The 1930s was a majorly slept on decade for Hollywood.
It was the first full decade of sound movies, and it’s where directors like Frank Capra, John Huston, and Ernst Lubitsch really came into prominence. It was a decade of continued technical innovation, as best displayed by Technicolor marvels such as The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, as well as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which singlehandedly changed the medium of cinema forever.
It’s also where actors like Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant got to do some of their best work, working with some of the greatest screenwriters of all time coming off of a major literary revival in America. The films of the 1930s were marked by sharp dialogue and rapidly paced plots, and comedies- like those of the Marx brothers- was what often won the box office, particularly amidst the dreary realities of the Great Depression.
But the most important thing to note about this period is that it marked the beginning of the Hays Code, which not only enforced moral standards for what was shown on the screen but also paved the way for Catholics to enter Hollywood and tell stories. In this decade we got Boys Town, Angels with Dirty Faces, and Catholic filmmakers such as Leo McCarey, Frank Capra, and even John Ford.
Had to cut a couple from my faves. Not sure I'd call it an underrated decade, 1939 is rightly recognized as one of the greatest years for film pretty regularly, but the 30s is where film comes into its own. Comedies, dramas, satire, high and low concept art, Western as we know it is reborn, color and sound take over, there's a lot to pick from.
When's the deadline for this list?