The Greatest Best Picture Winners
by yoyoshi14 | created - 06 Aug 2011 | updated - 28 Feb 2012 | PublicHere are my picks for the best Best Picture winners. I base my choices on its impact in the world of cinema, critical acclaim, popularity over time, and my personal opinion.
NOTE: The films in the middle of my list I don't love or hate. Therefore I have little to say about them, other than they were 'good.'
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1. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,013,924 | Gross: $134.97M
My pick for the greatest Best Picture winner.
-Should have won: good choice
2. Casablanca (1942)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Votes: 606,314 | Gross: $1.02M
Everything about Casablanca is timeless.
-Should have won: good choice
3. My Fair Lady (1964)
G | 170 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In 1910s London, snobbish phonetics professor Henry Higgins agrees to a wager that he can make crude flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, presentable in high society.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Votes: 101,875 | Gross: $72.00M
I rank My Fair Lady this high because it's my favorite movie of all-time. That aside, My Fair Lady is the last great cinematic musical, with classic songs and musical numbers, and a great cast.
-Should have won: *Dr. Strangelove
*I say this based only on popular consensus. Although Kubrick is one of my top 3 favorite directors, and Dr. Strangelove is my favorite film of his, but My Fair Lady is my favorite movie of all-time so I can't argue with the Academy's decision.
4. Annie Hall (1977)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Votes: 278,525 | Gross: $39.20M
I am a HUGE Star Wars fan, but I am one of the few fans who does not feel bitter with Annie Hall's Best Picture win. Annie Hall is a comedic and honest play on relationships. I rank Annie Hall so high because it's my favorite film from my favorite director, Woody Allen.
-Should have won: *Star Wars
*Base on popular consensus. I, however, agree with the Academy's decision.
5. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War
A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 334,457 | Gross: $198.68M
The best film in a year considered by many as the greatest year of cinema. The other nominees included classics such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, and The Wizard of Oz.
-Should have won: good choice.
6. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,451,700 | Gross: $96.90M
Clearly the best film of 1993.
-Should have won: good choice
7. West Side Story (1961)
Approved | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise | Stars: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 121,250 | Gross: $43.66M
The musicals of the 1950's and 1960's are why I love movies! Nothing cheers me up more than a great musical number, and West Side Story is full of them.
-Should have won: good choice
8. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Approved | 218 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
Director: David Lean | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins
Votes: 314,535 | Gross: $44.82M
It's hard to argue with the Academy's decision. Lawrence of Arabia is the epitome of 'epic movie.'
-Should have won: good choice
9. All About Eve (1950)
Passed | 138 min | Drama
A seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm
Votes: 138,819 | Gross: $0.01M
Holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a single film (14 nominations). I don't have a problem with this pick because All About Eve was certainly one of the top two films of 1950, and one of the best films of all time.
-Should have won: The Third Man (not nominated) or Sunset Boulevard
10. No Country for Old Men (2007)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 1,060,981 | Gross: $74.28M
No Country was one of only a handful of movies, in recent years, that totally captivated and blew me away. Even upon multiple viewing I still felt the same appreciation and satisfaction I felt after the first viewing. 2007 was a great year for films.
-Should have won: good choice, or There Will Be Blood
11. The Godfather Part II (1974)
R | 202 min | Crime, Drama
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Votes: 1,365,016 | Gross: $57.30M
The best sequel ever made! However, given a choice to watch Part II or Chinatown, I have to go with Polanski.
-Should have won: Chinatown
12. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
PG | 161 min | Adventure, Drama, War
British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.
Director: David Lean | Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa
Votes: 233,406 | Gross: $44.91M
This is probably my favorite David Lean movie. The only reason I don't have it ranked higher than Lawrence of Arabia is because Lawrence of Arabia had more of an impact on cinema. The Academy chose a great film with The Bride on the River Kwai, but my favorite film of 1957 is Funny Face (because it appeals more to my personal taste).
-Should have won: good choice
13. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,549,213 | Gross: $130.74M
I know it's cliche to say "I love everything" about this film, but that statement is true regarding The Silence of the Lambs. There is noting I can find wrong with this film. I love everything about it.
