The 95th Academy Awards were a historic year for Oscar. Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once became the first movie to win six above-the-line categories – Picture, Director, Screenplay, and three acting awards. No other film has ever achieved such a feat. This significant accomplishment led to a disruption in the Twitterverse, as knee-jerk reactions from many of EEAAO’s advocates began declaring the movie to be one of the ten or twenty best Best Picture winners of all time.
While an enormous fan of the film (it was my #2 from 2022), to that I say slow your roll. Everything Everywhere All At Once is a brilliant and imaginative film. One that is certainly outside the typical wheelhouse for Academy voters. It is diverse, unique, and visionary, to say the least. But does it really hold up to some of the greatest films ever made? That is the question I began asking myself after a tidal wave of strong, emotional reactions that many tweeters and film critics had following the memorable Oscar night (most of whom have likely never seen most of the past Best Picture winners and the past nominees they were up against). This is an era where people reliably display strong emotional reactions to events that are more intense than the discernable significance of said event might warrant. To make matters worse,
I know, I sound old. I also know that in my youth I made many declarations regarding film that made me look inexperienced and untraveled. It’s kind of a passing of the torch, I suppose.
Since its inception, the Academy Awards have been a celebration of the exceptional accomplishments in the world of cinema. Spanning nearly a century, the Academy archives are full of cinematic masterpieces. Almost all of these films defined their era, while some have transcended generations and continued to resonate with audiences. Taking on the task of ranking the Best Picture winners is both a stimulating and formidable proposition. It was a pleasure to revisit the eclectic and distinguished anthology of films.
From grandiose and awe-inspiring epics to profound and visceral character studies, each Best Picture winner brings its own appeal, artistic vision, and legacy to the history of AMPAS – and to us, the viewer.
Of course, as with any form of ranking, the list is subjective. The notion of “best” is certainly shifting and open to each individual’s taste, experience, and point of view. I’d love to hear your passionate debates about which titles I have ranked too high or what I have placed too low, so feel free to play along throughout the series with your own rankings.
To answer where I would rank the film in the pantheon of Best Picture winners, I first had to determine what the necessary ingredients are to determine such a list. For me, there are two major components to consider:
- How great is the movie? – This is obviously the most important aspect to ranking a film on such a list. How well does its legacy hold up? What is the cultural impact of the film? How strong are the rest of its innards – the acting, the writing, the way its shot, edited, etc? While this represents to large majority of how I compiled my list, I also felt it was important to consider…
- What movies did it beat? – While a film may be good – or great – it doesn’t always mean it deserves to win. When looking back at Oscar history, there are several examples where a significantly lesser film won. For the purposes of this list, I feel that should weigh in on where the film ranks as a winner.
We know that some Best Picture winners are naturally better than others. Whether the film has stood the test of time, has become unwatchable, or has long been forgotten, each of these 95 films was once considered the vanguard of cinema at one point or another. Let’s not forget that as we kick off this cinematic odyssey. We are here to explore the history of these exceptional films and celebrate the wonderful capacity for imagination, inventiveness, and ingenuity that has created such an enduring impression on the history and fabric of cinema.
95. Cimarron (1930/1931)
Summary: Some of the early winners can be pretty rough to sit through. Between an artistic form that was just getting off the ground and an industry without much moral structure (pre-Hays Code), Cimarron tops the list for me as the least best Best Picture winner of all-time. For its time, Cimarron had a huge budget (1.4 million) and filled an impressive scope (the film spans over 40 years), but that is all overshadowed by some pretty atrocious racial and anti-Semitic stereotypes. This was the first Western to win the big prize, and the last to do so for 60 years. Dances With Wolves would end that streak, with Unforgiven following two years later. This is a tough watch, so be prepared.
What it beat: East Lynne, The Front Page, Skippy, Trader Horn
Hindsight’s a bitch: While not nominated for Best Picture, there are quite a few films from 1931 that – in hindsight – stand out as much longer-lasting options. Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece – City Lights – stands at the top of that list. Horror classics Frankenstein and Dracula were groundbreaking genre films from 1931. James Cagney’s gangster flick, The Public Enemy, Fritz Lang’s mystery/thriller, M, and King Vidor’s sports/drama, The Champ, would all have been better options as well.
94. The Broadway Melody (1928/1929)
Summary: The Broadway Melody is considered the first modern movie musical. Another dated film that is hard for many present-day viewers to sit through, Melody is a bloated, silly vaudevillian act that is hard to believe was anything more than song and dance entertainment at a time where talkies were still new and exciting. At one time, it featured a Technicolor sequence that might have deemed it to be innovative. But this is a dull experience and not one that holds up well at all.
What it beat: Alibi, Fox, Hollywood Revue, The Patriot
Hindsight’s a bitch: Silent icons Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd ruled the day. While they delivered countless entertainment for the masses, it is Maria Falconetti’s performance in Carl Theodore Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc that escalates their film above any other in 1928/1929.
93. Cavalcade (1932/1933)
Summary: Based on a Noel Coward play, Cavalcade covers one wealthy family’s perspective of the changing of the century. Spanning over 40 years from the late 1800s through the mid-thirties, Cavalcade is a tad mawkish and sentimental. It’s a time capsule covering several historic events (the Boer War, Queen Victoria’s funeral, the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, etc.), depicting how an upper-class family responded to the changing times. It remains a tad fruitless and humdrum, and is heavy on the dramatization of the passing of time.
