The Best of 1931
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- DirectorFritz LangStarsPeter LorreEllen WidmannInge LandgutWhen the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinVirginia CherrillFlorence LeeWith the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsRaymond CordyHenri MarchandRolla FranceSeeking better life, two convicts escape from prison.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsColin CliveMae ClarkeBoris KarloffDr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsJames CagneyJean HarlowEdward WoodsAn Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
- DirectorTod BrowningKarl FreundStarsBela LugosiHelen ChandlerDavid MannersTransylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.
- DirectorJean RenoirStarsMichel SimonJanie MarèseGeorges FlamantMaurice Legrand, a meek cashier married to a nagging wife, has a secret passion: he's a Sunday painter. He falls in love with Lulu, a young woman dominated by Dédé, the pimp who she works for. Dédé pushes Lulu into a relationship with him.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsJames CagneyJoan BlondellLouis CalhernThe adventures of an egoistic con man and his glamorous accomplice.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsWallace BeeryJackie CooperIrene RichAn alcoholic ex-boxer struggles to provide a good living for his son.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsAdolphe MenjouPat O'BrienMary BrianA crusading newspaper editor tricks his retiring star reporter into covering one last case.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsEdward G. RobinsonMarian MarshH.B. WarnerThe City Editor of a sleazy tabloid goes against his own journalistic ethics to resurrect a twenty year old murder case... with tragic results.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsDorothy MackaillDonald CookRalf HaroldeAfter accidentally killing the man who raped her and forced her into prostitution, a New Orleans woman flees to a Caribbean island. While she awaits her fiancé, the vicious local police chief sets his sights on her.
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsAnne ChevalierMatahiHituOn the South Pacific island of Bora Bora, a young couple's love is threatened when the tribal chief declares the girl a sacred virgin.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsEdward G. RobinsonDouglas Fairbanks Jr.Glenda FarrellA small-time criminal moves to a big city to seek bigger fortune.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsRichard DixIrene DunneEstelle TaylorA newspaper editor settles in an Oklahoma boom town with his reluctant wife at the end of the nineteenth century.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsAnnabellaRené LefèvreJean-Louis AllibertAn impoverished painter and his rival engage in a race across Paris to recover a jacket concealing a winning lottery ticket.
- DirectorGeorg Wilhelm PabstStarsRudolf ForsterLotte LenyaCarola NeherThe Gangster Macheath secretly marries the daughter of beggar king Peachum. When Peachum finds out, he instructs the police chief Brown to arrest and hang Macheath. If not, all the beggars of Soho will disturb the upcoming coronation.
- DirectorJosef von SternbergStarsMarlene DietrichVictor McLaglenGustav von SeyffertitzThe Austrian Secret Service sends its most seductive agent to spy on the Russians.
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsCarlos VillaríasLupita TovarBarry NortonCenturies-old vampire Dracula preys upon the innocent Eva and her friends.
- DirectorMario PeixotoStarsOlga BrenoTatiana ReyRaul SchnoorThree people (Raul Schnoor, Olga Breno and Tatiana Rey) sail aimlessly while remembering their past.
- DirectorRouben MamoulianStarsGary CooperSylvia SidneyPaul LukasMan joins a gang to free his girlfriend from prison.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsNorma ShearerLeslie HowardLionel BarrymoreAn alcoholic lawyer who successfully defended a notorious gambler on a murder charge objects when his free-spirited daughter becomes romantically involved with him.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJean HarlowLoretta YoungRobert WilliamsA young woman from a very rich family impulsively marries a reporter, but each assumes the other is the one whose lifestyle must change.
- DirectorRouben MamoulianStarsFredric MarchMiriam HopkinsRose HobartDr. Jekyll faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that transforms him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsBarbara StanwyckBen LyonJoan BlondellA nurse enlists the help of a petty criminal to foil a sinister plot to murder two children.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsBebe DanielsRicardo CortezDudley DiggesA lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.
- DirectorDorothy ArznerStarsClaudette ColbertFredric MarchMonroe OwsleyJerry Stafford, a businessman, is in love with his secretary but she deserts him for another man. When she realizes her mistake, she goes back to him. Doris Brown is her girlfriend who is in love with a man named Monty Dunn.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMaurice ChevalierClaudette ColbertMiriam HopkinsAn amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsBarbara StanwyckDavid MannersSam HardyAfter an unappreciated minister dies, his daughter loses her faith in God, prompting her to open a phony temple with a con man. Can the love of a blind aviator restore her faith and happiness?