-Should have won: good choice
14. Amadeus (1984)
R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice
Votes: 428,315 | Gross: $51.97M
Amadeus is historically inaccurate, but powerfully entertaining nonetheless. One of my favorite Best Picture winners, particularly because of the amazing restoration of Mozart music.
-Should have won: good choice
15. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,072,919 | Gross: $112.00M
Although the ending is tragic, every time I watch Cuckoo's Nest I feel good inside. It's great seeing a group of people, who are nuts, band together and make the best of their bad situation. Cuckoo's Nest was the best amongst a strong field of competitors (Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Nashville).
-Should have won: Any of the films nominated would have been a good choice.
16. The Deer Hunter (1978)
R | 183 min | Drama, War
An in-depth examination of the ways in which the Vietnam War impacts and disrupts the lives of several friends in a small steel mill town in Pennsylvania.
Director: Michael Cimino | Stars: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage
Votes: 362,403 | Gross: $48.98M
Watching The Deer Hunter is always a very spiritual/transcendent experience. Throughout the film you go on a journey to the spiritual heights of the mountains, to the lower depth of hell in the Vietnam War.
Should have won: good choice
17. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
R | 113 min | Drama
A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver
Votes: 120,892 | Gross: $44.79M
A dark, depressing take on the buddy film. It's always rough watching Joe Buck and "Ratso" Rizzo struggling to survive in the lower depths of society. In the end, however, the relationship between the two is very touching and profound.
-Should have won: good choice
18. On the Waterfront (1954)
Approved | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger
Votes: 165,015 | Gross: $9.60M
Few actors can carry a film like Marlon Brando. His portrayal of Terry Malloy remains one of my favorite performances of all-time.
-Should have won: good choice
19. The Hurt Locker (2008)
R | 131 min | Drama, Thriller, War
During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce
Votes: 473,996 | Gross: $17.02M
I don't really have much to say about The Hurt Locker other than I loved it, and I can't really explain why. I just enjoyed it a lot when I first saw it, and enjoyed it just as much, if not more, upon multiple viewings.
-Should have won: good choice
20. Rocky (1976)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport
A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 628,762 | Gross: $117.24M
Rocky's fight with Apollo Creed is probably one of the most up-lifting and inspiring moments in film. I get goosebumps all over my body everytime I hear Bill Conti's iconic score. If Rocky won Best Picture any other year I wouldn't have a problem.
-Should have won: TAXI DRIVER!!!, Network, All the President's Men
21. The Apartment (1960)
Approved | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
Votes: 196,973 | Gross: $18.60M
Jack Lemon delivers a tour de force performance. What makes this film so good is its simplicity and great story.
-Should have won: good choice
22. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Votes: 83,604 | Gross: $24.38M
Sidney Poitier delivers one of cinema's most famous quotes: "They call me Mister Tibbs!" What starts out as a simple story quickly turns into to a complex murder mystery, and look on how racism affects a small Southern town.
-Should have won: The Graduate
23. It Happened One Night (1934)
Passed | 105 min | Comedy, Romance
A rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns
Votes: 112,332 | Gross: $4.36M
Even after 77 years It Happened One Night remains a timeless romantic comedy. Clark Gable is charming as usual in his only Oscar winning performance. This was the first of three movies to sweep the Oscars.
-Should have won: good choice
24. The Departed (2006)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
Votes: 1,423,079 | Gross: $132.38M
The film where Martin Scorsese finally got his Oscar. Though The Departed may not be considered one of Scorsese's best films, it's still a fine piece of work, and certainly deserving of it's Best Picture win.
-Should have won: good choice
25. Unforgiven (1992)
R | 130 min | Drama, Western
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris
Votes: 436,363 | Gross: $101.16M
One of the only American Westerns to have the edginess of a Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Western."
-Should have won: good choice
26. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Passed | 132 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
First mate Fletcher Christian leads a revolt against his sadistic commander, Captain Bligh, in this classic seafaring adventure, based on the real-life 1789 mutiny.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin
Votes: 24,867
Great performances all around, particularly Charles Laughton's performance as the ruthless Captain Bligh. Mutiny on the Bounty is a compelling film that even modern audiences will enjoy.
-Should have won: good choice
27. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, History
The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 234,417 | Gross: $100.32M
Shakespeare in Love's win remains one of the most controversial wins in Oscar history, beating out Steven Spielberg's grand-masterpiece Saving Private Ryan. Although I agree with the masses that Saving Private Ryan should have won, I still love this film.