What it beat: A Farewell to Arms, 42nd Street, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Lady for a Day, Little Women, The Private Life of Henry VIII, She Done Him Wrong, Smilin’ Through, State Fair
Hindsight’s a bitch: Plenty of horror classics once again get swept under the red carpet in favor of melodrama. Freaks, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man are still enthusiastically discussed in film circles today. Comedy legends The Marx Brothers (Duck Soup), and Mae West (She Done Him Wrong) released their best films in this window of time. The best film of this year was King Kong, which has often been imitated but never duplicated in the 90 years since.
92. Crash (2005)
Summary: Paul Haggis’ film will likely be best remembered for beating Brokeback Mountain. Aside from what it beat (every other nominee would have been a better choice), Crash is a bit too on the nose as it addresses racial tensions without much subtlety. The score, cinematography, and acting are all pretty outstanding, but it isn’t enough to save the tone-deaf Crash from feeling extremely contrived and overbearing.
What it beat: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night, and Good Luck, Munich
Hindsight’s a bitch: Brokeback Mountain was right there. Oscar voters just weren’t ready.
91. The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)
Summary: Pre-pubescent Steven Spielberg might have loved Cecil B. DeMille’s huge-scale circus spectacle (as evidenced in last year’s The Fabelmans), but Greatest Show is often cited as the worst Best Picture winner ever. The win was, perhaps, a reconciliation for passing on the silent-era titan’s earlier work. DeMille was as big as the pictures he made – the ringleader of the Hollywood circus, if you will – so a win here might have helped erase the fact that he had no Oscars up to this time.
What it beat: High Noon, Ivanhoe, Moulin Rouge, The Quiet Man
Hindsight’s a bitch: High Noon is arguably the greatest Western of all time and would have made an exceptional winner. But to not only pass on Singin’ in the Rain for the win, let alone a Best Picture nomination? That’s just madness.
90. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Summary: Another elongated, swollen film, somehow both frantic and plodding, with more cameos than substance, 80 Days is an extravaganza with little to do other than entertain. But it knows that and isn’t really trying to be anything else. The fact that it goes on for three hours is a counterpoint to its purpose. Tons of sets, stars, extras, costumes…
What it beat: Friendly Persuasion, Giant, The King and I, The Ten Commandments
Hindsight’s a bitch: What a year for Westerns and epic flicks. While George Stevens’ Giant is both of those things, it would be hard to pass on John Ford’s masterpiece, The Searchers.
89. Out of Africa (1985)
Summary: On the merits of score and cinematography, Out of Africa would be one of the greatest Best Picture winners ever. Unfortunately, there needs to be a lot more to a film than just a beautiful John Barry theme. Who would have thought a film starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford could be this boring? As far as romance goes, Out of Africa runs the full gamut of archetypal themes. While it often induces a yawn, it is gorgeous to look at. Things could be worse.
What it beat: The Color Purple, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Prizzi’s Honor, Witness
Hindsight’s a bitch: Unfortunately, any of the other four nominees would have been a better choice. Comedies like Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Clue, Goonies, and Fletch never stood a chance with the Academy. Spielberg’s Color Purple probably deserved the prize the most, despite going 0-11 on Oscar night.
88. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Summary: How does one make a film about Emile Zola’s life without a single mention of anti-Semitism? Ask Jack Warner, who famously had the word “Jew” removed from the script entirely. When it sticks to the Dreyfus Affair, Emile Zola is a film worth noting. It just takes too long to get there, beating around the bush of fascism while sidestepping the spreading threat of Nazism that was growing larger in real life. Nevertheless, the film was celebrated and became one of the early biopics to win Best Picture.
What it beat: The Awful Truth, Captains Courageous, Dead End, The Good Earth, In Old Chicago, Lost Horizon, One Hundred Men and a Girl (but no cup?), Stage Door, A Star Is Born
Hindsight’s a bitch: I’ve always admired Victor Fleming’s Captains Courageous, a high seas adventure starring the great Spencer Tracy. It would have been a pretty inspired choice if the Academy had gone with Walt Disney’s groundbreaking film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a film that many still view as the crown jewel in the Disney library.
87. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
Summary: For whatever reason, it is hard for me to separate The Life of Emile Zola from The Great Ziegfeld, despite having almost nothing to do with each other. It must have something to do with the fact that they are back-to-back Best Picture-winning biopics and that I found them both to be fine, if not mundane, films that don’t really get remembered. Another nearly 3-hour movie with big set pieces and over a thousand people employed for the film, The Great Ziegfeld is far too long for a musical romp. It was, in fact, the longest American film ever made at the time of its release. William Powell and Myrna Loy (both whom I love in The Thin Man series) keep the film from being a total loss.
What it beat: Anthony Adverse, Dodsworth, Libeled Lady, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Romeo and Juliet, San Francisco, The Story of Louis Pasteur, A Tale of Two Cities, Three Smart Girls
Hindsight’s a bitch: Ziegfeld is a fine choice, though it’s pretty obvious that Chaplin’s Modern Times and Frank Capra’s Mr. Deeds have both outlasted the victor.
