In the 1920s, movies around the world began to see a dramatic shift in the way that they were made. Filmmaking, still a relatively new genre at the time, transitioned from silent films to ones with sound towards the end of the decade, marking a new way of experiencing film, video, and art for the first time. Even without the technological improvements in the movie world, the 1920s are still a source of fascination for television and films today because of the sheer amount of history packed into that one decade. With the Roaring Twenties in full swing for most of the decade around the world, the end of World War I marked a period of celebration and joy in Hollywood for those returning from war.
It is no surprise that writers and directors today are enamored with the 1920s because of this, and even today movies and books are continuously returning to this period. Some focus on the parties and extravagance of the wealthy elites during this time, as seen in movies like The Great Gatsby. Hollywood tends to make movies about the filmmaking process, and, in 2022, Damien Chazelle’s three-hour epic Babylon takes inspiration from real-life figures and actors from the period almost one hundred years after their careers began. These are the best movies set in the 1920s, ranked.
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6 Chicago
Miramax
The 2002 adaption of Chicago builds on a legacy now a century old; the original Chicago play came out in 1926 during the Roaring Twenties. In this version, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones star as two women who’ve murdered people in their lives. One is a housewife and the other a vaudevillian, and while they await their fates in jail, they reflect on how they can become famous and utilize the press to find freedom. Chicago was a massive success when released in theaters, and became the first musical in decades to take home the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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5 Bugsy Malone
Goodtimes Enterprises
Set during the Prohibition Era towards the end of the 1920s, Bugsy Malone was the directorial debut of Alan Parker. The musical comedy also serves as a gangster movie at the same time, and Jodie Foster, John Cassisi, and Scott Baio star. Child actors portray real-life adults, and instead of guns with bullets, they have guns with whipped cream, making the movie accessible to a younger audience. Set in New York City, the musical introduces Bugsy Malone, a boxing promoter who finds himself involved with the city’s clashing gangs. After one mob boss is concerned that his empire is going to be taken down by his rival, it sparks new turf wars and conflicts for the movie’s characters.
4 The Great Gatsby
Warner Bros.
Considered the representative literature of the 1920s and its decadence, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby found a faithful adaptation in 2013 that leaned in toward the extravagance the characters are known for. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jay Gatsby, a man who flaunts his wealth to chase after his unrequited love Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). When her cousin Nick (Tobey Maguire) moves into the house next door to Gatsby, he observes as an outsider the wealthy households of Long Island and the hypocrisy that comes with their relationships. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, this adaptation goes all out with the visual style.
3 Babylon
Paramount Pictures
2 Some Like It Hot
United Artists
Marilyn Monroe stars in 1959’s Some Like It Hot, which was made without approval from the Motion Picture Production Code due to the LGBTQ+ themes included in the movie. The film is set in 1929, at the height of the Prohibition Era. Two men, both jazz players, begin to cross dress after an unfortunate run-in with the local gangsters. Disguised as women, they befriend a singer, Sugar, who is a part of a band, and both ultimately end up falling in love with her, but have to remember that they are still appearing as women to Sugar, who openly discusses how she wants a rich man from Florida. Thus begins a plot to win her love and affection throughout the movie. Some Like It Hot is now considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
1 The Artist
Warner Bros. France
The 2011 movie The Artist takes direct inspiration from the period it is set in; not only is the movie black and white, but it also presents itself largely as a silent movie. The Artist begins in 1927 in Hollywood, right at the cusp where silent movies are about to be completely replaced with sound pictures. The comedy-drama tracks the life and relationships of an actor working in Hollywood, especially as he runs into a young actress that’s about to appear in his life a lot more. However, his career is at risk with the rise of talkies, like so many others who appeared in silent movies before this time.
