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Ranking 1934 Best Picture Nominees

The seventh year for the Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the better ones up until this point. It is the first ever year where the calendar is aligned and the films released just in the year of 1934 were honored. There is a strong emphasis on the epic and historical films here, but also comedies too and that mix was appealing to me, even if not all of these movies are all that great, but a couple of them are timeless classics for sure. There were twelve nominees, but I could not find to see one of them, so this is my ranking of the remaining eleven nominees.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

11. One Night of Love

One Night of Love is very much the case of an acquired taste. I am of course talking about its opera numbers which should make opera enthusiasts adore this, but anyone else snooze and be annoyed with. This musical is very well scored, well shot and its Italian landscapes are well utilized. Grace Moore is also pretty good in the main role. But the overall plot is very bland and the characters even more so. It is thus the most undeserved Best Picture nominee from this entire slate.

10. The House of Rothschild

The House of Rothschild is the most dated movie of this bunch which is unfortunate as it had some solid potential. I particularly appreciated its solid acting performances and the movie’s timely and wonderfully progressive view on Jews, but this tale of anti-Semitism isn’t as powerful as it could have been simply because it’s too boring. It’s dull, slow, uninspired and filled with technical aspects that are so weak that they made the movie not cinematic at all. It’s also too talkative and far from timeless that the best movies on this list are.

9. Flirtation Walk

Whereas the above entry had the potential to be better, this one was ill-conceived from the start. I am of course talking about its very odd, stupid decision in its structure where the first half is devoid of any music and then the second half suddenly turns into a full musical. That was very odd and it made for an unpleasant viewing experience. I did really like the second half as it was energetic, fun and interesting, but everything that came before it bored me and I was simply not as interested in it.

8. Here Comes the Navy

The titular navy scenes here take too much of the screen time and those are definitely not my cup of tea and they made the movie less entertaining for me. The direction is also quite weak. However, this is still the first solid flick on this list thanks in no small part to James Cagney’s very charismatic performance. He’s so genuine and so likable here that he helped elevate the weak material he had to work with significantly. It’s an enjoyable, charming romantic comedy, but far from the year’s best crop of comedies.

7. The Barretts of Wimpole Street

The Barretts of Wimpole Street is actually a pretty solid flick in its own right and one of the most underappreciated from this whole slate. Yes, the first half is incredibly slow, it has too much dialogue and it felt way too stagy to be enjoyed more, but the second half became much more interesting and the entire story is very intriguing how twisted it is. I loved its romance too and I found the performances from its killer cast all very strong. It could have been much better given the strong material, but it still ended up being quite solid.

6. Viva Villa!

Viva Villa! is the second most dated flick on this list, but still a solid one. Yes, the decision to only shoot this Mexican epic story in Mexico, but feature the all-American crew of actors and people behind the screen really backfired as the film thus did not feel genuine. But that was how it was done back then, and if you manage to get past that, you realize that this flick is a lot of old-fashioned, epic fun. Technically, it’s impressive and on a very big scale, but it’s also moving at times and downright ambitious.

5. The Gay Divorcee

This is unfortunately the film that disappointed me most of these nine nominees. Yes, The Gay Divorcee is fun, it features two excellent turns from Astaire and Rogers reliably so and The Continental is an excellent musical number, deservedly getting the first ever Academy Award for Best Original Song. But, other than those great elements, the movie simply could not take off owing to its very unbelievable, convoluted and mediocre script which really brought the entire thing down a significant notch for me.

4. Cleopatra

The 1934 version of Cleopatra is very much like a soap opera in its dialogue and approach at storytelling, but ultimately I didn’t mind it much as it’s such a gloriously entertaining epic. Yes, this has to be the most underrated flick on this list and the one that retained its entertainment factor into the 21st century. The film looks gorgeous with its superb costumes and sets, but it is Claudette Colbert that shines through in the titular role and some of her scenes here are instantly memorable and so powerful, especially the ending.

3. Imitation of Life

Imitation of Life is a drama film about racism. Yes, we got that in 1934 no less. And the results are beyond powerful. Back in the thirties, films were either racist or downright ignoring black people, and that is all the more reason why this one should be treasured for eternity as it not only features a black woman significantly, but it also humanizes her and portrays her in the most positive manner. The relationship between the two women is so touching, and the movie explores the complicated issue of mixed-race and passing surprisingly progressively.

2. The Thin Man

The Thin Man is one of the most fun and timeless films on this list as this terrific example of a great screwball comedy. Just as the next movie on my list, this one also caught the two stars at the height of their powers as they are both so funny and charismatic. Yes, the mystery elements were a bit overwhelming, but the comedy stuff is pure gold. The movie has a lot of very memorable and entertaining moments, but Skippy the fox terrier is so amazing that he even stole the show from Myrna Loy and William Powell!

1. It Happened One Night

This is it. Probably the most obvious number one so far. It Happened One Night is the ultimate romantic comedy which perfected the genre and made it very potent. Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable are iconic here whereas Frank Capra delivered his first truly great directorial work. The film looks and sounds great, the dialogue is brisk and playful, and the humor is absolutely outstanding. It’s a hugely entertaining, constantly charming movie which never becomes dull for a second and which is downright beautiful in its central romance. It also features a plethora of unforgettable moments and many genuinely fantastic details. It’s a masterpiece for all eternity.

Film That Should Have Been Nominated:

The Scarlet Empress – Marlene Dietrich is luminous in this film which favors style over substance per usual for Josef von Sternberg, but the style is so great that I appreciated it tremendously. The sense of darkness and absolute madness is so well conveyed here due to its great silent approach and superb expressionist sets.