86. Gigi (1958)
Summary: As good as the Lerner and Loewe music is, and as much as I love Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, and Maurice Chevalier, it’s hard to argue that Gigi doesn’t border on ephebophilia. Look no further than the film’s best song, “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” if you have any doubt. Nobody captures Parisian romantic musicals quite like Vincente Minnelli did, so if you can get past the huge gap in age differences (she’s only 16), there is a lot of charm and beauty in the film.
What it beat: Auntie Mame, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Defiant Ones, Separate Tables
Hindsight’s a bitch: Vertigo is arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s best film and it is a crime that he failed to win Best Director for his masterpiece, let alone earn a nomination for the best film of the year. Vertigo has gone on to top Sight & Sound’s list as the greatest film of all time.
85. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Summary: Some Best Picture winners have not aged well. That is to be expected as cultures change over nearly a century. But when a movie isn’t that good in the first place, beats many films that were better, AND it doesn’t age well? That can be a recipe for disaster. Time (and #filmtwitter) has not been kind to Driving Miss Daisy. It’s one thing to say a film like Gone with the Wind has issues. We are talking about a film made 3 decades before the Civil Rights era. But 50 years later, and a couple decades past the advancements brought on by the movements in the 1960s, its hard not to grimace at some of the racial politics in Driving Miss Daisy. NaĂŻve and self-satisfied, the film contrives the emotions rather than earns them. While I love Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, the latter’s performance feels a tad cringey. It’s even more sardonic that Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing came out the same year.
What it beat: Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, My Left Foot
Hindsight’s a bitch: Another example where ANY of the other nominees would have been a much better option. Field of Dreams is my favorite of the group, and (along with Do the Right Thing) would have made for a fine winner. If I had to choose, Cinema Paradiso – which won the Foreign Language Oscar that year – would have been the perfect choice for Best Picture.
84. Going My Way (1944)
Summary: A perfectly fine feel-good film that came out in the midst of World War II, Going My Way is a sweet movie about a youthful priest (Bing Crosby) trying to bring change to a rundown, antiquated church (led by Barry Fitzgerald).
What it beat: Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Since You Went Away, Wilson
Hindsight’s a bitch: Billy Wilder’s classic film noir, Double Indemnity, would have been an all-time selection for Best Picture. Going My Way was as sweet as Indemnity was sexy, but doesn’t hold a candle to one of the greatest screenplays ever written.
83. Green Book (2018)
Summary: See Driving Miss Daisy above. While not nearly as problematic, Green Book still might come off as a vehicle for white guilt. An enjoyable buddy flick with strong performances from Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, it’s a shame the plot ends up being so passĂ© – as well intentioned and entertaining as it is. Even more ironic is that like Driving Miss Daisy, a Spike Lee joint also dropped that year.
What it beat: Black Panther, BlackKklansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Roma, A Star Is Born, Vice
Hindsight’s a bitch: I think many folks – especially in filmtwitter – would tell you that Roma was the easy choice here. But not so fast! Damien Chazelle’s retelling of the 1969 moon landing, First Man, is a film I expect to age like fine wine.
82. CODA (2021)
Summary: There isn’t a single bad thing for me to say about CODA, one of the sweetest little films to ever win Best Picture. It’s a simple, moving film with great performances. I wonder how time will treat CODA, as its simplicity might be the thing that keeps it from being well-remembered fifty years from now. Or even ten.
What it beat: Belfast, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story
Hindsight’s a bitch: Kenneth Branagh’s film, Belfast, will always own my heart. I wouldn’t be surprised if The Power of the Dog or Dune ends up being the most remembered film of the lot.
81. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Summary: When I think of the phrase “Oscar bait,” an expression I’m honestly not fond of, Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind is the first movie I always think of. The second I saw it I knew it would be a Best Picture winner. So did many others, I’m sure.
What it beat: Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge
Hindsight’s a bitch: A Beautiful Mind is a fine film. It is exactly the kind of movie that used to win Best Picture with ease. I would have loved to see Moulin Rouge or The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring take the prize. Mulholland Drive and Blackhawk Down are other films that have stuck with me longer than Ron Howard’s Oscar-winner.
80. Oliver! (1968)
Summary: Oliver! brought an end to musicals winning Best Picture on a regular basis. In it’s first 41 years, the Academy awarded nine musicals the coveted prize, then went on a 34-year drought. Chicago broke that streak in 2002, and is still the only musical in the past 55 years to be a Best Picture winner. Oliver! is a fine and entertaining family favorite filled with fantastic musical numbers.
What it beat: Funny Girl, The Lion in Winter, Rachel, Rachel, Romeo and Juliet
Hindsight’s a bitch: How 2001: A Space Odyssey slipped through the Academy’s fingers only speaks to the bias against science fiction pre-2000s. Fifty-five years later, Kubrick’s masterstroke remains one of the five best films ever made.
79. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Summary: Chariots of Fire is the definitive British prestige film. From it’s inspirational themes of overcoming prejudice to the determined performances from Ben Cross and Ian Charleson, it’s easy to see how this would have moved audiences and voters alike. The opening scene, thanks in large part to Vangelis’ immortal score, is cinematic beauty in the highest form.
What it beat: Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reds
Hindsight’s a bitch: It’s still a little shocking that Warren Beatty’s biopic (Reds) lost the Oscar to the sports flick. Blame Vangelis, I suppose. Raiders of the Lost Ark is the clear champ from 1981.
