After the Silent Era, American cinema enters the 1930s. While the ‘30s was a difficult decade for America with the Great Depression, the fallout from World War 1, and the inevitability of World War 2, the decade saw the continuing rise of Hollywood. The Golden Age of Hollywood is thought to be the 1930s and 1940s. 1939 is often cited as the best year in Hollywood history. Two movies directed by Victor Fleming, in particular, captured the hearts of the nation – Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. This post reviews the former. 

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Where to start in a 25-film survey of American cinema? The silent era is the obvious place. The first movie with audible dialogue didn’t arrive until 1927 (The Jazz Singer). This ushered in the era of “talkies.” From 1903 with The Great Train Robbery until 1927, there was an era exclusively comprised of silent films.

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