1930 & Earlier (Features/Shorts) Best to Worst
by J_Frank_Parnell | created - 7 months ago | updated - 4 months ago | PublicThe best of everything I've watched, with a release date pre-1931...
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1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Passed | 152 min | Drama, War
A German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy
Votes: 67,709 | Gross: $3.27M
10/10
2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
Director: Robert Wiene | Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover
Votes: 70,085
10/10
3. The Kid (1921)
Passed | 68 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put their relationship in jeopardy.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan, Carl Miller
Votes: 134,879 | Gross: $5.45M
10/10
4. Animal Crackers (1930)
G | 97 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
Mayhem and zaniness ensue when a valuable painting goes missing during a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding.
Director: Victor Heerman | Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, The Marx Brothers
Votes: 15,270 | Gross: $0.91M
10/10
5. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Not Rated | 66 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.
Director: Sergei Eisenstein | Stars: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Ivan Bobrov
Votes: 61,467 | Gross: $0.05M
10/10
6. Swing You Sinners! (1930)
8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Bimbo is seen late at night, trying to steal a chicken. He runs away from a policeman and enters a haunted cemetery. Various ghosts and monsters tell him that he will be punished for his sin.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Ted Sears | Star: Billy Murray
Votes: 769
10/10
7. Dizzy Dishes (1930)
6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Betty Boop (with dog's ears) is entertainer in a restaurant for dogs; a waiter joins the floor show to the neglect of patrons.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Grim Natwick | Stars: William Costello, Margie Hines, Billy Murray, Walter Scanlan
Votes: 413
10/10
8. The Lost World (1925)
Passed | 110 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.
Director: Harry O. Hoyt | Stars: Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Lloyd Hughes, Lewis Stone
Votes: 5,826 | Gross: $1.19M
9/10
9. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,609 | Gross: $1.24M
9/10
10. Mysterious Mose (1930)
6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Betty Boop (with dog's ears) can't sleep on a scary night, so she sings the title song and meets the gentleman in question... a surreal version of Bimbo.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky | Stars: Margie Hines, Billy Murray
Votes: 294
9/10
11. Barnacle Bill (1930)
8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Sailor Bimbo (as Barnacle Bill) jumps ship with his little black book and visits his lady friend, Betty Boop (with dog's ears).
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Rudy Zamora | Stars: Ann Little, Billy Murray
Votes: 266
9/10
12. The General (1926)
Passed | 78 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.
Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley
Votes: 98,188 | Gross: $1.03M
9/10
13. The Gold Rush (1925)
Passed | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman
Votes: 118,690 | Gross: $5.45M
9/10
14. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,816
9/10
15. Nosferatu (1922)
Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Votes: 105,494
9/10
16. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Passed | 45 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Director: Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, Erwin Connelly
Votes: 57,060 | Gross: $0.98M
9/10
17. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
Not Rated | 12 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The cartoonist, Winsor McCay, brings the Dinosaurs back to life in the figure of his latest creation, Gertie the Dinosaur.
Director: Winsor McCay | Stars: Winsor McCay, George McManus, Roy L. McCardell, Thomas A. 'Tad' Dorgan
Votes: 3,656
9/10
18. Steamboat Willie (1928)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey Mouse is a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete.
Directors: Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 11,258
9/10
19. Safety Last! (1923)
Not Rated | 74 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A boy leaves his small country town and heads to the big city to get a job. As soon as he makes it big his sweetheart will join him and marry him. His enthusiasm to get ahead leads to some interesting adventures.
Directors: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor | Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother, Noah Young
Votes: 22,927 | Gross: $1.36M
8/10
20. The Gorilla Mystery (1930)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A gorilla has escaped; Mickey, panicked, calls Minnie, but she plays a song to show she is not afraid. That is, until the gorilla comes up behind her and grabs her. Mickey rushes right over to save her.
Director: Burt Gillett | Stars: Larry Steers, Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner, George Magrill
Votes: 561
8/10
21. The Chain Gang (1930)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey Mouse escapes from prison.
Director: Burt Gillett | Stars: George Magrill, Theodore Santoro, Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney
Votes: 640
8/10
22. Underworld (1927)
Not Rated | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Boisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed's girlfriend.
Directors: Josef von Sternberg, Arthur Rosson | Stars: George Bancroft, Clive Brook, Evelyn Brent, Fred Kohler
Votes: 3,478 | Gross: $1.64M
8/10
23. Our Hospitality (1923)
Passed | 65 min | Comedy, Romance, Thriller
A man returns to his Appalachian homestead. On the trip, he falls for a young woman. The only problem is her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.
Directors: John G. Blystone, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Natalie Talmadge, Joe Keaton, Joe Roberts
Votes: 12,497 | Gross: $1.17M
8/10
24. Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930)
Passed | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The music-happy Bosko and Honey take a car ride, but bad luck briefly interrupts their fun.
Directors: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising | Stars: Rochelle Hudson, Carman Maxwell
Votes: 641
8/10
25. Trolley Troubles (1927)
TV-G | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Oswald the Rabbit is the conductor on a runaway trolley.
Director: Walt Disney
Votes: 673
8/10
26. The Haunted House (1929)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey seeks shelter from a storm in a house that turns out to be haunted. The skeletons command him to play the organ; they dance and play along.
Directors: Walt Disney, Jack King | Stars: George Magrill, Walt Disney
Votes: 1,447
8/10
27. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
TV-G | 11 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels.