78. The Artist (2011)
Summary: Hollywood recognizing a movie about movies? You don’t say! The Artist, as cute and charming as it was when it came out, falls into the severely niche category a decade later. While I enjoy The Artist, I blame the power of Harvey Weinstein for this one. It’s an ambitious film, for sure, and I wish I loved it the way so many others do. Sometimes the Oscars can ruin a film for you. As much as I try not to let that happen, I fear that’s the case for me here.
What it beat: The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Hindsight’s a bitch: Terrence Malick’s singular and pragmatic Tree of Life is one of the most beautiful films ever made.
77. Tom Jones (1963)
Summary: A social satire, Tom Jones is another film – like The Artist – that I have never been able to fully embrace. British humor can be a tough sell at times, and some of the jokes might be lost on a generation or two later. I do love Albert Finney in the role, and give marks to the Academy for an otherwise unorthodox choice.
What it beat: America America, Cleopatra, How the West Was Won, Lilies of the Field
Hindsight’s a bitch: There are a lot of great options from 1963 that were not nominated for Best Picture. John Sturges’ The Great Escape, Martin Ritt’s Hud, and Stanley Donen’s Charade are a few of my favorite from 1963. But Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds would have been a terrific choice if they had any interest in awarding any of Hitch’s thrillers.
76. You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
Summary: There are so many great Frank Capra films. While this one might not be towards the top (or anywhere near it) it is a perfect and wholesome representation of the late 30s screwball comedy. Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur are a pair of fireworks in this one. For that alone, it remains worth a watch.
What it beat: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Boys Town, The Citadel, Four Daughters, Grand Illusion, Jezebel, Pygmalion, Test Pilot
Hindsight’s a bitch: Some great options here. The sophisticated cinephile will look to see Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion listed as the deserving winner. Good thing I am an artless commentator. Give me Boys Town – the Father Flanagan biopic starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney – for sentimental reasons.
That wraps up part one in the series. Six of the twelve winners prior to 1940 have shown up already. This speaks to the Academy and film industry still trying to figure things out in its infancy. It only gets better from here, folks. Stay tuned!
75 Comments
Good piece.
Hindsight for 1985, no disrespect to Sydney Pollack, but Kurosawa’s Ran should have been running the boards that. International cinema wasn’t particularly popular with Oscar after the run they had from 1960-1979 with major nominations, and finally breaking through to wins in the 2010’s and 2020’s.
Thanks for reading!
I have Ran on my watch list. I never got around to it, but I bought it and will watch soon!
Top 3 Kurosawa easily, he got the Directing nomination largely because of Academy outrage that Ran wasn’t even Japan’s official entry for Foreign Language Film that yer.
Scorsese’s comments this week about Kurosawa’s comments when he got his honorary Oscar reminds me of the absolute shock his 80’s comeback films really were in critical circles.
I loved the Scorsese comment. I fear they are both right.
1985 seemingly coming down to Out of Africa v The Color Purple pains me. Out of the nominees I most like Kiss of the Spider Woman which would’ve been a great winner, alas.
My top 10 from that year:
1. Runaway Train
2. Brazil
3. After Hours
4. Legend
5. Return to Oz
6. Back to the Future
7. Kiss of the Spider Woman
8. The Breakfast Club
9. Ran
10. The Purple Rose of Cairo
HM: The Time to Live and the Time to Die, Come and See
Runaway Train is such an underrated movie! And Eric Roberts is actually great in it!
Out of Africa is boring?? That’s some news. I love Out of Africa. It’s a sweeping epic with brilliant performances, score, cinematography, and production design. I think it’s a great story.
I’m glad you like it. There are certainly great qualities to it. I just wasn’t moved by it. I have revisited it several times and always feel the same way. But that score… that score is magnificent.
It is. And that fabulous opening credits scene!! So gorgeous.
Also, Streep should’ve won that year. It’s one of her finest performances.
So far, so good!
Thanks for reading!
Come on, Crash wasn’t that bad.
I completely agree about First Man. It’s a shame that right wing cancel culture attacked it so hard.
Appreciate the First Man love. I’m very curious to see how that film is talked about in 20 years or so.
it won’t be. Babylon ruined everything.
I think what sunk First Man was Ryan Gosling. Now I think Gosling was and always will be amazing, but I don’t think people were ready for such a non-emoting lead in a biopic. I think when people see biopics all they really want to see is some scenery chewing.
Crash had some really amazing scenes. Most of them involved Thandie Newton and Matt Dillon. I think people hate it because it won Best Picture. And I agree, it shouldn’t have. Brokeback Mountain gets my vote.
Re: The Artist
What it beat: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, War Horse
Uhhhh, yeah. This concession trailer alone is better than other those three films.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3c0874e7eb4521dc895d46286cdb633c1a44558b3b1462e1c9f07b5827a2d89f.gif
I was not a big fan of EL&IC, but I do enjoy the other three well enough. For me, that year was about The Tree of Life and Hugo.
I had the recent pleasure of having The Tree of Life assigned in a film class I was taking. It was already amazing, but being forced to sit and dissect that film in order to write a paper on it just revealed to me how much of a masterpiece it truly is. Outside of gay films, it might be my #1 of all time.
I think the Greatest Show on Earth isn’t as bad as people remember after having watched it recently.. I found High Noon very dated and my vote would have gone to The Quiet Man, one of my all time favourites.