-Should have won: Saving Private Ryan.
28. Ben-Hur (1959)
G | 212 min | Adventure, Drama
After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet
Votes: 253,784 | Gross: $74.70M
Ben-Hur may be hard for most audiences to sit through (a running time of nearly 4 hours), however, your patience will be rewarded. If anything, at least skip to the chariot race scene. It's one of the most spectacular moments captured on film.
-Should have won: Some Like It Hot (not nominated) or North by Northwest (not nominated)
29. The King's Speech (2010)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
Votes: 708,154 | Gross: $138.80M
The King's Speech is one of the few British period pieces that isn't a complete drag. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush have great on-screen chemistry. Their performances make this movie shine (not pun intended).
-Should have won: good choice
30. Patton (1970)
GP | 172 min | Biography, Drama, War
The World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong
Votes: 107,996 | Gross: $61.70M
George C. Scott's performance alone makes this film worth watching. One of the best biopics ever!
-Should have won: good choice
31. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,211,472 | Gross: $130.10M
I was truly inspired the first time I watched American Beauty. The next few viewings, not so much. Still, American Beauty is among my all-time favorites.
-Should have won: good choice
32. Rebecca (1940)
Approved | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson
Votes: 146,835 | Gross: $4.36M
A fine film amongst a field of strong competition. Rebecca was up against classics such as The Grapes of Wrath, The Philadelphia Story, and The Great Dictator. This was Hitchcock's only film to win Best Picture.
-Should have won: The Grapes of Wrath
33. Gandhi (1982)
PG | 191 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
Votes: 240,242 | Gross: $52.77M
When's the last time you heard someone say "Hey let's watch Gandhi?" If by chance someone does, watch it, it's great!
-Should have won: E.T. -The Extra Terrestrial or Blade Runner (not nominated)
34. The English Patient (1996)
R | 162 min | Drama, Romance, War
At the close of World War II, a young nurse tends to a badly burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
Director: Anthony Minghella | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 201,130 | Gross: $78.65M
I happen to think The English Patient is a pretty good movie; however, the length and painfully slow pacing make it a burden to watch (for some).
-Should have won: Fargo
35. The Last Emperor (1987)
PG-13 | 163 min | Biography, Drama, History
Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying
Votes: 111,558 | Gross: $43.98M
The Last Emperor wasn't a bad film per se. Actually, it was rather good. And like all of Bertolucci's other films it's aesthetic is very rich and beautiful. The problem with this film is it's too obscure for mainstream audiences.
-Should have won: good choice
36. Oliver! (1968)
G | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
After being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed
Votes: 41,427 | Gross: $16.80M
Oliver! is a fun movie I enjoyed as a kid. Best Picture? I have this higher than is probably should be, but only for it's nostalgic factor.
Should have won: 2001: A Space Odyssey (not nominated)
37. Marty (1955)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
A middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other.
Director: Delbert Mann | Stars: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli
Votes: 27,041
Marty's a fun movie. Sharp dialogue and a fantastic performance by Ernest Borgnine, but to overlook a James Dean classic is a shame.
-Should have won: Rebel Without a Cause (not nominated) or Night of the Hunter (not nominated)
38. The Artist (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Votes: 248,664 | Gross: $44.67M
It was great to see someone bring back the aesthetic of old Hollywood. I enjoyed this film as a novelty, rather than a piece that I felt deeply compelled by.
-Should have won: Hugo or The Descendants
39. Rain Man (1988)
R | 133 min | Drama
After a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen
Votes: 546,866 | Gross: $178.80M
Still pretty relevant to modern audiences. Dustin Hoffman gives a great performance. Rain Man is a solid winner.
-Should have won: good choice
40. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
PG-13 | 132 min | Drama, Sport
Frankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
Votes: 722,103 | Gross: $100.49M
To sum up this film in one word: Heartbreaking. And I mean that in the good and profound sense.
-Should have won: good choice
41. The French Connection (1971)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco
Votes: 135,767 | Gross: $15.63M
For a cop movie The French Connection was surprisingly smart and layered, thanks to the wonderful direction of William Friedkin. Also, The French Connection was the first Rated-R film to win Best Picture.
