The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions (Decade Project Vol. 4)

An ongoing project to survey the best films of individual decades, genres, and filmmakers.
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Rayon Vert
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#226 Post by Rayon Vert » Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:47 am

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Mr. Thank You (Shimizu 1936). I can see why this is a beloved film. It’s really an original piece, with a light but poetic and human spirit and the added depth of the Depression in the background. The bit of narrative development at film’s end really puts a sweet bow on the thing, while those traveling shots of the Japanese countryside throughout produce a wonderful photographic documentary.


Hôtel du Nord (Carné 1938). The fallout among a hotel’s community of a failed young lovers’ suicide pact. Good bunch of actors to watch (especially Jouvet and Arletty) but the story never catches the way it does in the films it’s sandwiched between (Quai des ombres, Le Jour se lève).


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Kameradschaft (Pabst 1931). As much as I was impressed by Westfront 1918, there were a few moments where I was a bit confused about what was going on, and others that were a little duller. That wasn’t the case here. It’s such a heart-warming film in its premise and historical context, but it’s also a really effective suspense-&-drama piece. It’s also shot and edited with great style.


Outskirts (Barnet 1933). The film shares with Westfront 1918 both a spirit of transnational humanism and a focus on the effects of the war in civilian life, indeed the latter even more pronounced here. I’m not familiar with Barnet apart from having read about him, so I was struck by the slightly dreamlike, quasi-surrealistic tone, produced in part by the wild extremes of comedy and tragedy, sometimes occurring simultaneously, and whether intentionally or not, by the non-direct sound (I also noted the director’s innovative use in editing sound and image together). He also seems to have a thing for the grotesque, which perhaps aligns him with the tradition of Gogol. The poetic authorial voice is potent but for me personally this was intriguing and interesting but a bit abstract in its effect and not especially moving or impactful.

The Mr. Bongo dvd is indeed all–region.


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Three Comrades (Borzage 1938). I didn’t expect the film to have such a pedigree, to be based on a Remarque novel and the screenplay co-written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I liked this even though it was from perfect (for one thing the unrest in 1920 Germany is never explained, and the motive for our gang’s adversaries is mysterious, unless I just didn’t catch it). The romance is the winning thing here, in large part because of Sullavan’s presence and effective emoting.


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The Man in the Iron Mask (Whale 1939). An independent (Edward Small) production for United Artists. Louis Hayward isn’t an actor I’m very familiar with and I wasn’t sure about him in the lead at the start (playing the dual twin brother roles) but in the end he quite distinguishes himself. This is a great yarn to begin with, similar to The Prisoner of Zenda of course, but it’s really made into a smart, really fun film here. It’s well written and casted (Warren William, Joan Bennett, Schildkraut) and directed with panache. I’ll even give the edge to this one over Zenda, second to Captain Blood among the five swashbucklers I’ve watched for this project.

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TMDaines
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#227 Post by TMDaines » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:45 am

Finally got around to making IMDb lists of the results of the three previous iterations of this decade:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls041071673/
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls043564194/
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls043569741/

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#228 Post by BenoitRouilly » Tue Jan 29, 2019 3:02 pm

TMDaines wrote:
Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:45 am
Finally got around to making IMDb lists of the results of the three previous iterations of this decade:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls041071673/
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls043564194/
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls043569741/
Thanks for that.
What happened to Aleksandr Nevski? in the top10 in poll 1 and 2 and disappears in 3. Has it become ineligible?
Although I'm glad Riefenthal has vanished as well.
I wish Ozu was a bit higher in the ranks...
And will La règle du jeu lose its top seat this time around??? The Only Son, or An Inn in Tokyo could easily equal it and substitute.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#229 Post by swo17 » Tue Jan 29, 2019 3:11 pm

It's always been eligible but it slipped to 104th place during the last round

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Rayon Vert
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#230 Post by Rayon Vert » Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:26 am

The Only Son (Ozu 1936). [rewatch] Such a tender while clear-eyed film. Ozu really has an ability to make you empathize with each character’s point of view.


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The Masseurs and a Woman (Shimizu 1938). Quite the eccentric, enchanting film. This is such a feather-light comedy for most of it, but with a delicacy joined to the sometimes very broad humor. Then it takes a turn for the subtly poignant with the narrative development involving the uncle and his adopted nephew. The setting among the mountain inns, with the nature sounds on the soundtrack, is really part of the immense charm. I actually liked this more than Mr. Thank You.


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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Taurog 1938). That last portion in the caves felt just a little long, but otherwise this was really solid and endearing. It’s well directed and the actors, including all the kids, are really good. They’re cute, but the film is never cloying or overly sentimental. It looks great too, and in this case the use of Technicolor really added to the quality of wonder.


