1930s Music Movies

Two authors go look for a business to finance their dream musical.

A British musical film directed by Victor Hanbury

The film is based on a story set in the Chola Empire in year 1083 AD. The titular character in the story is Ambikapathy (M K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar), the son of the Tamil poet Kambar (Serugulathur Sama) who is in love with the Chola princess and daughter of Kulothunga Chola, Amaravati (played by M. R. Santhanalakshmi). The king objects to their love and insists on testing Ambikapathy's literary mettle before judging his worth. The test given to Ambikapathi is that he should write and sing a hundred poems in the field of Puram (dealing with war and politics). The poems should not have any reference to the field of Aram (dealing of love and romance). Ambikapathi begins the test in the King's court with a Kadavul Vaazhthu (invocation to God). Amaravathi who is keeping the count, mistakes the invocation as a poem and counts it as poem number one.

Two brilliant tango singers struggle to the top of their profession and cope with obstacles to their personal romance.

Irén and Manci are to pass their final exam at the grammar school. They both want to become actresses

Almost all the students of the secondary school at Igló are in love with Évike, daughter of professor Tirtsák. Petky Pali, the wild, rollicking son to the mayor is dreaming about her, too. One of his competitors, Szidor Ákos, denounces him to their teachers. The mayor is also informed about his son's doings, and his personal experiences substantiate the rumours. Yet he was not the better of it in his learning years at Igló! Pali is sacked, and Szidor is reprimanded for his intriguing. The world war breaks out. Pali, as well as his fellow students, goes to the front. Évi continues to wait for him faithfully, and the returning Pali, now an officer, asks her to marry him at the party for the one-time students of Igló.

The perverse owner of a cabaret gets redemption by sacrificing himself for the happiness of others.

a music movie by Heinz Paul

Prince Klemens von Metternich orders Friedrich Gentz, one of his aides, to keep the Duke of Reichstadt---Napoleon Francois Joseph Charles---son of Napoleon and heir to the French throne, from thinking about French politics. Gentz enlists the help of ballerina Fanny Elsser, all the rage in several European capitals, to keep the Duke distracted.

In a post office at Balatonföldvár, Pali, a spoiled young man, one who has good manners and knows the way of the world, falls in love on one lazy summer afternoon with Teri, a young post office clerk and an orphan.

A theater manager about to go bankrupt decides to accept help from his daughter and her boyfriend to save the family's finances, which she does with the sponsorship of a rich man.

Sylva Varescu is an operetta singer performing Kálmán's Die Czardasfürstin through Europe with great success. Before going to Vienna she meets handsome Prinz Weylerstein and they fall in love. Offered a contract for America, she doubts until she finds out that he is already engaged to a countess.

No overview available

Comical late 1920s Brazilian daily life's situations, portrayed by two friends who decide to serenade a common girlfriend, a drunk barber and a bad haircut, and a man who is barred from playing his songs at the hotel where he was staying.

João Ninguém is a humble composer who made the waltz "Sonhos Azuis" as a gift to his girlfriend on her birthday. To give it to her, he asked for help from a friend, but on the way, an accident happens and puts at risk not only the relationship, but also João's life and career.

With the help of a rich young woman, a singer who lives in the precarious housing area that existed in Puerto Nuevo comes to fame.

Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in Horace's hotel room, much to the annoyance of sleeping Dale Tremont below. She goes upstairs to complain and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Complications arise when Dale mistakes Jerry for Horace.

Gyozo falls in love with a wealthy banker's daughter, but faces stiff resistance from his family who has already chosen a girl for him. Meanwhile, Gyozo's marriage is opposed by his fiancee's uncle.

“HUTZULSHCHYNA” produced by Kalyna Film Company in 1938, was brought from Western Ukraine by Mykola Novak, in order to acquaint the people with the life of the Ukrainian mountaineer. Hutzulshchyna is now divided by two Governments, part is occupied by Poland and another part is occupied by the Hungarian Government. The Hutzuls have lived through a very tragic episode in their struggle to regain their freedom from Poland, and recently from March 13 to March 30, 1939, thousands of Hutzuls were killed by the Hungarian Army in their fight for freedom.