-Should have won: A Clockwork Orange or The Last Picture Show
42. The Sting (1973)
PG | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
Votes: 280,026 | Gross: $159.60M
Entertaining and fun, like the Ocean's 11 movies, only better.
-Should have won: The Exorcist, Mean Streets (not nominated), Cries and Whispers
43. The Lost Weekend (1945)
Passed | 101 min | Drama, Film-Noir
The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva
Votes: 40,215 | Gross: $9.46M
A movie with a powerful message about the effects of alcoholism.
-Should have won: good choice
44. Terms of Endearment (1983)
PG | 132 min | Comedy, Drama
Follows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter's family problems.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito
Votes: 65,515 | Gross: $108.42M
A solid Best Picture winner.
-Should have won: good choice
45. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Approved | 170 min | Drama, Romance, War
Three World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Teresa Wright
Votes: 70,585 | Gross: $23.65M
A great depiction of what it was like for WWI soldiers to return home.
-Should have won: Notorious (not nominated), It's A Wonderful Life, The Big Sleep (not nominated)
46. Titanic (1997)
PG-13 | 194 min | Drama, Romance
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
Votes: 1,281,282 | Gross: $659.33M
Seeing Titanic on the big screen was definitely a great experience for me, but that magic didn't translate to my television set.
-Should have won: L.A. Confidential, As Good As it Gets, Good Will Hunting
47. Hamlet (1948)
Approved | 154 min | Drama
Prince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.
Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, John Laurie, Esmond Knight
Votes: 18,410 | Gross: $7.09M
Hamlet is Lawrence Olivier being Lawrence Olivier. FANTASTIC! Hamlet is a film full of great performance, but it's not necessarily the most captivating movie watching experiences. I have to disagree with the Academy's decision on this pick because Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes is one of the most visually beautiful things I've ever seen on film (along with a great story).
-Should have won: The Red Shoes, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
48. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Passed | 152 min | Drama, War
A German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray, Arnold Lucy
Votes: 67,714 | Gross: $3.27M
One of the great films of the early sound era of cinema.
-Should have won: good choice
49. From Here to Eternity (1953)
Passed | 118 min | Drama, Romance, War
At a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed
Votes: 50,843 | Gross: $30.50M
A good war movie with the most iconic make out session on the beach.
-Should have won: Shane or Roman Holiday
50. All the King's Men (1949)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Film-Noir
The rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek
Votes: 16,597
I thought this film was great, but I'm not in love with it.
-Should have won: good choice
51. Platoon (1986)
R | 120 min | Drama, War
Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David
Votes: 439,739 | Gross: $138.53M
A realistic portrayal of Oliver Stone's own experiences in Vietnam. Worth the watch.
-Should have won: Hannah and Her Sisters
52. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
G | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Sir Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarry.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw, Leo McKern
Votes: 37,173 | Gross: $28.35M
Intriguing story, solid acting, glacial pacing.
-Should have won: Persona (not nominated) or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
53. Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Not Rated | 118 min | Drama, Romance
A reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism, and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm
Votes: 17,780
Probably won for it's controversial story about at Jewish reporter going undercover to research anti-Semitism.
-Should have won: Black Narcissus (not nominated) or Great Expectations
54. Wings (1927)
PG-13 | 144 min | Drama, Romance, War
Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.
Directors: William A. Wellman, Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast | Stars: Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston
Votes: 14,547 | Gross: $6.59M
The original Best Picture. Surprisingly, this film still holds up pretty well.
-Should have won: Metropolis (not nominated) or Sunrise (won Unique and Artistic Picture)
55. You Can't Take It with You (1938)
Passed | 126 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The son of a snobbish Wall Street banker becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family not realizing that his father is trying to force her family from their home for a real estate development.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold
Votes: 27,916 | Gross: $4.66M
Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, feel good story? Frank Capra uses the same damn formula in all his movies. That aside, You Can't Take It with You is a solid feel good movie.
Should have won: Grand Illusion
56. The Sound of Music (1965)
G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
Votes: 261,227 | Gross: $163.21M
Personally, I hate this movie (I like how Christopher Plummer refers to it as "The Sound of Mucus"). I can't stand any movie with Julie Andrews. Still, I can't deny that The Sound of Music is one of the most beloved musicals of all-time.
