Of Human Bondage (1934) on IMDb

There’s a good amount of Leslie Howard films in the Internet Archive Top 100. Here he’s matched with Bette Davis, who was a write-in nominee for the best actress Oscar after she was surprisingly left off the official ballot that year.

Of Human Bondage, one of the last movies made before the Hays Code became more strictly enforced, was about a club-footed artist who falls in love with a cold-hearted, manipulative waitress. It’s based on the 1915 novel of the same title by W. Somerset Maugham. The film was remade in 1946 and again in 1964.

 Night Train to Munich (1940) on IMDb

Set just before the start of World War II, Night Train to Munich tells the story of an inventor and his daughter who are kidnapped by the Gestapo after the Nazis march into Prague. A British secret service agent follows them, disguised as a senior German army officer pretending to woo the daughter over to the Nazi cause.

This was the second appearance by the characters Charters and Caldicott (played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne), all in movies written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. They also appeared in Crook’s Tour (1941), and Millions Like Us (1943). Their first appearance was in a movie much higher up the list in the Internet Archive Top 100.

 The Miracle of Marcelino (1955) on IMDb

The Miracle of Marcelino is one of the few movies in the Internet Archive Top 100 that is dubbed from a foreign language into English. It’s a Spanish movie (originally Marcelino pan y vino) about an orphan in a monastery who gives a piece of bread to an old wooden Jesus figure, which eats it. The statue becomes the boy’s best friend and begins to give him religious instruction.

According to Wikipedia, the film remains one of the most famous and successful Spanish films ever made (winning the best film award by Spain’s Cinema Writers Circle), and one of the first Spanish films to become successful in the US. Child actor Pablito Calvo won a special mention at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.

 He Walked by Night (1948) on IMDb

This semi-documentary police procedural film noir was the inspiration for the long-running TV series Dragnet. He Walked by Night stars Richard Basehart as a loner wanted for killing a patrolman. The narrated grind of police work, complete with small talk and interviews with oddballs, would prove to be an excellent match to the small screen.

Jack Webb, who played a a forensics specialist in the movie, struck up a friendship with the police technical advisor, who later became Dragnet’s technical advisor. Leonard Maltin gave the film 3 (of 4) stars, and it walks on its own two feet into the Internet Archive Top 100.

 The Little Princess (1939) on IMDb

In the 1930s, and possible ever, there was no bigger child star than Shirley Temple. The Little Princess represents the apex of that part of her career. This Technicolor spectacular is about a girl whose father leaves her at a private school for girls while he goes off to fight in a war. When her dad is reported killed and his payments go away, the girl transitions from a pampered guest to a servant for the school. All the while, she maintains hope that her father will return.

This movie was a remake of the 1917 silent film of the same name, starring the 25-year old Mary Pickford. Leonard Maltin gave it 3 (of 4) stars, helping it to its position in the Internet Archive Top 100.