I’ve never heard High Noon referred to as dated. I hope you revisit it down the road and have a different reaction to it. That has happened to me many times over the years (especially with Westerns). One example of this is Shane. Didn’t like it at all the first time. Went back a few years later and had the opposite reaction. Now it sits firmly in my top 100.
just watched a few months ago…love Gary Cooper but found the show a snore… loved Shane
Really enjoyed this article.
Come back for more and tell your friends. 🙂
Most of the “bad” BP winners are usually more dull and boring than really bad movies. Even the universally vilified CRASH is just preachy and simplistic. The one movie that I think is really bad is OUT OF AFRICA. The movie is actually badly written and edited. Characters are introduced as major parts of the story, just to disappear without explanation. Late in the movie, a character dies and the movie treats it as a major loss, except that he had barely been in the movie, so we didn’t care at all. When Streep’s character is about to leave Africa, she shown to be a champion of the native people, which comes as a big surprise. During the movie she is seen interacting with them very briefly.
And the movie has a fatal flaw at the center: Streep and Redford have ZERO chemistry. This movie wants to be DOCTOR ZHIVAGO in the savanna and fails miserably. Worst BP ever.
Agree about none of them really being bad films. And love the Zhivago shoutout. One of my favorites.
We have very similar, with a few differences:
I’m just going purely on film quality, and I do like most winners, including a few of these. I’m aware of what they beat, but it doesn’t personally factor in here.
#76 Rocky
#77 Chariots of Fire
#78 Forrest Gump
#79 Shakespeare in Love
#80 Oliver!
#81 The Great Ziegfeld
#82 Gigi
#83 Going My Way
#84 Cavalcade
#85 Around the World in 80 Days
#86 West Side Story
#87 Out of Africa
#88 The Shape of Water
#89 The Greatest Show on Earth
#90 The Broadway Melody
#91 Cimarron
#92 Coda
#93 Crash
#94 Tom Jones
#95 Everything Everywhere All at Once
Mark included none of my top 60 so I have little to complain about, and the write-ups and context were sound and brief. I like The Life of Emile Zola, Driving Miss Daisy, A Beautiful Mind, Green Book and You Cant Take it With You a little better (not drastically), and Cavalcade to an extent. Deep into the #80s and beyond I differed on The Shape of Water, West Side Story and EEAAO.
Your 95 is a joke. Jeez.
So is his #86
I get that these lists are beyond subjective, but c’mon
I actually can’t stand West Side Story either. It’s a terrible adaptation. Everything great about the film is even better when it’s on stage. Trust me after you’ve seen the opening scene unedited on stage, you will understand what I mean.
ANd the whole “Somewhere” sequence was slaughtered in the movie. Both movies actually.
Surprised to see EEAAO ranked last. You must have really disliked that one. You have a couple that are very high for me on that list.
Sorry I couldn’t return the favour you gave to me with no notable disagreement. I’m guessing you mean the likes of Rocky and Forrest, which is fair enough. Rocky and upwards are all very good quality to me and clear the bar for BP.
Yes I couldn’t stand that one. Could be an American bubble thing with WSS and EEAAO, not sure they resonate as ubiquitously overseas. I don’t have anything against them, just don’t really rate them at all, particularly EEAAO. GDT is a career of two halves for me, enjoyed everything then don’t like anything post-PL. The last six years with 3 of the 6 being among my worst has had an impact on my bottom handful, OoA and Greatest Show have escaped and look almost respectable now lol compared to a decade back when I was almost finished in chasing them all down.
I was 18ish when Out of Africa. I found it immensely moving and irresistibly romantic. I was, of course, fanboying hard for Streep at the time, so that might have influenced me. I haven’t revisited it since. Except for Purple Rose of Cairo, I’ve not revisited any of the Big Guns. Purple Rose of Cairo is brilliant. So inventive and creative.
I suspect if the Academy realized this was the best chance to reward a Harrison Ford movie, I think Witness would have swept everything. I feel like it was the biggest film of that year. Sure, I was in high school so people loved Back to the Future. I was not one of them. What I most watched that year was Sweeney Todd of course (the televised Angela Lansbury/George Hearn version.) I would pick Blood Simple as best of the year.
Whenever I hear people discuss Chariots of Fire I can always tell how seriously they take religion. What makes the movie great is it’s the only BP since I was born that takes religion seriously. Sure, one may not be religious, but that shouldn’t mean you can’t empathize with the struggles these two faced.
I watched Out of Africa for the first time some 3-4 years ago. To me, it’s not perfect but boring it certainly isn’t.
You might be onto something with the religious aspect of Chariots. I was raised Catholic, and my mother was a big fan of the film. Maybe that’s why I’ve always enjoyed it more than most.
there are certain movies you just need to have experienced certain aspects of life.
I think Longtime Companion is the perfect example. Give it to someone today, even a gay guy in his 20’s, and its full impact can’t be known. I know people will criticize a film for not being universally understandable, but that’s because straight white men think all of the movies made by and for straight white men are “universal” – hint, they are not.
As always, SNL’s take on the subject is amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ociMBfkDG1w
Lots of the older ones here I haven’t seen. My only gripe would be to move CODA higher. Love that little film.
I have nothing negative to say about CODA. I think it’s one of those films that would have been better off not winning.
