Best of 1934
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- DirectorSidney FranklinStarsNorma ShearerFredric MarchCharles LaughtonElizabeth Barrett's tyrannical father has forbidden any of his family to marry. Nevertheless, Elizabeth falls in love with the poet Robert Browning.
- DirectorAlfred L. WerkerSidney LanfieldStarsGeorge ArlissBoris KarloffLoretta YoungThe wealthy Rothschild family undergoes prejudice from the anti-Semitic society they live within.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsClark GableClaudette ColbertWalter ConnollyA rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.
- DirectorVictor SchertzingerStarsGrace MooreTullio CarminatiLyle TalbotMary Barrett is an aspiring Opera singer who is taken under the wings of a famous operatic maestro, Guilio Monterverdi. After spending endless working hours together and arguing, their relationship develops into love. But, jealousy and misunderstandings prevent Mary and Guilio from acknowledging their true feelings.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKatharine HepburnJoan BennettPaul LukasA chronicle of the lives of sisters growing up in 19th-century New England.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyMaureen O'SullivanFormer detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.
- DirectorJack ConwayHoward HawksWilliam A. WellmanStarsWallace BeeryFay WrayLeo CarrilloAfter enacting revenge on the overseer who murdered his father, Pancho Villa becomes a bandit, earning the respect of the poor by brutally attacking the wealthy.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsMarie DresslerJohn BarrymoreWallace BeeryAffluent Millicent and Oliver Jordan throw a dinner for a handful of wealthy and/or well-born acquaintances, each of whom has much to reveal.
- DirectorRowland V. LeeStarsRobert DonatElissa LandiLouis CalhernAfter greedy men have Edmond Dantes unjustly imprisoned for 20 years for innocently delivering a letter entrusted to him, he escapes to get his revenge on them.
- DirectorFrank LloydStarsLeslie HowardHeather AngelValerie TaylorA young American man comes to believe that he can will himself back to London in the time of the American Revolution and meet his ancestors, who lived in the house he has just inherited.
- DirectorMark SandrichStarsFred AstaireGinger RogersAlice BradyA woman thinks a flirting man is the co-respondent her lawyer has hired to expedite her divorce.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsWill RogersTom BrownAnita LouiseJudge Priest, a proud Confederate veteran, uses common sense and considerable humanity to dispense justice in a small town in the Post-Bellum Kentucky.
- DirectorVictor FlemingStarsWallace BeeryJackie CooperLionel BarrymoreYoung Jim Hawkins is torn between his loyalty to his benefactors and his affection for lovable rogue Long John Silver in their struggle to recover a buried pirate treasure.
- DirectorRouben MamoulianStarsGreta GarboJohn GilbertIan KeithQueen 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.
- DirectorJosef von SternbergStarsMarlene DietrichJohn LodgeSam JaffeA German noblewoman enters into a loveless marriage with the dim-witted, unstable heir to the Russian throne, then plots to oust him from power.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsBette DavisLeslie HowardFrances DeeA young man finds himself attracted to a cold, unfeeling waitress who might ultimately destroy them both.
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsFredric MarchEvelyn VenableGuy StandingThe Grim Reaper takes the form of a Prince in an attempt to relate to humans and, along the way, also learns what it is to love.
- DirectorJames CruzeStarsWill RogersLouise DresserEvelyn VenableRogers plays a small town banker in the 1890s whose chief rival is the deacon (Middleton) with whom he has traded horse flesh. Taylor is a bank teller who places a winning $4,500 bet on a 10-1 harness racing horse, making him Rogers' bank partner.
- DirectorThornton FreelandStarsDolores Del RíoGene RaymondRaul RoulienA bandleader woos a Latin flame who is already engaged to his employer.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsAdolphe MenjouDorothy DellCharles BickfordBookie Sorrowful Jones receives a little girl as an IOU.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsFredric MarchGary CooperMiriam HopkinsA woman cannot decide between two men who love her, and the trio agree to try living together in a platonic friendly relationship.
- DirectorJohn M. StahlStarsMargaret SullavanJohn BolesEdna May OliverA one-night fling during World War I results in a young girl getting pregnant. Years later, she meets him again. Now a successful businessman, he doesn't even remember her, but tries to seduce her.
- DirectorGregory La CavaStarsHelen HayesBrian AherneMadge EvansThe story takes place in Scotland, where plain Maggie Wylie's family, fearing she may become a spinster, finances young John Shand's studies in return for his agreement to marry her in five years. Recognizing his ambitions, Maggie helps to guide his career without his realizing it. He honors his commitment, even though he does not feel real love for her as she does for him. Will he succumb to the wiles of young aristocratic beauty Sybil, or learn to appreciate Maggie's true worth?
