Top 10 Classic Hollywood Movies That Properly Handled Serious Topics

Starring Frank Sinatra, “The Man with the Golden Arm” was among the first Hollywood movies to seriously confront drug addiction. The actor plays a musician who comes back to Chicago after kicking his habit in prison. Despite his dreams of success, Sinatra’s character Frankie Machine can’t shake his addictions. The film encountered pushback from the Production Code even though the specific drug isn’t explicitly revealed. Powered by Otto Preminger’s fearless direction, the drama describes the troubled life of a recovering addict and all the heartbreak that comes with it. The lead performer gives a commendable performance in a story that’s still applicable to today’s world.

Considered a holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is much more than a Christmas tradition. The film takes a hard look at making it in the US, the failure of the American dream, and even depression. George Bailey’s many aspirations are thwarted over the course of the film until he’s on the brink of financial ruin. Contemplating his own existence, he jumps off a bridge and ends up receiving a valuable lesson from an angel. James Stewart portrays Bailey as a man that tries desperately to get ahead despite fate getting in the way. It’s only through considering death that he finds the beauty in life, making this a deep examination of personal problems and the meaning of success.

Taking place almost entirely in a jury room, “12 Angry Men” features a dozen jurors mulling over a murder case. The various personalities eventually clash as Henry Fonda’s character challenges the prosecution’s points. Fonda’s assured performance guides an impressive cast of actors through the pitfalls of the justice system. Owing its success to fine acting and an effective script, the movie isn’t afraid to ask frank questions about the American legal process. As the deliberation continues, the lead pushes the others to confront their own prejudices and ideas about the law. It’s ultimately an engaging film that confronts ideas such as reasonable doubt with dramatic intensity.

With brave performances from Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, “Days of Wine and Roses” examines the effects of alcoholism. Lemmon’s character Joe starts a relationship with Remick’s Kirsten, introducing her to drinking and dragging her into a world of addiction. The couple faces personal troubles as they struggle to function without drinking. Not only does the movie feature scenes of drunken rage, but it also reveals the larger impact that alcoholics have on their friends, loved ones, and professional lives. Filmmaker Blake Edwards presents a pointed thesis about a subject that affects so many families all over the world.

When Detective Tibbs visits Mississippi, he gets racially profiled by a small-town police department. Chief Gillespie slowly realizes the errors of his ways and has Tibbs help him solve a homicide case. Throughout the narrative, the filmmakers don’t hesitate to show the overt racism of the white population. The movie also allows Sidney Poitier to shine in scenes that physically confront prejudice. Its biggest strengths lie within quieter moments, such as the two leads commiserating over a drink. “In the Heat of the Night” doesn’t pretend to solve racism by its conclusion, instead trying to connect its central characters on a human level.

Depicting one of the tribunals that followed WWII, “Judgment at Nuremberg” puts the people who aided and abetted the Nazis on trial. The epic runtime concerns the roles of German legal figures that upheld the Third Reich’s inhumane doctrines. With an all-star cast at his disposal, filmmaker Stanley Kramer spares no expense in exploring the people that allowed the Nazi Party to conduct crimes against humanity. It seeks to find complex answers to questions about following orders and the culpability of everyday citizens. Observing the various views of the defendants, the movie doesn’t let any of the perpetrators off easy in its assessment of their actions. The overall narrative ultimately asks its viewers whether or not they would have the courage to confront similar injustices.

Only a year after WWII ended, “The Best Years of Our Lives” detailed the lives of soldiers returning from the battlefield. The movie could’ve easily sugar-coated their adjustment to civilian life. Instead of glossing over the negatives of post-war life, this film follows characters that carry around the mental and physical traumas of war. Actor Harold Russell brought his own military experience to the story as a real-life amputee. Next to Russell’s authentic presence, performers Fredric March and Dana Andrews portray the other two men who suffer from varying degrees of PTSD. William Wyler’s skilled direction paints a portrait of the realities faced by former GIs.

Stanley Kubrick’s movie about WWI boasts some of the most effective depictions of the Great War ever. Along with its technical advances, the film tells a moving story about French soldiers refusing to advance during a doomed attack. The commanding officer demands that men be put on trial for cowardice, and subsequently executed. Kirk Douglas gives one of his best performances as the Colonel trying to defend his troops. Daring in its anti-war views, “Paths of Glory” also features a general theme of questioning authority. Douglas’ character seeks to make sense of a senseless conflict in an unforgettable experience.

Considered one of the great American novels, “To Kill a Mockingbird” received an acclaimed adaptation in 1962. The film does justice to Harper Lee’s story about growing up in Alabama. Along with telling the tale of young Scout and Jem, the plot focuses on their father’s legal defense of Tom Robinson. The fallout of the trial and the town’s mob mentality plays out over tense scenes. Confronting prejudice in Southern America, the movie’s trial takes a deliberate and sometimes imperfect look at racism in the criminal justice system. Gregory Peck masterfully plays Atticus Finch as a beacon of hope in a troubled town. There’s also a sense throughout the narrative that although the world is unfair, love might be able to conquer hate.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Modern Times” (1936)
Charlie Chaplin Examines the Plight of the American Worker Against Technology

“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967)
Sidney Poitier Stars in a Classic Drama About an Interracial Couple during the Turbulent 1960s

“Rebel Without a Cause” (1955)
Starring James Dean, This Teen Film Asks Serious Questions About Violence & Growing Up

“Imitation of Life” (1959)
Douglas Sirk’s Drama Follows a Mixed-Race Girl Growing Up in Backwards Times

“West Side Story” (1961)
This Adaptation of the Broadway Hit Tackles Gang Violence & Interracial Relationships

Even though he was known for comedies, Charlie Chaplin wasn’t afraid to tackle serious subjects through laughs. He made “The Great Dictator” in response to the rise of fascism and Nazism in Germany. Riding the line between satire and screwball comedy, this movie doesn’t shy away from condemning anti-Semitism. Chaplin openly criticized Adolf Hitler before the U.S. even entered the war or came to fully understand the latter’s true evil. The comedian’s thesis comes together in a final speech that still rings true today. In the earliest days of WWII, this filmmaker boldly chose to blend an important message with some classic set pieces.