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Sans lendemain (Ophüls 1939). Evelyne is now a cabaret dancer and tries to hide her circumstances now that the man she once loved in Canada has come back to Paris to visit. This was pretty damn good, surprisingly so given I had no expectations. A noir-ish fallen woman melodrama, directed with sensitivity towards the lead character, as is Ophuls’ wont, and beautifully and atmospherically photographed. (This was released in France in March 1940, but before that in Algiers in December 1939.)


King Kong (Cooper & Schoedsack 1933). As I watched this I thought how original the idea of the film was for its time, and I was impressed by the fact that the filmmakers thought they could achieve it. The quality of the special effects surprised me, even if I knew of their reputation. Less expected though was the level of the violence, whether between the beasts or the way the pissed Kong dispatches humans. It won’t be a contender for me but it was very likeable for the most part, and sometimes impressive. I liked the set-up of the story, the meta aspect of the film director finding a Depression-hit young woman to make his picture. When he reassures the heroine that he’s giving her a job that isn’t an opportunity to hit on her, you can’t help but think of the film as a projected rape fantasy: I’ll bring you to this island where my Id will do the job. Less fun is the moment the crew meets dinosaurs: Wow, look, those are dinosaurs. Let’s kill them. It made me root for the non-human animals earlier than I was supposed to. But really the film, unlike the later versions, never tries to evoke sympathy for the big ape.


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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Mamoulian 1931). Speaking of Ids... I really loved this film. The mood and atmosphere, March’s performance, the relationship between Jekyll and his fiancé (good actress), all had me very involved and enchanted even before we reach the transformation. Mamoulian is known as a visually busy director, but I thought everything he used here – the frequent subjective POV shots, the extreme close-ups, the slow dissolves, the symbolic cutaways – all worked to give it style and depth. It’s intensely dramatic as much as it’s suspenseful. Definitely now my favorite 30s horror film, and it would have placed no. 2 on my Pre-Code list if I had received the dvd on time!

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#231 Post by BenoitRouilly » Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:23 pm

Rayon Vert wrote:
Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:26 am
The Only Son (Ozu 1936). [rewatch] Such a tender while clear-eyed film. Ozu really has an ability to make you empathize with each character’s point of view.
So is it a Top10 contender? I believe There was a father is a stronger contender of the same vein (albeit from 1942). But I realise that competing with La Rêgle du Jeu is a bit difficult. An Inn in Tokyo and A Story of Floating Weeds (almost better than its colour self-remake of 1959) are solid competition.

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Rayon Vert
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#232 Post by Rayon Vert » Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:06 pm

No it falls short of my list, but another Ozu film will be on it.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#233 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:42 pm

There Was a Father is a rare Ozu film for which I have more respect than affection. I find it fairly off-putting (maybe this was deliberate) -- albeit vastly more appealing than Toda Family (which has almost all the worst characteristics of its inspiration, Make Way for Tomorrow). My very favorite early films are Tokyo Inn and Only Son (which get lots of both love and respect). Story of Floating Weeds is, I feel, equal to but very different from Floating Weeds. Despite sharing many (most) plot points, the two films have radically different looks and feels. I would rate SoFW as Ozu's most visually beautiful black and white film (and Floating Weeds as his most visually beautiful color film).

It is a shame that no adequate home video version exists of Tokyo Inn -- probably no one wants to invest money on a film in such deteriorated condition...

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domino harvey
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#234 Post by domino harvey » Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:53 pm

Just compiled and submitted my list. No huge surprises for a list from me, but some rejiggering of placement for many titles, and my number one is certainly a "How dare you" directed at some vocal crazies on this forum (though it was already going to be my number one). Letterboxd's decade-sorting featured helped me immensely in not overlooking any qualifying films I'd seen. There was zero danger of any Ozu making my list, but one of the Shimizu titles placed nicely-- one of the few gains from undertaking the board's All Time List a couple years back (and another, Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht, placed just below my top 50)

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#235 Post by BenoitRouilly » Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:16 pm

It's not Ozu's best decade... so I only have 7 on my list. :)
I think I prefer Story of Floating Weeds (rougher, more sketchy in comparison to the colour "remake") to Floating Weeds (which I agree is visually stunning! more lavish and impeccably mis en scène)
Is it the subject matter in There Was a Father that is unpleasant? It's a grim story but it's beautifuly shot. I believe it's the one with the iconic scene of father and son fly fishing in the river and the two fishing rods moving as one until the father tells the boy he must leave away from home to study, Then the rods stop being synchronised. A beautiful scene showing more than telling in one gesture. (but wrong decade, sorry about that)

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#236 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Feb 03, 2019 5:57 pm

The ostensible underlying message of There Was a Father is sheer militarist propaganda -- duty to nation (and the notion of honor that accompanies this) trumps every personal concern, no matter how painful it might be to do so. I would like to think that Ozu subtly undermines this propaganda by the way he ends the film -- but fear I might be wanting to do this solely because I love Ozu's work so much. The only other (surviving) Ozu film that is near-unalloyed propaganda is Toda Family, which I find too unpleasant overall to want to rehabilitate (though one could argue he does a bit of last-minute undermining here as well).

