Best Picture Winners of the 20s & 30s

Gone with the Wind

The pampered daughter of a Georgia plantation owner navigates a turbulent romance with a cynical opportunist during the American Civil War and Reconstruction period.

You Can’t Take It With You

Alice, the most grounded member of the quirky Sycamore family, falls for Tony Kirby, but his wealthy parents disapprove. A chaotic dinner meant to unite the families quickly goes awry, dashing Alice’s hopes.

The Life of Emile Zola

A biographical film about renowned French writer Émile Zola and his pivotal role in the Dreyfus Affair.

The Great Ziegfeld

A lavish biographical film about Flo Ziegfeld, the legendary producer who rose to fame as Broadway’s greatest starmaker.

Mutiny on the Bounty

Fletcher Christian leads a successful mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty, but Bligh returns a year later, determined to seek revenge.

It Happened One Night

A runaway heiress strikes a deal with a rogue reporter following her, but the unlikely duo finds themselves stranded together after missing their bus.

Cavalcade

An epic portrayal of English life from New Year’s Eve 1899 to 1933, as experienced by affluent Londoners Jane and Robert Marryot. Their family witnesses historic events such as the Boer War, Queen Victoria’s death, the Titanic’s sinking, and World War I.

Grand Hotel

Guests at an upscale Berlin hotel grapple with secrets, scandals, and heartbreak.

Cimarron

When the Oklahoma Territory opens for settlement, Yancey Cravat moves his family from Wichita and becomes a prominent figure in the boomtown of Osage. Restless by nature, he leaves for the Cherokee Strip, forcing his wife, Sabra, to adapt and eventually rise as a leader in her own right.

All Quiet on the Western Front

They went to war as boys, never to return as men.
A group of idealistic young Germans joins the army in World War I, only to have their patriotism shattered by the brutal realities of the Western Front.

The Broadway Melody

Vaudeville performers Harriet and Queenie Mahoney bring their act to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns recruits them for a show. Eddie falls for Queenie, but she’s already pursued by high-society Jock Warriner, until she realizes he sees her as a mere plaything, while Eddie truly loves her.

Wings

Two young men, one wealthy and one middle-class, both in love with the same woman, become US Air Corps pilots and heroic aces during World War I. Their friendship is tested as their mutual love for the woman threatens to tear them apart, while a hometown girl quietly pines for one of them.

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