- DirectorNorman TaurogStarsPauline LordW.C. FieldsZasu PittsThe Wiggs family plan to celebrate Thanksgiving in their rundown shack with leftover stew, without Mr. Wiggs, who hasn't been heard from since he wandered off long ago. Do-gooder Miss Lucy brings them a real feast. Her boyfriend Bob arranges to take Wiggs' sick boy to a hospital. Their other boy makes some money peddling kindling and takes the family to a show. Mrs. Wiggs is called to the hospital just in time to see her boy die. Her neighbor Miss Hazy wants to marry Mr. Stubbins, who insists on tasting her cooking. Mrs. Wiggs sneaks her dishes past Stubbins, who agrees to marriage. Mr. Wiggs appears suddenly, in tatters, with just the amount of money ($20) needed to save the family from foreclosure. Miss Lucy and Bob get married.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsEdgar DearingPeter FreuchenEdward HearnThe happy life of an Eskimo is disastrously changed when he mingles with an unscrupulous white trader.
- DirectorRichard BoleslawskiStarsClark GableMyrna LoyJean HersholtAn idealistic doctor must make some hard choices between his dedication to the profession and his personal life.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsClaudette ColbertWarren WilliamHenry WilcoxonThe man-hungry Queen of Egypt leads Julius Caesar and Marc Antony astray, amid scenes of DeMillean splendor.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJohn BarrymoreCarole LombardWalter ConnollyA flamboyant Broadway impresario who has fallen on hard times tries to get his former lover, now a Hollywood diva, to return and resurrect his failing career.
- DirectorBerthold ViertelFritz WendhausenStarsHermann ThimigHertha ThieleViktor de KowaA young couple struggling against poverty must keep their marriage a secret in order for the husband to keep his job, as his boss doesn't like to hire married men.
- DirectorLee GarmesBen HechtCharles MacArthurStarsClaude RainsMargoWhitney BourneProminent lawyer shoots unfaithful girlfriend during quarrel, has to establish alibi.
- DirectorGregory La CavaStarsConstance BennettFredric MarchFrank MorganThe 16th-century sculptor woos the Duchess of Florence despite the duke.
- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsJean MuirDonald WoodsRussell HardieDrama following the lives of an immigrant farm family in Maine.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsVictor McLaglenBoris KarloffWallace FordA dozen British soldiers, lost in a Mesopotamian desert during World War I, are menaced by unseen Arab enemies.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsMarie DresslerLionel BarrymoreHelen MackWhen the painter Christopher Bean dies, some unscrupulous art dealers try to get several of his paintings cheaply from a family who have no idea of their value.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodHugh HarmanRudolf IsingStarsRichard ArlenRoscoe AtesWilliam AustinIn Victorian England a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland populated by even more fantastic characters.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsPaul MuniGlenda FarrellNed SparksThe managing editor for a newspaper, in hot water with his boss, is demoted to writing the "Nellie Nelson" heart throb column, where he gets the unexpected opportunity to crack a major story.
- DirectorEdmund GouldingStarsNorma ShearerRobert MontgomeryHerbert MarshallMary is an impetuous romantic who marries British aristocrat Lord Philip Rexford on a whim. Their marriage is successful, though, and they grow closer over the years.
- DirectorSam TaylorHarold LloydStarsHarold LloydUna MerkelGeorge BarbierA naive missionary brought up in China returns to America to seek a wife. Corrupt politicians enlist him to run for mayor as a dummy candidate with no chance of winning.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsFrankie DarroGeorge P. BreakstonJimmy ButlerFrail Nemecsek, a lonely boy craving belonging, idolizes charismatic Boka, leader of a gang, in an evocative depiction of youth's pain and war's senselessness.
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsDorothea WieckEvelyn VenableGuy StandingThe only filmed English version of Gregorio Martinez Sierra's classic Spanish play.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeHoward HawksStarsMyrna LoyMax BaerPrimo CarneraAn ex-sailor turned boxer finds romance and gets a shot at the heavyweight title.
- DirectorRichard BoleslawskiStarsMarion DaviesGary CooperJean ParkerUnion spy Gail Loveless impersonates a black maid in the early days of the Civil War, but complications arise when she falls in love with a Confederate officer.
- DirectorAlfred SantellStarsAnn HardingJohn BolesHelen VinsonPromising politician John Shadwell is married to Laura but in love with Vergie Winters, a milliner from his hometown. As Shadwell's political career blooms, gossip and rumors begin to cause Vergie to be shunned by the women of the town. Soon the two are constantly faced with the threat of exposure and scandal.
