Top 10 Films of 1934

1. "It Happened One Night" (Frank Capra, Columbia)

2. "The Gay Divorcee" (Mark Sandrich, RKO)

3. "The Thin Man" (W.S. Van Dyke, MGM)

4. "The Merry Widow" (Ernst Lubitsch, MGM)

5. "L'Atalante" (Jean Vigo, France)

6. "Twentieth Century" (Howard Hawks, Columbia)

7. "It's A Gift" (Norman McLeod, Paramount)

8. "The Story Of Floating Weeds" (Yasujiro Ozu, Japan)

9. "Tarzan And His Mate" (Cedric Gibbons, Jack Conway, MGM)

10. "La signora di tutti" (Max Ophuls, Italy)

Other great films:

Amok (France)
Anne Of Green Gables
Babes In Toyland
The Black Cat
Bright Eyes
Chapayev (Soviet Union)
Co moj maz robi w nocy? (Poland)
Czarna perla (Poland)
Czy Lucyna to dziewczyna (Poland)
Dames
Fashions Of 1934
Flirtation Walk

Four Frightened People

Hollywood Party
House Of Rothschild
Jolly Fellows (Soviet Union)
Judge Priest
Kid Millions

Lac aux dames (France)
Little Miss Marker
The Lost Patrol
Manhattan Melodrama

Maniac
Man Of Aran
The Man Who Knew Too Much (UK)
Mother Should Be Loved (Japan)
Music In The Air
My Heart Calls You (Germany)
One Night Of Love
Operator 13
Piesniarz Warszawy (Poland)

The Road To Ruin

The Scarlet Empress
Stand Up And Cheer
Three Songs Of Lenin (Soviet Union)
Wonder Bar
You're Telling Me!
Zou Zou

Short Top 3:

1. "Granton Trawler" (John Grierson, UK)

2. "Pett and Pott" (Andrea Cavalcanti, UK)

3. "The Hearts Of Age" (Orson Welles, USA)

Other great shorts:

Elysia Valley Of The Nude

Going Bye Bye
Strikes And Spares
Them Thar Hills
We Live In Prague (Czechoslovakia)

Cartoon Top 10

1. "The Tortoise And The Hare" (Wilfred Jackson, Disney)

2. "Playful Pluto" (Burt Gillett, Disney)

3. "A Dream Walking" (Dave Fleischer, Paramount)

4. "La Joie de vivre" (Anthony Gross, Hector Hoppin, France)

5. "1936" (Takao Nakano, Yoshitsugu Tanaka, Japan)

6. "She Wronged Him Right" (Dave Fleischer, Paramount)

7. "Two-Gun Mickey" (Ben Sharpsteen, Disney)

8. "The Grasshopper And The Ants" (Wilfred Jackson, Disney)

9. "King's Up" (Walter Lantz, Universal)

10. "Philips Cavalcade" (George Pal, Holland)

Other great cartoons:

Aladdin And The Wonderful Lamp

Bam-Bam (Sweden)

Beauty And The Beast
Betty Boop's Trial

Betty in Blunderland
The Big Bad Wolf

Buddy's Circus
Buddy's Garage
Buddy's Trolley Troubles
Buddy The Gob
Camping Out
The Dance Contest
The Dog-napper
Don Quixote
The Flying Mouse

Ginger Bread Boy
The Goddess Of Spring
Gulliver Mickey
Honeymoon Hotel
How Do I Know It's Sunday
Jolly Little Elves
Let's Sing With Popeye
Mickey Plays Papa
Mickey's Steamroller
Mild Cargo
Muratti Greift Ein (Germany)
The Old Pioneer
Orphans' Benefit

Poor Cinderella
Shanghaied

She Reminds Me Of You
There's Something About A Soldier
Those Were Wonderful Days
We Aim To Please
The Wise Little Hen

Weak films of 1934:

