Two English Girls (1971), Mahler (1975), The Valley of Decision (1945), Fanny and Alexander (1982), Elmer Gantry (1960), The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition (2000), Kings Row (1942), Modigliani (2004) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Early 20th Century movies.
Storyline: Since childhood, spinster Alma Winemiller has loved handsome young Dr. John Buchanan, Jr.. But John has fallen hard for Rosa Zacharias, the town's sultry vamp, and descends into a seamy nightlife while ignoring Alma's dreams of romance and possible marriage.—alfiehitchie
Plot Keywords: drama, romance, literary adaptation, psychological conflict, moral dilemma, loneliness, desire ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Spring inspires lessons in love and life for a French family in 1920s Ottawa, especially for teenage Robert, who's blind to the attentions of an American neighbor girl, because he's infatuated with the beautiful new maid, fleeing life as a magician's assistant. Robert's mother bemoans some of the Bonnard family male role models available to Robert: his party animal grandfather, roguish traveling salesman uncle Desmond, and an uncle who carries a water cooler filled with wine everywhere while his wife does all the work. As Desmond's temporarily off the road, he also targets the maid.—David Stevens
Plot Keywords: comedy, family, musical, romance, coming of age, humorous, nostalgic ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A drama that tracks the story of the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they were working women who had seen peaceful protest achieve nothing. Radicalized and turning to violence as the only route to change, they were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality - their jobs, their homes, their children and their lives. Maud was one such foot soldier. The story of her fight for dignity is as gripping and visceral as any thriller, it is also heart-breaking and inspirational.
Plot Keywords: historical, feminism, social movement, british, biographical, drama, political ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A young Jew in 1911 Wales tries to make his living by selling fabrics door to door, but to do so he must hide his nationality. On one of his sales he meets and falls in love with a demure young woman with a strong-willed father and a Jew-hating brother. The two fall in love and she becomes pregnant, but only then does she learn of his ethnic background. When anti-Jewish riots break out, the two are forced to flee and become separated.—John Sacksteder <jsackste@bellsouth.net>
Plot Keywords: romance, drama, historical, jewish culture, religious conflict, family, forbidden love ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In 1917, in the red light district Storyville, New Orleans, the prostitute Hattie lives with her twelve year-old daughter Violet in the fancy brothel of Madame Nell, where she works. Photographer Ernest J. Bellocq has an attraction to Hallie and Violet and he is an habitué of the whorehouse. One day, Madame Nell auctions Violet's virginity and the winner pays the fortune of US$ 400 to spend the night with the girl. Then Hattie marries a wealthy client and moves to Saint Louis, leaving Violet in the brothel alone. Violet decides to marry Bellocq and she moves to his house. Until the day that Hattie, who has overcome her past, comes to Bellocq's house with the intention to take Violet with her.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Plot Keywords: drama, historical, romance, taboo, coming of age, new orleans, photography ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: The story of 16-year-old Riyo who journeys to Hawaii in 1918 to marry a man she has never met, except through photographs and letters they have exchanged. Hoping to escape a troubled past and to start anew, Riyo is bitterly disappointed upon her arrival: her husband is twice her age and Hawaii is not the paradise she expected. As Riyo comes to terms with her new home, she discovers a land full of hardship, struggle--and unexpected joy.—<raq@netcom.com>
Plot Keywords: historical, drama, romance, immigration, japanese culture, marriage, tradition ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: It's the early twentieth century New York City. There exists a high level of animosity by Harry K. Thaw (Farley Granger), a wealthy Pittsburgh businessman, toward renowned architect Stanford White (Ray Milland) for Harry feeling those dealing with the New York City and social set giving Stanford many of the perks that should rightfully have gone to him. While Stanford is mature and refined, Harry is brash, impetuous, and volatile. That animosity is ratcheted up a notch when they both meet Evelyn Nesbit (Dame Joan Collins), a beautiful but poor model with whom they are both infatuated, she appearing in the chorus of her first Broadway musical revue. After getting to know Evelyn, married Stanford, who still loves his wife and thus will not divorce her, wants nonetheless to provide Evelyn with the comforts and breeding of those within his social circle. His infatuation with her is also despite he being old enough to be her father. Harry, who is more age appropriate, takes a more direct approach in his pursuit of Evelyn, he doing whatever to convince her that Stanford is taking advantage of her. Regardless of what the two men do for her, Evelyn admits that she is in love with Stanford, although she is not sure if she can assume the role of the hidden other woman. What happens within this triangle is affected more not by what the two men will do to win Evelyn, but rather the stronger feeling the two men have in not wanting to see Evelyn with the other.