Favorite Films of 1934

I watched 53 films that were released in 1934.  A complete list can be found here:  http://www.imdb.com/list/fmXidXs5FOE/?publish=save.  These were my ten favorites.

Note:  I was unable to get a copy of The Merry Widow (1934), directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier for viewing this time around.  I loved the film when I saw it several years ago and am fairly confident it would have placed in the top five if I had seen it.

1. It Happened One Night (Frank Capra):The Academy got it right when it made this film the first to win all five major awards.  It has rarely been equalled and never bettered as a romantic comedy. (#86 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

2.  L’Atalante (Jean Vigo) – Vigo captures the intensity of young love in images and sound in this masterpiece.  (#83 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

3.  The Thin Man (W. S. Van Dyke):  The mystery is just an excuse to showcase the fantastic repartee of Myrna Loy and William Powell, the best screen couple of all time.  (#87 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

4.  The Gay Divorcee (Mark Sandrich):  Add snappy dialogue to the elegance of Astaire and Rogers and you have a timeless entertainment.

5.  Les Misérables (Raymond Bernard):  Harry Bauer’s unforgettable performance as Jean Valjean is the highlight of this sumptuous and comprehensive adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel.

6.  A Story of Floating Weeds (Yasujiro Ozu):  A look at what it means to be a father through the story of an actor who has always hidden his identity from his son.

7.  Of Human Bondage (John Cromwell):  This sad story of a cripple’s obsession with a manipulative tart made Bette Davis a star.  Leslie Howard is no slouch in it either. I didn’t imagine that this film would make my Top 10 list after I viewed it but now see that it was exceptional, one of the very best of the year.

8.  The Scarlet Pimpernel (Harold Young):  Leslie Howard is fantastic as the foppish Sir Percy Blakeney and the daring Scarlet Pimpernel in this entertaining adventure.

 9.  Treasure Island (Victor Fleming): Fun adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel with some of the vilest pirates around and a good performance by Jackie Cooper as the young hero.

10.  Imitation of Life (John Stahl):  One of the first studio films to portray African-Americans as complex characters with emotional lives of their own, the performances of Louise Beavers and Fredi Washington are must-sees.

Honorable Mentions:  La mujer del puerto  and, as previously mentioned, The Merry Widow

My rankings of 1934 films on the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list:

1.  It Happened One Night

2.  L’Atalante

3.  The Thin Man

15.  The Black Cat (after The Scarlet Empress)

37.  It’s a Gift (after Manhattan Melodrama)

39.  Judge Priest (after A Mother Should Be Loved)

I will review Triumph of the Will as part of my 1935 viewing.