The Affairs Of Cellini
Baby Take A Bow
The Barretts Of Wimpole Street
The Cat's-Paw
Chloe, Love Is Calling You
Cleopatra

Eclipse (Japan)
The Ghost Walks
The Goddess (China)
Here Comes The Navy

Hide-Out
Imitation Of Life
Mauvaise graine (France)
Mlody las (Poland)
Now And Forever
Now I'll Tell
Of Human Bondage
The Old Fashioned Way

Our Neighbor Miss Yae (Japan)
The Richest Girl In The World
She Loves Me Not
Street Without End (Japan)
Viva Villa
Zamarle echo (Poland)

Weak shorts:

City Of Wax
La Cucaracha
Hollywood Rhythm
The Live Ghost
Men In Black
Mixed Nuts
The New Frontier
Nieuwe Gronden (Holland)
Oliver The 8th
Song Of Ceylon (UK)

Weak cartoons:

Betty Boop's Lifeguard
Batty Boop's Little Pal
Betty Boop's Prize Show
Betty Boop's Rise To Fame
Bosko's Parlor Pranks
The Brave Tin Soldier
Buddy And Towser
Buddy Of The Apes
Buddy's Bearcats
Buddy The Detective
Buddy The Woodsman
The China Shop
County Fair
The Discontented Canary
Funny Little Bunnies
The Girl At The Ironing Board
Goin' To Heaven On A Mule
Good Scouts
Ha! Ha! Ha!
The Headless Horseman
Hell's Fire
Holiday Land
In Darkest Africa
Insultin' The Sultan
Jack Frost
Keep In Style
A Little Bird Told Me
The Little Red Hen
The Miller's Daughter
Parrotville Fire Department
Pastrytown Wedding
Peculiar Penguins
Pettin' In The Park
Pop Goes Your Heart
Puss In Boots
Queen Of Hearts
Rasslin' Round
Red Hot Mamma
Shake Your Powder Puff
Ship Of Ether (Holland)
Tale Of The Vienna Woods
Those Beautiful Dames
Toyland Broadcast
The Valiant Tailor
Viva Buddy
Viva Willie
When My Ship Comes In
Why Do I Dream Those Dreams

Top 3 Musicals of 1934

1. "The Gay Divorcee" (Mark Sandrich, RKO)


2. "The Merry Widow" (Ernst Lubitsch, MGM)


3. "Dames" (Ray Enright, Warner)

Tarzan And His Mate (1934) ****

La Signora di tutti (1934) ****

One of the best Italian films of the 1930's, a powerful melodrama directed by Max Ophuls. Amazing camerawork.

The Scarlet Empress (1934) ****

Wonder Bar (1934) ****

Memorable film starring Al Jolson and Dick Powell. One of the best Warner Brothers musicals of the 1930's, with the legendary "Boys will be boys!" gay joke (photo) - very daring for the time. Musical numbers (by Busby Berkeley):

"Don't Say Goodnight" ***
"Goin' To Heaven On A Mule" ***

The Story Of Floating Weeds (1934) ****

One of Ozu's silent masterpieces, remade 25 years later with sound and in color.

Fashions Of 1934 (1934) ***

It has only two songs and one dance number (choreographed by Busby Berkeley), but it's still a pure Hollywood musical of the "backstage" tradition.  Musical numbers:

"Spin A Little Web Of Dreams"  ***
"Broken Melody"

My Heart Calls You (1934) ***

A real curiosity - a German film made during the Nazi era, directed by an Italian, and starring Jan Kiepura, a half-Jewish tenor from Poland. Beautiful operatic arias, and no politics whatsoever.

The Road To Ruin (1934) ***

Maniac (1934) ***

Four Frightened People (1934) ***

Amok (1934) ***

Mother Should Be Loved (1934) ***

This "hahamono" film by Yasujiro Ozu is missing the first and the last reel. It's a story of two brothers and their relationship with their mother.

House Of Rothschild (1934) ***

The story of how the Rothschild family became rich and powerful during the Napoleonic Wars by siding with the British.

