonymous.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler
Votes: 9,152 | Gross: $4.80M
Score: 69
5. The Invisible Man (1933)
TV-PG | 71 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers
Votes: 39,984
Score: 68
6. Counsellor at Law (1933)
Passed | 82 min | Comedy, Drama
A successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns that his wife has been unfaithful.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, Doris Kenyon, Isabel Jewell
Votes: 1,509
Score: 65
7. Sons of the Desert (1933)
Passed | 68 min | Comedy, Family
When Stan and Ollie trick their wives into thinking that they are taking a medicinal cruise while they're actually going to a convention, the wives find out the truth the hard way.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase, Mae Busch
Votes: 9,589
Score: 62
8. Hard to Handle (1933)
Approved | 78 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Small time con artist Lefty Merrill has co-organized a crooked dance marathon and set up his girlfriend to win the prize money. When his partner disappears with money before the contest is ... See full summary »
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: James Cagney, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly
Votes: 896
Score: 60
9. 42nd Street (1933)
Passed | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
When the leading lady of a Broadway musical breaks her ankle, she is replaced by a young unknown actress, who becomes the star of the show.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler
Votes: 13,042 | Gross: $2.30M
Score: 57
10. Playing at Love (1933)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Romance
Vienna in the beginning of the twentieth century. Cavalry Lieutenant Fritz Lobheimer is about to end his affair with Baroness Eggerdorff when he meets the young Christine, the daughter of ... See full summary »
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Wolfgang Liebeneiner, Carl Esmond, Magda Schneider, Luise Ullrich
Votes: 1,543
Score: 56
11. The Bowery (1933)
Passed | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
In New York's Bowery during the Gay Nineties, a saloon owner and a rebel share a rivalry.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Wallace Beery, George Raft, Jackie Cooper, Fay Wray
Votes: 615 | Gross: $4.36M
Score: 55
12. Duck Soup (1933)
Not Rated | 69 min | Comedy, Musical
Rufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.
Director: Leo McCarey | Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
Votes: 62,760
Score: 54
13. Hallelujah I'm a Bum (1933)
Passed | 82 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A New York tramp (Jolson) falls in love with the mayor's amnesiac girlfriend after rescuing her from a suicide attempt
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Al Jolson, Madge Evans, Frank Morgan, Harry Langdon
Votes: 866
Score: 54
14. Baby Face (1933)
Approved | 71 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman, sexually exploited all her life, decides to turn the tables and exploit the hapless men at a big city bank by gleefully seducing her way to the top.
Director: Alfred E. Green | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook, Alphonse Ethier
Votes: 8,171
Score: 53
15. Bombshell (1933)
Passed | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on.
Director: Victor Fleming | Stars: Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, Franchot Tone
Votes: 3,149
Score: 51
16. Queen Christina (1933)
Approved | 99 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Queen Christina of Sweden is a popular monarch who is loyal to her country. However, when she falls in love with a Spanish envoy, she must choose between the throne and the man she loves.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone
Votes: 8,625 | Gross: $0.77M
Score: 49
17. Man's Castle (1933)
75 min | Drama, Romance
Bill takes Trina into his depression camp cabin. Later, just as he finds showgirl LaRue who will support him, Trina becomes pregnant.
Director: Frank Borzage | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Loretta Young, Marjorie Rambeau, Glenda Farrell
Votes: 1,773
Score: 47
18. Zero for Conduct (1933)
Not Rated | 47 min | Drama
In a repressive boarding school with rigid rules of behavior, four boys decide to rebel against the direction on a celebration day.
Director: Jean Vigo | Stars: Jean Dasté, Robert le Flon, Louis Lefebvre, Du Verron
Votes: 9,369
Score: 46
19. Design for Living (1933)
Passed | 91 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
A woman cannot decide between two men who love her, and the trio agree to try living together in a platonic friendly relationship.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins, Edward Everett Horton
Votes: 7,766
Score: 46
20. Keisatsukan (1933)
121 min | Crime, Drama
Itami, a young policeman, meets his high school friend, Tetsuo, a gangster, at a roadblock. As they rekindled their friendship, a complex relationship is established between them.
Director: Tomu Uchida | Stars: Eiji Nakano, Isamu Kosugi, Taisuke Matsumoto, Sôji Ubukata
Votes: 148
Score: 42
21. Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Passed | 77 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh
Votes: 6,831
Score: 41
22. Gabriel Over the White House (1933)
Passed | 86 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A political hack becomes President during the height of the Depression and undergoes a metamorphosis into an incorruptible statesman after a near-fatal accident.
Director: Gregory La Cava | Stars: Walter Huston, Karen Morley, Franchot Tone, Arthur Byron
Votes: 1,399
Score: 40
23. The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
Passed | 97 min | Biography, Drama
King Henry VIII marries five more times after his divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon.
Director: Alexander Korda | Stars: Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Franklin Dyall, Miles Mander
Votes: 4,874
Score: 35
24. She Done Him Wrong (1933)
Passed | 66 min | Comedy, Drama, History
In the Gay Nineties, a seductive nightclub singer contends with several suitors, including a jealous escaped convict and a handsome temperance league member.
Director: Lowell Sherman | Stars: Mae West, Cary Grant, Owen Moore, Gilbert Roland
Votes: 7,044 | Gross: $4.80M
Score: 31
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