I think because it didn’t run the season it didn’t hurt too much. It never became the hated evil front runner with the backlash that ensues. Thinking about EEAAO. Parasite also never had to deal with that hate. Or Moonlight, etc.
Good stuff! I always love reading the heated takes on Brokeback vs Crash. In my ‘no one cares’ opinion it’s a funny debate because those two movies were actually the worst two of the five up for Best Picture.
Brokeback is a good movie, but my opinion of it is somewhat tempered because it’s clearly designed for straight audiences.
Well, the director is straight, the screenwriters are straight. People insist this shouldn’t matter but it does matter.
I always call these movies College Syllabus movies, movies that work better as academic exercises in a Humanities 101 lecture than as actual entertainment.
But the film has one big saving grace — Heath Ledger. He was onto something with Ennis, he just reached beyond any other straight actor portraying a gay man on screen. This is one of those performances that are absolutely heartbreaking and no matter how much you try to analyse them, you’ll never be able to put into words what’s so beautiful about it.
Oh, indeed. It’s a very good movie, and had Ang Lee released in the 1990’s it might rank among my very favorites. But sadly, by the time it came out, the closet/tragedy plotline had several great submissions already. Yossi & Jagger is easily my favorite of the genre, it goes so much further than Brokeback (and in half the time!)
Steven Spielberg’s Munich should have swept the Oscars in a just world.
I like Munich and the non-nominated History of Violence best from that year.
I’m LOVING the Munich love here. It often gets talked down about, but I think it is among Spielberg’s best films. My second favorite that year (and it was a GREAT year).
Sooooo damn true so much so it stands to this very day as boldest most stark..and necessarily confronting depiction all accurate all wholly true in events even if specific acts of sabotage of mossad payback had creative yet I’n context astonishingly breathtaking and shocking levels of realism nevertheless within…but most compelling and realistic depiction of first war on terror before entire world was truly engulfed 3 decades ltr after tragedy of Munich and it aftermath… in our war on terror from 9 /11… Munich has unquestionably outlasted majority if not all of that years Oscar contenders and winner by a mile… came close to rivalling most memorable shocking scenes in schindlers list or saving private Ryan too for sheer guts and emotional impact… Rime magazine that year had Spielberg on the cover fittingly titled ” Munich” “Spielberg’s secret masterpiece ” shame on the self righteous hypocritical conspiracists who falsely accused Spielberg of showing bias …to the Israeli side that whole point only way to tell history is truth of it esp an event like this like seriously what do people expect ? Oscar weakness and meekness in their utter stubborn refusal to back in one most astonishing unforgettable underrated masterpiece historic thrillers.. set in the 20th century ever made had more than a whiff of the Godfather meets French connection u can argue…Spielberg’s 3rd best film he has EVER made of true historic dramas … exactly type film Oscar SHOULD be awarding best picture not to treat it like it piss off the ‘otherside’ in fact what really passes lot of us off wirh Oscars toxic vindictictive attitude is they insist taking radical activist side today yet with film of superb near flawless brilliance and magnitude in Munich they worried give it best picture win for ONLY ONE reason they were fearful of a backlash from the Muslim community well I’m sorry the ONLY TRUTHFULMWAY to tell true harrowing tale of events in Munich is the truth … Spielberg knew this and it just such selfish pigheaded pathologically driven motivational shallow cause that Munich got no love from Oscar… all cos Oscar felt that Munich might had better chance to win if it didn’t ‘go so hard against Muslim terrorists of the time ‘ OF THE TIME OSCAR DOES NOT SHOULD NOT = Offensive to Muslims of today we need to respect history for what it was and who good guys were sure Mossad committed murder but it academic really isn’t it ? It was justified… cos it factually was motivation of that sick twisted weasel in Arafat who orchestrated ynleashed black September and directed them to massacre Israeli Jewish athletes as many as possible… it one rhing for the Academy to obsess on truth telling for blacks or other ethnicities fair enough but it another entirely to deny historical events as they DID happen… Spielberg took no prisoners with this epic espionage revenge payback drama … it masterpiece of a tribute to how telling truth of an event in itself csn shape and define smaller events in a film so seamlessly and so incredibly impact full on audiences by simply sticking to truth… the ONLY victim was the Jewish athletes… Oscar really failed a major test of a film that hit so many key markers for a best picture film and deserved one at that.. I wish to have Munich on 4k … worth noting it was Daniel Craig’s first appearan e in espionage action film before he became one best Bond’s since Sean cannery
When you watch Capote immediately after reading In Cold Blood it becomes a horrifying experience. Easily the best “major” film of the year (there might be some indie or foreign film from that year I didn’t see listed on the site I use)
My 2005:
1. The Proposition (Hillcoat)
2. The House of Sand (Waddington)
3. A History of Violence (Cronenberg)
4. Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley)
5. Match Point (Woody)
6. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (TLJ)
7. Munich (Spielberg)
8. War of the Worlds (Spielberg)
9. Sin City (Rodriguez)
10. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)
HM: Three Times (HHH), Jarhead (Mendes), Election (Johnnie To)
I think Brokeback and Munich were both great. It was a runaway frontrunner year though with Crash shaping as the late underdog alternative. Walk the Line might’ve presented a preferable conventional populist alternative but it slid a little during that season. Capote and GNaGL were solid noms but were just happy to be there and posed no real threat. Munich likewise never really felt like it had a chance, we should be glad it got nominated really.