Piesniarz Warszawy (1934) ***

Eugeniusz Bodo i piosenki Henryka Warsa:

"Juz taki jestem zimny dran"  ***
"Zrob to tak"  **
"Tylko z toba i dla ciebie"  **

Flirtation Walk (1934) ***

Two films (a Hawaii musical and a West Point musical) for the price of one. Songs include:

“Mr And Mrs Is The Name” ***
“Along Flirtation Walk” ***

Judge Priest (1934) ***

Nice little film about an old judge from a small Kentucky town in the 1890's. One of Stepin Fetchit's best films. A perfect example of pure "Americana". Directed by John Ford.

Operator 13 (1934) ***

Tense spy drama set during the Civil War, starring Marion Davis as a Yankee secret agent, and Gary Cooper as her Confederate counterpart.

Stand Up And Cheer (1934) ***

Uneven musical that suddenly comes alive when Shirley Temple appears in her feature film debut. Musical numbers:

"I'M Laughin'"  *
"Baby Take A Bow"  ***
"Broadway's Gone Hill-Billy"  **
"This Is Our Last Night Together"  *
"We're Out Of The Red"  *

Lac aux dames (1934) ***

Czarna perla (1934) ***

Dwie piosenki Henryka Warsa:

"W hawajska noc"  **
"Dla ciebie chce byc biala"  **

The Affairs Of Cellini (1934) **

Entertaining, but hardly memorable swashbuckling comedy set in Renaissance Florence.

The Barretts Of Wimpole Street (1934) **

A control-freak father forbids his daughters to marry. A story of patriarchal tyranny with a hint of incest.

Our Neighbor Miss Yae (1934) **

A pleasant Japanese suburban comedy, but nothing particularly memorable.

Imitation Of Life (1934) **

Not as good as the 1959's remake by Douglas Sirk.

Eclipse (1934) **

Silent melodrama by Hiroshi Shimizu. The script was written by Masao Arata, based on a story by Masao Kume.

Now And Forever (1934) **

Shirley Temple only has a supporting role in this family drama starring Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard.

The Old Fashioned Way (1934) **

W.C.Fields plays a crooked vaudeville artist.

The Richest Girl In The World (1934) *

Rather boring, ordinary film.

Baby Take A Bow (1934) *

One of Shirley Temple's worst films, involving stolen jewelry.

Here Comes The Navy (1934) *

Now I'll Tell (1934) *

Shirley Temple only has a brief cameo in this film starring Spencer Tracy.

Zamarle echo (1934) *

Boring “mountain film” from Poland.

Mlody las (1934) *

Polish film about the resistance against the tsarist occupation among Polish students.

Hide-Out (1934) *

A wounded gangster hides with a decent family in the countryside.

Street Without End (1934) *

Mikio Naruse's last silent movie is a weak melodrama about a waitress who marries a rich man, but is rejected by his family. Hard to believe that such a cliche-ridden film was directed by the same man who only a year later would made such a masterpiece of nuance and subtlety as "Wife Be Like A Rose" (1935).

Pett And Pott (1934) ***

Directed by Andrea Cavalcanti. Two families react differently to a threat of robbery. Smart and nice Petts install a telephone. Stupid and evil Potts hire a maid (who, as it turns out, works for the robbers). A timely call from Pett's telephone allows the police to catch the thieves. Produced by John Grierson for the GPO Film Unit, this film might be a little too off-beat for its own good, but it's still a uniquely bizarre curiosity.

Granton Trawler (1934) ***

British documentary short directed by John Grierson. In this film, the camera moves constantly, closely following the rocking movements of the fishing boat. Up and down, right and left - in perfect synch with the movements of the waves.

Elysia Valley Of The Nude (1934) ***

The Hearts Of Age (1934) ***

Orson Welles' film debut. Is it an embarrassingly bad movie, full of pretentious symbolism and incoherent images, or a clever parody of surrealistic experimental films that were quite popular at the time ?

