1936 movies I've seen:

Modern Times
The Petrified Forest
Gold Diggers of 1937
Reefer Madness
Things to Come

All great movies, as it turns out, with the exception of Reefer Madness which I remember more as just plain boring than one of those so bad it's good things. Well, I suppose it would be more accurate to describe Flash Gordon as "highly entertaining" rather than "great".

I have Follow the Fleet for 1936 on my “Favorite Movie Year-byYear” list on IMDB. I must have made this list before I saw it a few times. I like it, but it has a few dead spots and it’s not nearly as good as Shall We Dance or Top Hat.

I’ll have to look at the full list of 1936 films. I saw Libeled Lady a few days ago, and that’s a contender. Also Modern Times and Devil Doll.

And scrolling through the movies already suggested, I see Fury, Romeo and Juliet, and Petrified Forest. All great movies!

I like San Francisco a lot, but it’s not really all THAT great. My dad was a big Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy fan, so I’ve seen quite a few of their films, and I really like Rose-Marie. But I feel sorry for Jeannette MacDonald because her films are entertaining, but they aren’t as good as she was. It’s the same way I feel about Eleanor Powell. (Which reminds me ... Born to Dance might be a contender for My Favorite Movie of 1936.)

1936 is a year I know much better, though I have a clear stand-out choice.

Sabotage is Hitchcock inching closer to the Hitchcock I know best. Flash Gordon is a movie I greatly appreciate as the original space adventure to which we owe movies like Star Wars. The Man Who Could Work Miracles isn't the highest quality film, but it's exactly the type of premise I'm a sucker for. Thru the Mirror is one of the more interesting Mickey shorts of the era, nicely on the trippy side. While I don't love it, I must appreciate a film named for the city of my birth, San Francisco.

Fury is probably my runner-up film, though it had been a bit disappointing. I'd picked it out for my 2000th film. I always want a special film for these anniversaries, but how will I know what film will be special to me if I haven't seen it? My 1500th choice was the Mark of Zorro (1920), which turned out great despite my usual difficulty with silent films. My #2500 choice had been Empire of the Sun, which I was pleased with, and with it I finished off Spielberg's filmography. For #2000 I found Fritz Lang's first American film, with Spencer Tracy, part courtroom drama, involving ethical questions about vigilantism. Sounds right up my alley. And it was. And it was good. But it wasn't quite film #2000 good. I wish it were better.

My hands-down movie of the year is Things to Come, the great centuries-spanning epic of early science fiction cinema. "All the universe or nothing? Which shall it be?"

Being Bert...you could do no other.  

I missed the Flash Gordon serial in the my perusal of movies from 1936. It would most definitely be my favorite form that year, and the one I have seen the most often.

-M

If I thought 1936 was bad, 1937 is actually rougher for me.  

Part of it may be there are some top films that I've never seen (Grand Illusion, Lost Horizon).  There are some that it's been so long since I've seen them I only have vague impressions at this point (Topper, Dead End).  There's no clear-cut stand-out. 

I would think that we could agree that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is probably the most important film of the year.  And while there is a lot I admire about it, it's a film I respect more than love.  Snow herself kind of annoys me with that baby-doll voice.  The animation is pretty amazing, particularly for the time and the "Heigh-Ho" scene is still a classic.  Still it's fairly low on the list of Disney animated films I'll re-visit.  



A Day at the Races - is probably the Marx Brothers last film that's better than just good.  But there's still a noticeable decline compared to their earlier work.  I think that the death of Irving Thalberg, tolled the death-knell for the Marx's.  I will say that I think that Harpo is excellent in the film.  And Dr. Hackenbush is another great role for Groucho.  It's just a bit too slick and ultimately a bit tired.  



Way Out West - A truly great feature from Laurel and Hardy.  I'm not 100% sure it's as good as Sons of the Desert...though it might be.  And 1938s Block-Heads is also going to be heavy competition.  But this is a truly funny and endearing western spoof with the boys at the height of their powers.  



The Old Mill - I run hot and cold on Disney's Silly Symphony cartoons.  The animation is almost always beautiful.  But they have a tendency to be a tad saccharine and the musical focus (while clearly the point) doesn't always work for me.  But this is clearly the pinnacle of the series.  The transformation from peaceful pond to violent storm to the aftermath is perfectly animated and perfectly counter-pointed by the music.  



Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves - The follow up to Sindbad is almost as good.  The Fleischers were the only animation studio that could come close to touching Disney in animation at the time.  And this was the only real competition to what Disney was doing with Snow White.  The animation here is, quite simply, state-of-the-art for 1937.  But I just don't quite think it's enough different than Sindbad to really stand out. 




Ultimately I think the one I find myself going back too and watching over and over again is The Old Mill.  It is a truly exceptional piece of animation.  


1937 in film for those who need a look.