- DirectorSidney LanfieldStarsGeorge ArlissEdna May OliverJanet BeecherIn New England circa 1933, a niece is reported missing and presumed dead and Cabot Barr (George Arliss) summons his relatives to the family estate for a memorial service. Once there, Barr taunts each one, claiming their only interest in him is his money, and sends them away when the report about the niece proves to be false. Only niece Marjorie, who has ridiculed one of his pet eccentricities, seems to be the object of any sentimental affection. Weeks later, Marjorie and her mother, Augusta (Edna May Oliver) and Allan (Frank Albertson), a young man Barr admires, are invited to Barr manor, where Barr fosters a romance between Marjorie and Allan. When his son, Judd (Donald Meek), seeks to have him declared insane, the shock kills the old man. Again, the family is gathered, a curtain is drawn and the old man appears on a film, and he tells each relative what he is leaving them and why, or why not in the case of Judd who is cut off without a cent. Marjorie is left the bulk of the estate as the old man, on film, declares her to be the only one worthy of carrying on the Barr traditions, and Allan is instructed to marry her and take her name as his family's cognomen. The film and the film within ends with Barr announcing that he hopes to have the pleasure of meeting them all again in another world.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsRonald ColmanLoretta YoungWarner OlandAlgy, Bulldog Drummond's right-hand-man, is getting married. Bulldog attends; on the way home, in the fog, he enters the (apparently deserted) mansion of Prince Achmed in search of a phone. He finds none, but he does find a body - which disappears when he summons a bobby. Bodies keep disappearing as Drummond keeps summoning the authorities, particularly his long-suffering upstairs neighbor, Captain Nielsen; the ever faithful Algy also finds his wedding night disrupted by, among other things, some emergency code-breaking. And of course, there's a beautiful woman (there's always a beautiful woman in the case), Lola, who turns out to be the daughter of the dead man who started all this.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsJohn BarrymoreBebe DanielsDoris KenyonA successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns that his wife has been unfaithful.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsLeslie HowardKay FrancisWilliam GarganIt's 1917. In Russia, the Communist revolution is in full swing. Stephen 'Steve' Locke is a British agent in Russia. The main task of Steve is to prevent the Bolsheviks, led by Joseph Stalin, to sign in Petrograd a separate treaty with the Germans. Germany had been at war with its neighbors. Steve has to deal with Elena Moura, the attractive secretary of Lenin and spy too. Steve falls in love with Elena.
- DirectorSergei EisensteinStarsMartín HernándezIsabel VillaseñorFélix BalderasAs was common in Diaz's Mexico, a young hacienda worker finds his betrothed imprisoned and his life threatened by his master for confronting a hacienda guest for raping the girl.
- DirectorRowland V. LeeStarsLilian HarveyGene RaymondLeslie BanksTony Malatini, a puppeteer, at Paris' Theatre des Marionettes notices that his audience consists of only 7 people. He visits his successful competitor on the corner to see why people are drawn to it. After seeing Suzanne, the competitors popular dancer, Tony is mesmerized by her. He goes backstage to see her and asks her if he can make a puppet of her to use in his show. Over-hearing this, the Baron, Suzanne's controlling manager, castigates Suzanne threatening to set her free. Suzanne terrified of being on her own, begs the Baron to marry her and not to leave her. Tony comes during one of Suzanne's performances and begs her not to marry the Baron. Upset, Suzanne falls into the orchestra pit and injures herself to the extent that she won't dance again. Baron leaves Suzanne, but Tony with a doctor's help puts her through a vigorous exercise program. Tony also shows her how to be a puppeteer. Tony confesses to Suzanne that his true friends are his puppets. He picks up the puppet of Suzanne and tells her that he is in love with this puppet. Suzanne not realizing that he means her becomes confused. Together they put on a successful celebrity puppet show. During a celebration party, Tony decides he will propose marriage to her uniquely. He picks up the puppet of her and asks it to marry him. Suzanne becomes jealous and confused...
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsJames CagneyPat O'BrienGloria StuartA cocky guy joins the Navy for the wrong reason but finds romance and twice is cited for heroism.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsWill RogersPeggy WoodMary CarlisleA small-town druggist is henpecked by his social-climbing wife to sell his pharmacy to a national chain. In addition, she tries to set up her pretty young daughter with the nitwit son of the chain's owner, even though the girl is in love with the handsome son of the town doctor. Finally the druggist decides he's had enough and takes matters into his own hands.
- DirectorErik CharellStarsCharles BoyerLoretta YoungJean ParkerMember of royal family is forced to marry a vagabond.