Strikes And Spares (1934) ***

Everything you always wanted to know about bowling.

We Live In Prague (1934) ***

Going Bye Bye (1934) ***

Stan and Ollie anger a dangerous criminal.

Them Thar Hills (1934) ***

Stan and Ollie enjoy a camping holiday in the mountains.

Hollywood Rhythm (1934) **

Directed by Herbert Moulton and produced by Paramount. A behind-the-screen look at Hollywood songwriters (Mack Gordon and Harry Revel) working with Lyda Roberti and Jack Oakie.

La Cucaracha (1934) **

Oscar-winning short in color. Nothing special.

The Live Ghost (1934) **

Laurel & Hardy get shanghaied.

Nieuwe Gronden (1934) *

Directed by Joris Ivens. A documentary about Holland's irrigation projects and the drop in the prices of wheat. Length: 29 min.

The New Frontier (1934) *

This is one of many documentaries about New Deal initiatives undertaken by the Roosevelt Administration in 1930's. Unfortunately, this film isn't in the same league as "The Plow That Broke The Plains" (1936), "The River" (1937) or "Power And The Land" (1940). W.B.McClure isn't Pare Lorentz or Joris Ivens.

Oliver The 8th (1934) *

Ollie finds himself in the clutches of a black widow.

Mixed Nuts (1934) *

A dated Hal Roach short directed by James Parrott. A gentle satire on New Deal policies, with government spending money to provide retraining for chorus girls in a finishing school. This short was mistakenly included on a Laurel & Hardy's DVD collection ("The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 7"), even though neither Stan nor Ollie appear in it.

City Of Wax (1934) *

Boring documentary about bees.

Men In Black (1934) *

A boring comedy short starring The Three Stooges. Unexplicably nominated for an Oscar.

Song Of Ceylon (1934) *

Directed by B.Wright. Documentary film about Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), produced by John Grierson for the Empire Marketing Board.

Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934) **

This film has probably been playing for years at various Ku Klux Klan rallies across the South (probably after "The Birth Of A Nation" and before "Santa Fe Trail"). Well made, it's a story of an innocent white girl kidnapped as an infant child by a black voodoo priestess. And if I just spoiled the film's punchline, that serves you right for wanting to see such a racist piece of crap in the first place. There is a great review of this film that condemns its racism on blackhorrormovies.com.

Cleopatra (1934) **

Cecil B. DeMille's version of the famous story is inferior to the 1963 epic. It didn't age well.

Zou Zou (1934) ***

Josephine Baker's first film is a weak melodrama with excellent musical numbers, inspired by Busby Berkeley.

You're Telling Me! (1934) ***

W.C.Fields plays an inventor in this amusing comedy.

Three Songs Of Lenin (1934) ***

A cinematic tribute to the founder of Soviet Union. The first part is set in Central Asia. The second part consists mostly of archival footages of Lenin himself. In both segments, director Dziga Verov abandons his famous experiments with superimpositions and rapid-fire editing, replacing them with solemnity and idealistic naivety. The last part, however, is a brilliant piece of socialist propaganda, glorifying the alleged economic successes of the Soviet state.

One Night Of Love (1934) ***

Grace Moore plays an opera singer in this high-brow musical film. In addition to countless operatic arias (all superb), there are also two songs:

"One Night Of Love" **
"Ciri-Biri-Bin" **

Music In The Air (1934) ***

Musical film starring Gloria Swanson as an opera star in Munich. Songs by Jerome Kerns and Oscar Hammerstein include:

"I've Told Every Little Star" **
"One More Dance" *
"I'M So Eager" *
"We Belong Together" *

Of Human Bondage (1934) **

Bette Davis' overrated performance is the only interesting aspect of this otherwise mediocre adaptation of Somerset Maugham's novel.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) ***

Alfred Hitchcock's own opinion notwithstanding, this is undoubtedly the better of the two versions.