Out of Africa isn’t perfect but in my opinion isn’t boring. I might be in the minority regarding The Color Purple but it’s such a schmaltzy and simplistic take on a book that could have inspired a heartbreaking film. Spielberg’s film is too neat, too easy. Kiss of the Spider Woman or Prizzi’s Honor should have won.
Crash, Green Book, and CODA all belong here. Sadly. The Academy had greater options these years, more than one. I’m still furious that The Power of the Dog didn’t get the award it so richly deserved. However, I don’t think Roma will stand the test of time. Though I have some issues with Brokeback Mountain, it is vastly superior to the trainwreck of a movie Crash.
Chariots of Fire is a truly dull film. It lacks the spirit it celebrates. However, I find Reds to be a misguided vanity project. It could have been so much better but it has ambition. On Golden Pond is a sentimental TV flick with some average to good acting which is not worthy of a single Oscar. Spielberg would have been deserving and so would have been the great Louis Malle for Atlantic City.
Gigi is a nightmare. I couldn’t sit through it. I agree on a lot of the early Best Picture winners. I started with It Happened One Night when I was doing my Best Picture project (saw all winners, a lot of nominees – currently, I have seen 100% of the Best Picture/Directing winners and slightly above 60% of all Best Picture/Directing nominees). And then I watched Broadway Melody (which was terrible), Cavalcade (unwatchable) and Cimarron (awful). By comparison, The Life of Emile Zola isn’t that bad. It’s simply dull. Ditto: The Great Ziegfeld.
RE: The Artist: I absolutely agree with you on this one. This was Harvey Weinstein at the height of his power in Hollywood. The last Harvey peak. The film is charming but absolutely shallow. The Tree of Life is the best film that year. It’s a great visionary’s modern masterpiece.
Sounds like we agree on a lot here. Good mention for Atlantic City!
Mark with all due respect number people disagree u rational having CODA rated so low in u countdown to top 95 .. I strongly dispute it appears if I not mistaken u judgement of u rankings esp likes of the masterpiece Chariots of Fire of all sports films Oscar corntenders it telling that it was first Sports drama to win best picture …. I think before Rocky.. vangelis score shaped the film in number ways but it legacy must not be measured by societal standards of today you seemed done that with few of u lower ranked in this first countdown of films that is not just or fair on Oscar contenders past esp older ones in u ranking to assess by modern analogies how they stock up to today’s societal standards… this concern a lot film purists that were headed to unhealthy damaging collective in our co conciousness u not only one do this where we dismiss or ay doen cinematic impact snd feats of older films at cinematic achievement and memorability level as best picture winners just cos they don’t fir in to modern society?
Yet essence of best of cinema like Chariots of fire for instance lies in combination of cinematic elements in writing , performance and execution how films resonate wirh audiences is ONLY in part moral societal message . This is where Academy today has lost it soul in wasteland of social media radical sociological activism gone absurdly bonkers… IF WE START CONTRASTING AND REDEFINING FILMS OF PAST THROUGH MODERN SOCIAL STANDARDS TODAY WE NEVER GONNA LEARN TO ACCEPT EMBRACE IN HEALTHY WAY INVALUSBLE CONTRIBUTION AND OURE CONEMAYICALLY ENGAGUNG MAGIC STILL MSKES CHARIOTS OF FIRE AND LIKE ONE MOAT ENDURING FILMS OF HUMSN SPIRIT OVERCOME ADVERSITY AND EMBRACE TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY …
With Coda I can’t help but feel some not just you Mark playing down it role in transforming tjr cinematic landscape … in elevating in most honest dramatic yet inspired way plight of deaf people challenges obstacles or face this film proven be amongst most popular on streaming even in comparison to over loaded nomadland to this very day.. and others like that.. but CODA is an ode to potential in cast and crew of disabled actors and crew in forming this film and film that used sign language at its core … yet u made no mention it first Oscar winner to have majority of script driven by sign language an extraordinary achievement… frankly I think it shameful as society we huffed and puffed excessively on fukin Oscar slap… at certain point … there systemic cultural failure for those connected to Hollywood elite and media in how they thrive on divisive controversy and bad behaviour ..at expense of CODA win.. it won 3 / 3 only film win 100 % of wins since return of the King ok so it was higher chance doing that but still…
I definitely commend you for number u other rankings …but particularly Mark u comments c mate of Hitchcock and Kubrick how much they were robbed .
But Coda and Chariots of Fire are few deserved be ranked in your upcoming top lists not this far as u had thrm ranked …
Just once in a blue moon I confidently speak on behalf mostbof us thiscyears Oscars WE EXPECT THE ACADEMY TO ignore and disregard their ‘ societal cloudy vision lenses to embrace contenders on their cinematic achievement not driven by societal moral messaging that ONLY WAY Oscars ratings will recover can’t believe they not worked it out yet !
You know, I just watched Atlantic City for the first time, I am no Louis Malles expert (although I think Vanya on 42nd street is vastly underrated) and all I can say about Atlantic City is that it had way more plot than I was expecting. But compared to Au Revoir Les Enfant and the aforementioned Vanya I found it wanting.