A fledgling producer finds himself at odds with his workers, financiers and his greedy ex-wife when he tries to produce live musicals for movie-going audiences.

No overview available

A singer is kidnapped by a rancher and her boyfriend comes to rescue her.

Jazz session by a small group of musicians.

After retiring from movies to get an education, a man discovers his ex-staff is trying to have him expelled.

Circus artists Jan and Annie are in possession of jewels that were - unbeknownst to them - stolen from the famous Jolly Sisters. Mistaking them for the thieves, two bumbling detectives infiltrate the Dutch theatre-life.

Carlos Gardel performing "Enfundá la mandolina", tango composed by Francisco Pracánico and written by José Zubiría Mansilla.

René and his two artist friends lead a meager but careless life in a Parisian small apartment, their main worry being to avoid the housekeeper. Whenever they get some money they call more friends in and celebrate. This is how he meets beautiful but fragile Denise, who wants to be a singer as himself, and they fall in love. Yet when she finds out her real condition she takes a drastic decision which will determine their fates. La Bohème arias, and more.

A Princess is tricked into marrying a naive and illiterate youth.

The three Craig sisters – Penny, Kay, and Joan – go to New York to stop their divorced father from marrying gold digger Donna Lyons and reunite him with their mother.

While studying at a Catholic boarding school, the young Luisa meets a boy, Julio, who talks to her from the street and through the gate. However, the girl's arrogant older brother removes her from the establishment and takes her to live in her family house. The beginning of love between Luisa and Julio is made even more difficult by what seems to be the beginning of a disease in her.

In this Chinese version of The Phantom of the Opera, the mysterious Song Danping terrorizes the newly rebuilt opera house and its young star.

The trials and tribulations of Natalka and Petro. The sweethearts plan to get married, however, Natalka's father does not approve of the marriage because Petro's not affluent enough to keep Natalka in the manner he thought that she should be kept. Petro goes off to earn the required fortune. With no news from Petro for five years, Natalka succumbs to her mother's wishes and finally accepts her next offer of marriage, which happens to come from an old, but relatively wealthy government official.

Carlos Gardel performing Rosas de Otoño, vals composed by Guillermo Barbieri and written by José Rial.

A famous Saigal musical narrating a strange love story set against 1930s industrialization and worker-management relations. The 16-year-old Prabhavati inherits a mill and turns it into an extremely profitable enterprise. Prakash is a worker who designs a more efficient machine for the factory for which he first gets sacked and then is re-employed. He falls in love with Prabhavati's sister Sheila, who later makes way for Prabhavati who is also in love with Prakash. Her withdrawal distresses Prakash, causing him to bully the workers who then go on strike.

After serving in the Royal Navy, Manus, Toon and Dries return to Amsterdam working-class quarter 'the Jordaan'. Back home, they find out things have changed while they were gone; Manus's girl Jans has been unfaithful to him, Toon's father now rejects him on account of his dissolute life and barmaid Auntie Piet has been cooking up a scheme to ruin Dries' relationship with his girl Greet.

No overview available

The director of the Warsaw operetta has problems with putting together a team. He cares very much about acquiring the star of the stage - Jadwiga Janowska. However, she is currently in Paris with her husband, diplomat Henryk de Fontana. It turns out that Ambassador Rossi falls in love with her. Jadwiga goes to Warsaw, where in her apartment her friend Apolonia trains a young adept Wanda to play on stage.

No overview available

Six young men from the city take jobs building roads for the Chinese Army

Merry Fellows was the first Soviet musical comedy. Set in Odessa and Moscow in the 1930s. Shepherd Kostya Potekhin is mistaken for an international concert star. He falls in love with Anyuta and plays the "star" for her. In a cascade of comic musical numbers he becomes the leader of a Jazz-Band and gives a hilarious show at the Odessa Music Hall. Now he is destined to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.