Director: Edwin S. Porter | Stars: Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, A.C. Abadie, George Barnes, Justus D. Barnes
Votes: 21,000
7/10
28. Blackmail (1929)
Not Rated | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anny Ondra, John Longden, Sara Allgood, Charles Paton
Votes: 11,971
7/10
29. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.
Director: Paul Leni | Stars: Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt, Julius Molnar, Olga Baclanova
Votes: 8,077
7/10
30. Cuckoo Murder Case (1930)
8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The Cuckoo Bird residing in an old clock in a creepy old mansion is shot dead by an unknown assailant; Flip the Frog is called in to investigate (and finds more than he bargained for).
Director: Ub Iwerks
Votes: 181
7/10
31. Hell's Bells (1929)
6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The demons of hell play music for Satan, whose delight turns to wrath when an insubordinate refuses to become food for Cerberus.
Director: Ub Iwerks | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 849
7/10
32. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Passed | 93 min | Horror
A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.
Directors: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle, Edward Sedgwick | Stars: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe
Votes: 20,116 | Gross: $3.75M
6/10
33. The Gallopin' Gaucho (1928)
Passed | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey rides up to a cantina and does a tango with Minnie. When a big cat steals her away, Mickey gives chase, riding a drunken ostrich. At the hideout, Mickey has a swordfight with the cat.
Director: Ub Iwerks | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 1,054
6/10
34. The Skeleton Dance (1929)
Approved | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The clock strikes midnight, the bats fly from the belfry, a dog howls at the full moon, and two black cats fight in the cemetery: a perfect time for four skeletons to come out and dance a bit.
Director: Walt Disney | Stars: Walt Disney, Carl W. Stalling
Votes: 6,298
6/10
35. Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid (1929)
5 min | Family, Animation, Short
A cartoonist draws Bosko, who promptly comes to life.
Directors: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising | Stars: Rudolf Ising, Carman Maxwell
Votes: 608
5/10
36. The Jazz Singer (1927)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, Music, Musical
The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer
Votes: 11,080 | Gross: $7.63M
5/10
37. The Cocoanuts (1929)
Passed | 96 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
During the Florida land boom, The Marx Brothers run a hotel, auction off some land, thwart a jewel robbery, and generally act like themselves.
Directors: Robert Florey, Joseph Santley | Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
Votes: 8,199 | Gross: $3.92M
4/10
38. The Fire Fighters (1930)
Approved | 7 min | Comedy, Family, Animation
Mickey and his ragtag crew of firefighters have to save a burning building and Minnie.
Director: Burt Gillett | Stars: Purv Pullen, Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner
Votes: 582
4/10
39. Hell's Angels (1930)
Passed | 127 min | Drama, War
Brothers Monte and Ray leave Oxford to join the Royal Flying Corps. Ray loves Helen; Helen enjoys an affair with Monte; before they leave on their mission over Germany they find her in still another man's arms.
Directors: Howard Hughes, Edmund Goulding, James Whale | Stars: Ben Lyon, James Hall, Jean Harlow, John Darrow
Votes: 5,972 | Gross: $5.45M
4/10
40. Big Man from the North (1930)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Bosko is a Mountie; his sergeant demands he get his man.
Directors: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising | Stars: Bernard B. Brown, Ken Darby, Rudolf Ising, Purv Pullen
Votes: 297
4/10
41. Cannibal Capers (1930)
6 min | Family, Animation, Short
One day in the life of cannibals with a gypsy soul and lion-chef.
Director: Burt Gillett
Votes: 366
4/10
42. Un chien andalou (1929)
Not Rated | 16 min | Short, Fantasy, Horror
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel, Pancho Cossío
Votes: 53,819
4/10
43. Pioneer Days (1930)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey and Minnie are on a wagon train; they camp for the night, unaware that Indians have spotted them and are doing a war dance. The attack comes, and Minnie is captured.
Director: Burt Gillett | Stars: Wilbur Mack, George Magrill, Purv Pullen, Theodore Santoro
Votes: 450
3/10
44. The Unknown (1927)
Unrated | 68 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
A criminal on the run hides in a circus and seeks to possess the daughter of the ringmaster at any cost.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, Nick De Ruiz
Votes: 9,166 | Gross: $0.41M
3/10
45. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
TV-PG | 195 min | Drama, History, War
The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper
Votes: 26,348 | Gross: $10.00M
3/10
46. The Booze Hangs High (1930)
Passed | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Bosko has a grand time on the farm, dancing with a cow, playing a horse's tail like a violin and getting drunk with three pigs.
Directors: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising | Stars: Bernard B. Brown, Delos Jewkes, Carman Maxwell
Votes: 384
3/10
47. Plane Crazy (1928)
Approved | 6 min | Animation, Family, Comedy
Inspired by Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris, Mickey builds a plane to take Minnie for a trip involving some necking, though Minnie objects to the necking.
Directors: Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 2,311
2/10
48. Ain't Nature Grand! (1930)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Bosko fishes, and sings and dances with frogs. But two ladybugs use a wasp as an airplane, and a beehive and tree branch as a machine gun to drive him away.
Directors: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising | Star: Bernard B. Brown
Votes: 246
2/10
49. Felix in Hollywood (1923)
Passed | 9 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A starving actor, reduced to trying his luck in the movies, travels to Hollywood. His cat, Felix, poses as a travel bag and comes along.
Director: Otto Messmer
Votes: 1,027
2/10
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