This is a list of notable Hollywood* movies released in the 1920s & 1930s, with GEMs highlighted. Note that the list is sortable by each column. (Multiple levels of sorting are possible by sorting more than one column in succession, from lowest to highest.)
Most of the listed movies can be borrowed from your local public library in DVD form and are also available for streaming. Watching these movies online usually requires a small fee or a subscription to streaming platforms such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+ or Netflix. The ‘Video at’ column in the list below indicates one preferred streaming option to watch these movies online, though it may also be available on other platforms. A ‘$’ sign indicates a small fee (usually $3.99 or less) for viewing the film. In a few cases, the movie is available for free online viewing, and in these cases the direct link to watch the movie is provided in a separate column. [Note: the availability of movies on various platforms (especially the free ones) is constantly changing: the information is current as of mid-2023, but it is quite possible that the listed streaming option for a particular film could be outdated at a later time.]
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* Some non-Hollywood movies are also included.
Year
Movie
GEM!
Director
Selected Cast
Video at
Link (free)
Wikipedia
More
1925
Gold Rush, The (silent)
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Malcolm Waite
Tubi (free)
1925
Lost World, The (silent)
Harry O. Hoyt
Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes
YouTube (free)
1927
General, The (silent)
Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton, Marion Mack
Tubi (free)
1927
Jazz Singer, The
Alan Crosland
Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Yossele Rosenblatt
Tubi (free)
1927
Metropolis (silent)
Fritz Lang
Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Tubi (free)
1927
Wings (silent)
William A. Wellman
Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper
Tubi (free)
1929
Blackmail
Alfred Hitchcock
Anny Ondra, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard, Donald Calthrop, Charles Paton, Sara Allgood
Plex (free)
1930
All Quiet on the Western Front
Lewis Milestone
Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy, Ben Alexander