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: historical drama, romance, biography, crime, based on true events, new york, high society ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This is a movie based on the life of Gertrude Lawrence (Dame Julie Andrews), on and off-stage. It takes the opportunity to feature extravagant musical production numbers with Andrews acting, singing, and dancing.—Stewart M. Clamen <clamen@cs.cmu.edu>
Plot Keywords: musical, biography, hollywood, period drama, song and dance, theatrical adaptation, lavish costumes ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Oscar-nominated director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies) crafts a tender coming-of-age tale that introduces one of Australian literature's most beloved characters to the screen, Laura Tweedle Rambotham (Susannah Fowle).—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: education, coming of age, school, female, australia, literary adaptation, adolescence ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: It is 1892 in Death Valley and the yields from the Borax ore are getting so small that refining it is a losing proposition. The only thing that will save the company is a new deposit of high grade Borax, and Bill has a pouch of it that he got from a dead prospector that he buried on the road. Roper knows the value of the strike could be worth millions, but he needs Bill to find the prospectors' claim so they can record it and become rich partners. While Roper has no intention of cutting Bill in on the millions, he also has his eye on young Jean. Josie sees Roper for the scalawag that his is and it means trouble in Furnace Flat.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
Plot Keywords: western, adventure, desert, historical drama, american frontier, teamwork, survival ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Hank owns horses, stables horses and races horses. He favorite horse always wins and he is prosperous and will known. His son (Bob), however dreams only of the future of the horseless carriage and not of the horse. This causes problems between Hank and Bob. As the people in the town convert from horses to autos, Hank detests those who switch - so he looses his friends, his son Bob and finally his livery business. Bob leaves his flame Rose and goes to Detroit, gets involved with the auto industry and does very well. He does not forget Hank and promises to see him again, but Hank's hatred of the auto may cause the death of Bob.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
Plot Keywords: silent film, historical drama, american film, black and white film, 1920s, warner bros, early cinema ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Chronicles the early life of gay nineties-era songwriter Paul Dresser as he outgrows his job as carnival entertainer and moves up into New York society, writing one hit song after another. Despite his egotistical behavior, he manages to woo and win Sally Elliott, one of the more popular songstresses of the day.—Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>
Plot Keywords: musical, biography, romance, comedy, historical, song and dance, america ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Professor Harold Hill (Matthew Broderick) is a con artist who runs a very particular scam. With the help of his partner in crime, Marcellus Washburn (David Aaron Baker), Hill travels to small towns, convinces the townsfolk they need a marching band, collects money for instruments and uniforms, then splits with the cash. When Hill tries his luck in the small Iowa town of River City, however, he finds himself up against his staunchest opponent yet: nosy librarian Marian Paroo (Kristin Chenoweth).
Plot Keywords: musical, family, comedy, romance, remake, love, small town life ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A film adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novel. After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her husband's consent, she seeks out other means of fulfilling her needs.—Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
Plot Keywords: romance, drama, erotic, literary adaptation, british film, forbidden love, class divide ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Tuccio (John Turturro) is having problems staging his latest play, "Illuminata." In fact, the production is a melodrama in its own right. The lead actress, Rachel (Katherine Borowitz), is his lover. His cast members are ready to mutiny. And a preview of the piece didn't exactly thrill renowned theater critic Umberto Bevalaqua (Christopher Walken). So it's no wonder Tuccio finds himself susceptible to the seductions of Celimene (Susan Sarandon), a professed admirer.
Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, drama, backstage, art, performance, satire ...
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