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.

You’re never too far from a film noir classic in the Internet Archive Top 100, and Too Late for Tears is another fine example. It stars Lizabeth Scott as the femme fatale who doesn’t react well when $60,000 falls in her lap (actually in the back seat of her convertible), especially in dealing with her husband and the other men who want that cash.

This movie was significant enough that it was restored by the Film Noir Foundation. The restored print was shown in January 2014 at San Francisco’s Noir City film festival. You can read the full story of that effort at Turner Classic Movies.

You know that old story theme of a deranged sportsman who hunts humans on a private reserve? The Most Dangerous Game was the first movie to tell that story. It stars Joel McCrea as a big-game hunter whose ship washes up near a small island. He swims ashore and meets its owner, an expatriate Russian Count who tells him that others have similarly become stranded there. Soon the hunter literally becomes the hunted.

This movie was made on the jungle sets for King Kong, shooting at night. (Fay Wray starred in both movies, which makes me wonder when she got any sleep.) It’s another important classic film in the Internet Archive Top 100.

Deep Red is one of only two 1970s movies in the Internet Archive Top 100. (The other is at #99.) It’s an Italian giallo thriller starring Macha Meril as a medium and David Hemmings as a pianist who investigates a series of murders performed by a mysterious figure wearing black leather gloves.

The Internet Archive version is the US release, which cut 22 minutes including the most graphic violence. Deep Red is still not my favorite kind of movie, but its strong critical reception, especially from tens of thousands of IMDb voters, boosted it to this list.

Holiday is a romantic comedy about a young man who decides to get married after a whirlwind courtship, then has to reconcile his free-thinking lifestyle with the tradition of his wealthy fiancée’s family. Ann Harding was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her performance as the fiancée’s sister.

Holiday was based on a Broadway play by the same name which ran for over 200 performances in 1928-29. Katherine Hepburn understudied for the main female role in the play, then co-starred with Cary Grant in the 1938 movie remake. Edward Everett Horton played the same role in both film versions. I’m always happy to see another comedy in the Internet Archive Top 100.