-Should have won: Doctor Zhivago
57. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
PG | 105 min | Drama
After his wife leaves him, a work-obsessed Manhattan advertising executive is forced to learn long-neglected parenting skills, but a heated custody battle over the couple's young son deepens the wounds left by the separation.
Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry
Votes: 154,797 | Gross: $106.26M
The movie was fresh for its time, but to modern audiences Kramer vs. Kramer is just a typical divorce drama. Also, when compared to the likes of Apocalypse Now it is totally eclipsed.
-Should have won: Apocalypse Now or Manhattan (not nominated)
58. Grand Hotel (I) (1932)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Romance
A group of very different individuals staying at a luxurious hotel in Berlin deal with each of their respective dramas.
Director: Edmund Goulding | Stars: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery
Votes: 20,885 | Gross: $2.69M
Grand Hotel is the only film to win Best Picture without being nominated for any other Academy Awards.
-Should have won: Scarface: The Shame of a Nation
59. Tom Jones (1963)
Not Rated | 129 min | Adventure, Comedy, History
The romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Albert Finney, Susannah York, George Devine, Rachel Kempson
Votes: 14,268 | Gross: $37.60M
There's nothing really special about this movie other than Albert Finney's performance.
-Should have won: 8 1/2 (not nominated)
60. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,980,411 | Gross: $377.85M
What a miserable way to cap off the trilogy. Return of the King was nothing more than a butchered adaptation with lots of spectacle and rehashed jokes. At least the extended version redeemed this film, somewhat. Although, I do have to admit the Battle of the Pelennor Fields scene was EPIC!
-Should have won: Lost in Translation or Mystic River
61. How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Passed | 118 min | Drama, Family
At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans, he stern, she gentle, raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.
Director: John Ford | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp
Votes: 26,497
This film has endured the test of time...for the wrong reasons. How Green Was My Valley will forever be known as the film that won over Citizen Kane.
-Should have won: Citizen Kane or The Maltese Falcon.
62. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
G | 175 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A Victorian Englishman bets that with the new steamships and railways he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.
Directors: Michael Anderson, John Farrow | Stars: David Niven, Cantinflas, Finlay Currie, Robert Morley
Votes: 29,717 | Gross: $42.00M
A great popcorn flick but not a Best Picture caliber film.
-Should have won: Giant or The Ten Commandments
63. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,258,744 | Gross: $330.25M
To me, Forrest Gump is just a really polished Hallmark movie with some silly references to important events in American history and a few memorable lines.
-Should have won: Pulp Fiction or The Shawshank Redemption
64. Dances with Wolves (1990)
PG-13 | 181 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
Votes: 290,833 | Gross: $184.21M
Inspired films such as Avatar and Pocahontas.
-Should have won: Goodfellas
65. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,091,850 | Gross: $75.60M
In a year of weak nominees, Braveheart was the best of the bunch.
-Should have won: Toy Story (not nominated), Casino (not nominated), The Usual Suspects (not nominated)
66. Chicago (2002)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Taye Diggs
Votes: 243,462 | Gross: $170.69M
Although Chicago is a nice throwback to the great musicals of the 50's and 60's, it was by far the weakest film amongst the Best Picture nominees of 2002.
-Should have won: The Pianist
67. Gigi (1958)
G | 115 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters | Stars: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold
Votes: 24,511
If only Audrey Hepburn reprised the role of Gigi. Leslie Caron wasn't bad, she just didn't deliver a tour de force performance. Overall, Gigi is an alright musical with great costumes.
-Should have won: Vertigo (not nominated) or Touch of Evil (not nominated)
68. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,621,300 | Gross: $187.71M
Gladiator, for me, was very contrived, but entertaining nonetheless.
-Should have won: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Traffic, In the Mood for Love (not nominated).
69. Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Approved | 134 min | Drama, Romance, War
A British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty
Votes: 19,474 | Gross: $13.50M
Not bad, but forgettable.
-Should have won: Sullivan's Travels (not nominated), The Magnificent Ambersons, To Be or Not to Be (not nominated)
70. Going My Way (1944)
Passed | 126 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
When young Father O'Malley arrives at St. Dominic's, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn't think much of the church's newest member.