I think Vanya is amazing simply because it’s easily the best adaptation of a stage production on film. The choices he made make you feel like you are there. It is so immediate. Not to mention it’s a masterpiece, in my opinion better than any Shakespeare (although I would rank Shakespeare objectively higher just because he was ridiculously groundbreaking)
These are my personal least favorite entries. Some of you may remember just how much I hated Birdman. 9 years later I still fucking loath that cinematic fraud. I had a similar reaction to The Deer Hunter. Yes, I have seen every Best Picture winner. I pride myself on doing that. I thought I would revisit all of them when the 100th winner is announced, but I dread watching Deerman and Bird Hunter again.
76. Green Book
77. The English Patient
78. The Lost Weekend
79. Gentleman’s Agreement
80. Out of Africa
81. How Green Was My Valley
82. An American in Paris
83. Driving Miss Daisy
84. Braveheart
85. Around the World in 80 Days
86. The Broadway Melody
87. The Life of Emile Zola
88. The Great Ziegfeld
89. Gigi
90. Cavalcade
91. Cimarron
92. The Greatest Show on Earth
93. Crash
94. The Deer Hunter
95. Birdman
That’s a shame you don’t like The Deer Hunter. One of my favorites. What is it about it that you didn’t like?
I was bored for the indulgent first hour, to the point of disliking the characters, the story, the direction. So when the war part begins I was already frustrated enough that I didn’t connect with any of it. This was punctuated by being detached from caring for how the Russian roulette scenes played out. I was like, OK so he’s dead, let’s wrap this up. I remember leaving the theater ditching my friends as they all liked it, and I just wanted to avoid the post-film discussion and get the experience out of me. (Yes, I saw it with friends in a arthouse theater near where I went to grad school.)
I saw this many years after it came out in ’78. By then, I had already seen Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now and it paled in comparison. I thought that Coming Home was a better film, and it should have won BP that year.
Of all 95 Best Picture titles, I would gladly watch any of them (except Birdman) over this.
I don’t consider it a shame that I don’t like it. It’s a difference of opinion. My list is based on my views and not many of the considerations you took into account. So my list will vary wildly from the next person. (For example Return of the King is in the middle at #41.)
My best friend on this site would dispute the low ranking of Gigi. 🙂
she must not be a “little girl,” thank heavens.
Ha ha.
The Greatest Show on Earth is much, much higher up on my list for sixteen reasons: Otto Griebling, Lou Jacobs, Ernie Burch, Felix Adler, Buzzy Potts, Paul Jerome, Prince Paul, Paul Jung, Paul Mortier, Jimmy Armstrong, Albert White, Irving Romig, Al Bruce, Charlie Bell, Frankie Saluto and Emmett Kelly.
For transporting these legendary circus clowns from the big top to the big screen, we salute you, Mr. DeMille!!
It’s a nice list. But I honestly think there are worse Best Picture winners than Coda, A Beautiful Mind, Out of Africa, Crash, The Artist, and Gigi.
I would’ve included Rocky, Sting, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, West Side Story, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, and Everything Everywhere All at Once in this list.
Fantastic article Mark!! I LOVE that you mentioned The Breakfast Club as a film that should have been seriously considered for a nomination in 1985!! I did love Out if Africa though
The Breakfast Club while entertaining is simplistic sociology at best. I remember my friends and I trying to pigeonhole ourselves into which of the five we most resembled, and the truth was easy to see, all of us were a little of each. Sadly, though, I think most teens back then didn’t make such distinctions.
Birdy was easily the best “youth” film of the mid-80’s.
My first year of movie watching I can remember was 1978, so that is where I will start. Even then, there are BP winners since I have not seen. Here are the most egregious errors. I
I’ve put them into two groups.
Group 1 is the BP winner is just not BP worthy
Group 2 is for when a truly great movie was overlooked
Group 1
Forest Gump – Pump Fiction
Braveheart – Babe
American Beauty – The Insider
Gladiator – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Group 2
Driving Miss Daisy – Field of Dreams
Schindler’s List – The Piano
English Patient – Fargo
Titanic – LA Confidential
Crash – Capote
The Artist – Tree of Life
Argo = Zero Dark Thirty
Green Book – Roma
I cannot like this comment enough.
Cimarron won Best Picture at the 4th Academy Awards (for movies released between August 1930 and July 1931), whereas King Vidor’s The Champ was in contention at the following ceremony (for movies released from August 1931 to July 1932). So, while The Champ easily beats Cimarron anytime, it could not have done so back then.
Mark, of the films I have seen, I agree with most of your choices—especially The Artist and Crash, but not CODA. With that said, I’m struggling with responding with my own ranking—are you looking for our bottom 20 out of the 95 as you have done here?
Isn’t EEAAO not #95?… there can not be a worst winner in the past or in the future.
I don’t agree with this list. Some may not remember actress “Ann Bancroft ” in The Miracle Worker. Or “John Hurt” in The Elephant Man. Great actors great movies. The acting was superb!
The first part of your countdown list is right on the money!!
Mrs. Miniver should be down here, too.
And I’ll take Brief Encounter over any of the other films nominated for BP in 1945: one of all-time favourites.
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The problem with these lists (and how echo chambery they are) is that people rarely have watched many older films. Their knowledge on the subject tends to be lacking, their picks put too much stock into cult popularity and popular adoration by the film community, so you end up with lists that are basically the same as if they were written by anyone else. Gets boring.
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