The following is an overview of 1933 in film, including significant events, a list of films released, and notable births and deaths.
Gloria Frances Stuart was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in Pre-Code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Rose Dawson Calvert in James Cameron's epic romance Titanic (1997), one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Her performance in the film won her a Screen Actors Guild Award and earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.
Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936, when she was the number one female star and highest-paid actress at Warner Bros. studio. She adopted her mother's maiden name (Francis) as her professional surname.
Roland Young was an English-born actor. He began his acting career on the London stage, but later found success in America and received an Academy Award nomination for his role in the film Topper (1937).
Gary Sanchez Productions was an American film and television production company founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.
The Great Moment is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson, Alec B. Francis, and Milton Sills. The film is now considered lost though a fragment exists and is preserved at the BFI National Archive.
Wonder Bar is a 1934 American pre-Code film adaptation of a Broadway musical of the same name directed by Lloyd Bacon with musical numbers created by Busby Berkeley.
Love Before Breakfast is a 1936 American romantic comedy film starring Carole Lombard, Preston Foster, and Cesar Romero, based on Faith Baldwin's short story Spinster Dinner, published in International-Cosmopolitan in July 1934. The film was directed by Walter Lang from a screenplay by Herbert Fields assisted by numerous contract writers, including Preston Sturges.
I Found Stella Parish is a 1935 American melodrama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Kay Francis, Ian Hunter and Paul Lukas. It was produced by Warner Bros. and shot at the company's Burbank Studios. Francis plays a celebrated actress whose dark secret is revealed to the world.
Secrets of an Actress is a romantic drama film directed by William Keighley, and starring Kay Francis, George Brent, and Ian Hunter in 1938. It is about a love triangle between a stage actress, her financial backer, and his friend.
Cynara is an American pre-Code 1932 romantic drama film about a British lawyer who pays a heavy price for an affair. It stars Ronald Colman, Kay Francis, and Phyllis Barry. It is based on the 1928 novel An Imperfect Lover by Robert Gore-Browne. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career. A text panel at the beginning of the film explains the title: “Inspired by Ernest Dowson's immortal lines—‘I have been faithful to thee, Cynara, in my fashion.” The poem in question, Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae, was first published in 1894.
The Feminine Touch is a 1941 American comedy film directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and starring Rosalind Russell and Don Ameche.
The Hypnotist is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Paul Carpenter, Patricia Roc and Roland Culver. It is based on a play by Falkland Cary. A hypnotist has grown sick of his wife and attempts to convince one of his patients to murder her.
Gloria Warren was an American actress, soprano singer, and philanthropist.
Give Me Your Heart was a 1936 American drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Kay Francis, George Brent and Roland Young. It was a melodrama based on the 1934 London play Sweet Aloes, by Joyce Carey. Leading lady Kay Francis, playing the familiar role of a self-sacrificing mother, had a difficult working relationship with the director throughout the making of the film.
The Silver Lining is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Alan Crosland and written by Claire Corvalho and Gertrude Orr. Starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Betty Compson, John Warburton, and Montagu Love. it was released on April 16, 1932, by United Artists.
I'll Tell the World is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and written by Ralph Spence and Dale Van Every. The film stars Lee Tracy, Gloria Stuart, Roger Pryor, Onslow Stevens, Alec B. Francis and Willard Robertson. The film was released on April 21, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
Tillie the Toiler is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Kay Harris, William Tracy, and George Watts. The screenplay was written by Karen DeWolf and Francis Martin, from DeWolf's story, which in turn was based on the comic strip of the same name by Russ Westover. It was the second film based on the comic strip, and the first sound picture, the other being the 1927 silent film also titled Tillie the Toiler.
The Glorias is a 2020 American biographical-drama film directed and produced by Julie Taymor, from a screenplay by Taymor and Sarah Ruhl. The film is based upon My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem who is represented by four actresses in the movie who portray her life in different ages. It stars Julianne Moore as Steinem, with Alicia Vikander portraying a younger Steinem, from ages 20 to 40, Lulu Wilson portraying a teenage Steinem, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Steinem when she was a child. The cast also includes Lorraine Toussaint, Janelle Monáe, and Bette Midler.
