Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca (1940)

[10] Alfred Hitchcock's first American film and only one to win a Best Picture Oscar is Rebecca, starring Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, and Judith Anderson. Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, the film follows a nervous woman (Fontaine)…
The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

[10] Those ruby slippers have lost no luster in the 80-plus years since the original release of The Wizard of Oz, a film that pretty much defines 'timeless classic'. In the L. Frank Baum story, a spoiled farm girl named…
Stagecoach (1939)

Stagecoach (1939)

[9]

John Ford’s masterpiece is still a thoroughly entertaining ride. A handful of disparate personalities, including John Wayne as the notorious Ringo Kid, take their chances traveling through Apache territory. Along the way, friends and enemies are made, a baby is born, a seemingly doomed romance blooms, and not everyone makes it to their destination alive.

Boys Town (1938)

Boys Town (1938)

[8] Spencer Tracy won his second (consecutive) Academy Award for his portrayal of Father Flanagan, a man who firmly believed "there are no bad boys." In the movie and in real life, Flanagan built an educational refuge for homeless and…
It Happened One Night (1934)

It Happened One Night (1934)

[9] Somewhere along the way, Hollywood forgot how to make good romantic comedies. Because there are plenty of them to be found in the '30s and '40s, with Frank Capra's It Happened One Night being chief among them. Claudette Colbert…
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

[9] The grand-daddy of 'anti-war' war movies is Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front, the first non-musical 'talkie' to win the best picture Academy Award. The film is stylistically way ahead of its time, with sweeping camera movement,…