Director: Leo McCarey | Stars: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, James Brown
Votes: 13,459 | Gross: $16.30M
Sweet and light-hearted. Enough said.
-Should have won: The Double Indemnity
71. Ordinary People (1980)
R | 124 min | Drama
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father and the guilt-ridden younger son.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 56,707 | Gross: $54.80M
Raging Bull is an iconic masterpiece. Ordinary People is just an ordinary movie.
-Should have won: Raging Bull
72. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 987,491 | Gross: $170.74M
Protagonist with mental illness = Oscar.
-Should have won: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring or Mulholland Drive (not nominated)
73. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor
Votes: 878,109 | Gross: $141.32M
Slumdog Millionaire is the live-action equivalent to a Disney fairytale, only more gritty; not film I can take seriously (just watch the closing credits).
-Should have won: Milk
74. Out of Africa (1985)
PG | 161 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen
Votes: 86,405 | Gross: $87.10M
The excessive length, pushing 3 hours, and the slow pacing hurt this film. Watch this film if you love cinematography.
-Should have won: Brazil (not nominated) or The Color Purple
75. Chariots of Fire (1981)
PG | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers
Votes: 65,925 | Gross: $58.97M
The only thing timeless about this film is its score.
-Should have won: Raiders of the Lost Ark or Reds
76. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Passed | 116 min | Biography, Drama
The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfus Affair.
Director: William Dieterle | Stars: Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut, Gloria Holden
Votes: 9,023
Just another outdated 1930's Best Picture winner.
-Should have won: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
77. Cavalcade (1933)
Passed | 112 min | Drama, Romance, War
A portrayal of the triumphs and tragedies of two English families, the upper-crust Marryots and the working-class Bridgeses, from 1899 to 1933.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor, Herbert Mundin
Votes: 5,992 | Gross: $7.63M
Cavalcade was a great and ambitious film...80 years ago.
Should have won: King Kong (not nominated)
78. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
Passed | 176 min | Drama, Musical
The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.
Director: Robert Z. Leonard | Stars: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan
Votes: 8,996
Normally I don't have a problem with movies being long, in fact, most movies aren't long enough. In the case of The Great Ziegfeld, it was way too long!
-Should have won: Modern Times (not nominated)
79. Cimarron (1931)
Passed | 123 min | Drama, Western
A newspaper editor settles in an Oklahoma boom town with his reluctant wife at the end of the nineteenth century.
Director: Wesley Ruggles | Stars: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, Nance O'Neil
Votes: 6,938
Cimarron is just too outdated for my liking.
-Should have won: City Lights (not nominated)
80. The Broadway Melody (1929)
Passed | 100 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A pair of sisters from the vaudeville circuit try to make it big time on Broadway, but matters of the heart complicate the attempt.
Director: Harry Beaumont | Stars: Bessie Love, Anita Page, Charles King, Eddie Kane
Votes: 8,021 | Gross: $6.12M
Well, someone had to win.
-Should have won: ???
81. An American in Paris (1951)
Passed | 114 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary
Votes: 36,903 | Gross: $4.50M
I love movies based in Paris. I love musicals and I love musicals with Gene Kelly. An American in Paris should have been a winning combination, but I don't know what went wrong. Mediocre musicals numbers, decent costumes and set design. Overall, boring.
-Should have won: A Streetcar Named Desire
82. Crash (I) (2004)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton, Karina Arroyave
Votes: 449,101 | Gross: $54.58M
Crash and burn! There are far better films about racism that aren't as preachy as this travesty.
-Should have won: Brokeback Mountain or Munich
83. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
Passed | 152 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown, and an elephant trainer are told against a background of circus spectacle.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: James Stewart, Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde
Votes: 16,063 | Gross: $36.00M
I would rather stare at the ceiling for 2 1/2 hours than to watch this again. It boggles my mind how Singin' in the Rain, the greatest musical ever, didn't receive a Best Picture nod.
-Should have won: Singin' in the Rain (not nominated) or High Noon.
84. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
PG | 99 min | Comedy, Drama
An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone
Votes: 117,598 | Gross: $106.59M
Considered by many to be the worst Best Picture winner, and I agree.
-Should have won: Born on the Fourth of July
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