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsJoan CrawfordClark GableWallace FordAn ambitious factory girl meets a handsome, wealthy lawyer, but he's interested in her as a mistress, not a wife.
- DirectorJulien DuvivierStarsHarry BaurPaule AndralJackie MonnierDavid is a poor but ambitious Polish Jew who reinvents himself as a powerful New York business magnate. After gaining wealth, he relocates to Paris, only to have his selfish and demanding wife squander his fortune.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxThe Marx BrothersOn a transatlantic crossing, The Marx Brothers get up to their usual antics and manage to annoy just about everyone on board the ship.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsSylvia SidneyWilliam Collier Jr.Estelle TaylorTwenty-four hours elapse on the stoop of a Hell's Kitchen tenement as a microcosm of the American melting pot interconnects during a summer heatwave.
- DirectorRichard WallaceEdward GoodmanStarsWilliam PowellCarole LombardWynne GibsonA young American girl visits Paris accompanied by her fiancee and her wealthy uncle. There she meets and is romanced by a worldly novelist; what she doesn't know is that he is a blackmailer who is using her to get to her uncle.
- DirectorHamilton MacFaddenStarsWarner OlandSally EilersBela LugosiThe unsolved murder of a Hollywood actor several years earlier and an enigmatic psychic are the keys to help Charlie solve the Honolulu stabbing death of a beautiful actress.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsMae ClarkeDouglass MontgomeryDoris LloydA prostitute's self-loathing makes her reluctant to marry an idealistic soldier during World War I.
- DirectorSidney FranklinStarsNorma ShearerRobert MontgomeryReginald DennyDivorced couple unexpectedly meet each other during their honeymoon and rekindle their love.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsRichard BarthelmessDavid MannersJohnny Mack BrownWorld War I veterans roam Paris, drinking and admiring a woman they recently met.
- DirectorGustav MachatýStarsLadislav H. StrunaMagda MaderovaJirina SejbalováMána is a young secretary. One evening she and her roommate accompany two wealthy older gentlemen to dinner. After one of them offers money to her she realizes his intentions and flees from the restaurant in shock. She later meets a man named Karel in a nearby café. They spend the night wandering the rainy streets of Prague and the two quickly develop strong feelings for each other.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsEddie CantorCharlotte GreenwoodBarbara WeeksThe assistant of a phony psychic leaves the fraudulent business and becomes an efficiency expert.
- DirectorLeontine SaganCarl FroelichStarsDorothea WieckHertha ThieleEmilia UndaAt an all-girls boarding school, Manuela falls in love with a teacher, to terrific consequences.
- DirectorGeorge AbbottStarsTallulah BankheadFredric MarchHarry DavenportAcquitted of murder charges, Carlotta moves to New York to start a new life.
- DirectorSteve SekelyStarsGyula CsortosGyula KabosMici HarasztiA butler changes the life of a nouveau-riche entrepreneur's life, while his daughter falls in love with the company's manager instead of a suitor chosen for her.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsTokihiko OkadaEmiko YagumoHideo SugawaraA married Tokyo man faces unemployment after standing up for an older colleague.
- DirectorAlexander KordaStarsRaimuPierre FresnayFernand CharpinMarius is faced with a choice whether to fulfill his passion by sailing the seas or stay and marry the woman he loves.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsGloria SwansonMelvyn DouglasAlison SkipworthA young opera singer finds her career stalled because of her cold and passionless performances, until she finds romance with a handsome admirer.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsRonald ColmanHelen HayesRichard BennettA medical researcher is sent to a plague outbreak, where he has to decide priorities for the use of a vaccine.
- DirectorNikolai EkkStarsNikolay BatalovYvan KyrlyaMikhail DzhagofarovYoung hobos are brought to a new camp to become good Soviet citizens. This camp works without any guards. But crooks kill one of the young people when they try to damage the newly build railroad to that camp.
- DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevLeonid TraubergStarsYelena KuzminaPyotr SobolevskySergey GerasimovThe story of a newly graduated Leningrad teacher, Yelena Kuzmina. She goes furniture shopping with her fiance, Petya, and in a fantasy sequence she imagines teaching a class of neat, obedient city schoolchildren. Instead, she is assigned to work in the Altai mountains of Siberia.
- DirectorGeorg Wilhelm PabstStarsAlexander GranachFritz KampersErnst BuschPlea against war and for friendship between peoples, through the story of French miners rescued by German colleagues after a firedamp explosion.
- DirectorJohn G. AdolfiStarsGeorge ArlissFlorence ArlissDavid MannersA millionaire automaker retires upon the advice of his doctor, but becomes so bored he buys half interest in a gas station and works it on the sly.
- DirectorVictor TrivasGeorge ShdanoffStarsErnst BuschVladimir SokoloffRenée StobrawaDuring World War I, five soldiers from different nations end up together in some ruins in no man's land and decide to stick together.
- DirectorJames ParrottStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyJune MarloweTwo guys end up in prison after attempting to sell beer to a policeman during Prohibition.
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsMarian MarshAnita PageRegis ToomeyA poor seamstress girl sours on her engagement to a grocery deliveryman after seeing her sister's abusive marriage. Trying to help her sister pay for a divorce lawyer, she turns to a rich playboy she met at work.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsKay FrancisJoel McCreaLilyan TashmanTwo gold-diggers prey on rich old men, but one of them falls in love with a rich young man.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeLionel BarrymoreStarsLionel BarrymoreKay FrancisMadge EvansA district attorney commits the perfect murder when he kills his daughter's womanizing fiancé and then tries framing the fiancé's lover.
- DirectorMarion GeringStarsClive BrookKay FrancisMiriam HopkinsA nightclub singer is carrying on an affair with a married man. When she is found murdered, her lover is suspected of the crime.
- DirectorGeorge FitzmauriceStarsGreta GarboRamon NovarroLionel BarrymoreA semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.
- DirectorEdgar SelwynStarsHelen HayesLewis StoneNeil HamiltonOut of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her illegitimate son to medical school.
- DirectorFrank BorzageStarsJames DunnSally EilersMinna GombellA man and woman, skeptical about romance, nonetheless fall in love and are wed, but their lack of confidence in the opposite sex haunts their marriage.
- DirectorJean VigoStarsJean TarisJean Vigo films the talents of great swimming champion Jean Taris performing different acts. Vigo film technique allied with Taris swimming style are intertwined with grace and effect.
- DirectorLionel BarrymoreEdward BuzzellStarsBarbara StanwyckRicardo CortezMonroe OwsleyMen pay a dime to dance with Barbara and her fellow taxi dancers. She marries Eddie and plans to quit dancing. Before she does, she meets a handsome and rich gentleman.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsGeorge O'BrienMarion LessingMona MarisAt the end of WWI the US Navy camouflages a battleship as a harmless schooner and sails for the Canary Islands to confront a notoriously effective German U-boat. No one sees the US submarine secretly escorting the schooner.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsTokihiko OkadaHiroko KawasakiChôko IidaA bearded kendo champion has difficulties in life because of his conservative ways and his unusual beard.
- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsWilliam PowellDoris KenyonMarian MarshGossip, snobbery, mistrust, divorce and a mail-order engagement dominate the lives of the British upper class living in the plantation colonies of Southeast Asia.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJohn BarrymoreMarian MarshCharles ButterworthA crippled man finds a boy and vows to make him a great dancer.
- DirectorPhil JutziStarsHeinrich GeorgeMaria BardMargarete SchlegelFranz Biberkopf has served four years in prison. His return to normal life is not successful.
- DirectorRobert Z. LeonardStarsGreta GarboClark GableJean HersholtFleeing her cruel uncle and an arranged marriage Susan Lenox falls in love with a kind stranger but circumstances force her to become a woman of easy virtue.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsJean HarlowMae ClarkeWalter ByronCassie moves to New York and jumps from one job to another until she lands a modeling gig.
- DirectorMarion GeringStarsSylvia SidneyGene RaymondWynne GibsonMarried couple is imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsEvelyn BrentIrene RichLouise FazendaThe story of eight women and how they served their country during World War I.