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domino harvey
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#237 Post by domino harvey » Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:11 pm

I mean, in times of war, why is that an objectionable vantage point?

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#238 Post by Mr Sausage » Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:16 pm

domino harvey wrote:I mean, in times of war, why is that an objectionable vantage point?
Depends on the reasons for being in the war, I guess. Surely full throated militarist propaganda supporting the Iraq war, say, is objectionable in ways it’s not when supporting the American war effort in WWII.

Considering Japan’s ugly racist and colonialist actions in China and Korea, the war crimes their army committed, and the fact they were a theocratic dictatorship with a strong militaristic and jingoistic ethos—given all that, why shouldn’t someone object to Japanese war time propaganda? That propaganda during war time is logical has little to do with whether its objectionable. One can loathe the values of something while still acknowledging there were few reasons for it to be otherwise.

I do agree with your point that propaganda isn’t automatically objectionable, or at least doesn’t deserve summary dismissal. Some of the greatest art in history is propaganda (The Faerie Queen, The Aeneid, The Lusiads), and not necessarily for nice things.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#239 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:18 pm

The propaganda line Ozu's film seems to promote was remarkably anti-humane -- a complete subordination of any and all human values (even the closest of family ties) in favor of carrying out the will of the state. If Ozu was actually covertly trying to say this policy was cruel and wrong, it would be a brilliant film. But was he?

In any event, I prefer the unmistakably humane and liberal Tokyo Inn -- which features incredible performances and wonderful (and sometimes surprising) cinematography.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#240 Post by knives » Sun Feb 03, 2019 10:00 pm

To continue a devil's advocate play, though, does a work need to be humane to be good?

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#241 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Feb 03, 2019 10:29 pm

Perhaps not, but I choose to _dislike_ markedly inhumane films... ;-)

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#242 Post by swo17 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 12:55 pm

Just as a reminder, lists are due this week. Also, the current round of film club is devoted to one of Rayon Vert's recommendations, Gold Diggers of 1933.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#243 Post by BenoitRouilly » Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:39 pm

I just sent my list via PM. Do we get to see each individual lists at some point? (Sorry it's my first participation)

In my Top50 list I have a few of my picks that are not listed in the google sheet linked in the first post is it OK?

À propos de Nice (1930) VIGO/KAUFMAN
Where are the dreams of youth ? (1932) OZU
The Lady and the Beard (1931) OZU
Tiaming / Dawn / Daybreak (1933) SUN Yu
Wild Rose (1932) SUN Yu
Glass Eye (1930/BRIK/JEMTCHOUJNY/USSR)
Prix de Beauté (1930) GENINA
Spring Silkworms  (1933) CHENG Bugao

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swo17
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#244 Post by swo17 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:42 pm

Many contributors will often share their lists after I've posted the final results.

And yes, you are absolutely allowed to vote for films not listed in that spreadsheet. That is just a list of every film that received a vote during the last round, which might give you ideas for viewing and/or reminders of eligible films.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#245 Post by BenoitRouilly » Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:45 pm

OK Thanks. Looking forward the result and the individual lists

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#246 Post by TMDaines » Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:41 am

I'll be last minute as usual!

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the preacher
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#247 Post by the preacher » Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:08 am

Done! Country breakdown:
Argentina-1
Austria-2
China-2
France-6
Germany-7
Italy-2
Japan-2
Mexico-1
Poland-1
Spain-1
Switzerland-1
Czechoslovakia-1
United Kingdom-3
United States-20

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swo17
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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#248 Post by swo17 » Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:11 pm

Hey, here's a clue: The current top 2 are big risers compared to our prior list, both hailing from the same country.

There are a lot of new contributors this time, and a lot of prior contributors that I haven't heard from as of yet, so this is still anybody's ballgame, folks.

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#249 Post by HinkyDinkyTruesmith » Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:21 pm

I have one or two last minute things to watch tonight––just to confirm, the lists are due at any point tomorrow, or?

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Re: The 1930s List: Discussion and Suggestions

#250 Post by swo17 » Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:27 pm

By the end of the day tomorrow, yes

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