Top 10 Inspirational Movies from the Golden Age of Cinema

Critics may have had a mixed reaction to its sugary sweet perspective, but the Julie Andrews-led, three-hour epic adaptation of the Broadway musical has had fans singing along ever since. The story, of course, follows a novice nun who becomes nanny to a stern Austrian captain’s seven children. She and the children form a singing troupe and she falls in love with the captain. Full of good cheer and hummable tunes, it’d be understandable if you forgot there was a whole subplot about the Third Reich. “The Sound of Music” may seem sentimental and naive, but there’s also a very relevant anti-fascist message mixed in with all the family-friendly yodeling and dancing.

The diaries Holocaust victim Anne Frank kept while hiding from Nazis with her family and neighbors have become mandatory reading in schools all over the world. Throughout this film adaptation, the group in the attic quarrel and let their fear get the best of them, but despite her age, Anne remains steady in her compassion. What the movie, and the play it’s based on, seek to capture is Anne’s impenetrable optimism. Even in the face of tremendous persecution, fear and looming death, the movie centers her belief in humanity’s innate virtues.

Based on the clash and eventual breakthroughs of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, “The Miracle Worker” is emotional and affirming. Still, it’s not a breezy watch. Keller isn’t portrayed as a saint. She is defiant, vulnerable, and human, struggling against attempts to make her come to terms with her disabilities. Sullivan problematically wrestles Keller into submission at some points, and it’s exhausting just to watch, but it’s what makes their breakthroughs feel all the more earned. Reprising their roles in the Broadway production, Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke both won Oscars for their work.

Edmund Gwenn became one of the earliest and most memorable screen Santa Clauses in this holiday classic. He plays Kris Kringle, a man who’s hired to portray Santa at the New York City Macy’s store, and actually does believe he’s the real deal. Now, through a certain lens, a lot of the movie plays out like a cross between a psychological thriller and a courtroom drama. Fortunately, it’s all played for good, old-fashioned Christmas cheer. Though it was remade in 1994, it couldn’t compare to the original. “Miracle on 34th Street” is a perfect combination of golden age efficiency, genuinely heartwarming sentiment, and clever twists on the holiday movie formula.

This early revisionist western is, on the surface, a classic story about a showdown between a sheriff and four vicious outlaws hellbent on revenge. But the real story is the sheriff, played by Gary Cooper, whose sense of duty is too strong to flee with his fellow townsfolk. One by one, his seemingly respectable citizens turn their backs on him, too afraid to stand up in the face of the danger. Abandoned by the people he’s sworn to protect, he will face the villains alone. Given the political climate, a movie about standing up for what’s right at a great personal cost resonated with many who were against blacklisting and the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Dorothy Gale and her band of merry and fantastical friends first captured children’s imaginations in book form. L. Frank Baum’s characters would eventually become an integral part of movie history with this lavish 1939 production. Between Judy Garland’s iconic performance as the wide-eyed Kansas girl and the fantastical settings, “The Wizard of Oz” is a seminal Hollywood classic. Captured in glorious technicolor and set to some of the movies’ most unforgettable music, Dorothy’s journey is wondrous and unforgettable. Beyond its artifice, though, are universal messages of hope and comfort that any child can easily recognize. It’s a celebration of imagination, found family, and the pure ingenuity of the Golden Age.

Director Frank Capra was known for a particular style of movie. The little guy always wins despite all the odds. But “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” balances the sweet stuff with incisive political commentary. It tells the story of a simple, good-natured man who finds himself elected to the U.S. Senate as a pawn, but ends up in a one-man fight to bring down a corrupt political machine. His goodness may seem naive when compared to the cynicism and backstabbing of politics, but his determination and failure to bend is an inspiration to battle against political corruption in any period. This performance solidified James Stewart’s position as the Hollywood everyman everyone could root for.

John Steinbeck’s 1939 Pulitzer-Prize winning novel about migrant workers in search of jobs, security, and their share of the American dream was a sensation when it hit bookshelves. 20th Century Fox snapped up the film rights, and cast all-American leading man Henry Fonda as the resilient Tom Joad. The country was just coming out of the Great Depression, and while the story captured the era’s grim instability, it also served as a farewell to its overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Like the lived experience of many Americans, the Joad Family’s struggle gave way to a renewed sense of community and social responsibility.

Scout Finch is a young girl who watches her father, lawyer Atticus Finch, defend an African-American man from an assault charge brought by a white woman. The racist paradoxes of the period and setting are laid bare by the case, and we watch through Scout’s eyes as her father does his best to wade through the wave of hate that comes their way. Atticus is the story’s moral backbone. Gregory Peck’s towering, Academy Award-winning performance was enough to make audiences cheer in the aisles. He stands proudly in his convictions through all the ignorance, intimidation, and violence that comes his way.

James Stewart once again plays the everyman daring to fight against forces that seem too big to fight alone. “It’s a Wonderful Life” follows the goodhearted George Bailey, who faces financial ruin at the hands of the greedy and misanthropic Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, shows him how much lesser the world would be if he hadn’t been born. Its unforgettable ending, which finds George running through the streets of Bedford Falls and reuniting with his loved ones is like a “Try Not to Cry” Challenge before that was even a thing. The story is a resounding tribute to friendship, compassion, and hope when we’re at our lowest.

Which of these inspirational classics could you watch over and over? Tell us in the comments.