Oscar Mania!
Well, as I promised, I’m doing something new in honor of the Oscars this weekend. Since I haven’t seen any of the major nominees, while I could make predictions based on the awards season so far and the CW going into the weekend (Kate Winslet is on track to become the female Peter O’Toole, the Academy screwed her with her The Reader nomination, it’s FINALLY Meryl’s year, although for the wrong movie IMHO). So, instead of offering unsure predictions of the future, I thought it would be fun to kick off an annual event (at least for the next 6 years) and instead evaluate what has come before. So, in order from worst to best, here is how all the previous Best Picture winners stack up (next year will be directors, I’m predicting that the long overdue Danny Boyle will be part of that list, although it would be pretty cool if the just as long overdue David Fincher was instead). Just a note before we get started though, while this is a comprehensive list, two of the Best Picture winners: Wings (the first BP winner, from 1928) and Cavalcade (the 6th BP winner, from 1933) are not available for home viewing in any format, so I was unable to watch the in order to rate them. So, while there are 80 BP winners, we’ll only be covering 78, with the understanding that Wings and Cavalcade could fit anywhere in the ranking. Also, a little known historical curiosity is that in 1933, the first year of the Oscars, there were actually 2 Best Picture winners. Wings won Best Picture: Production, while Sunrise won Best Picture: Artistic Achievement. However, for reasons known only to itself, the next year the academy decided to scrap that format and only anoint one Best Picture winner. By some process, it was decided that Wings would be the official Best Picture winner from 1933 and has been the identified winner ever since, with Sunrise settling for recognition of its Best Actress and Cinematography wins. So, with all that said, let’s get this started, from worst to best, the Best Picture winners have been:
78. Titanic (1997): Really, if you have any taste at all, you’ll understand why no further justification is needed.
77. Forrest Gump (1994): A glorification of mediocrity and mental simplicity, was this the Academy’s attempt to pre-emptively justify it’s Best Picture picks for most of the next decade?
76. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003): A nearly incomprehensible story with all the visual panache and emotional heft of a video game. CGI is no substitute for either story or real special effects.
75. Terms of Endearment (1983): Painful to watch with the way it squandered its formidable talent and star power on a pointless story. There’s more artistry in any Danielle Steele or Jackie Collins novel. Seriously, after almost 30 years of classic movie roles, this is what Shirley MacLaine finally won her Oscar for? Shameful.
74. Tom Jones (1963): What the fuck was this shit? Were all the voters as high as the creators of this artless cabbage had to have been? No artistic or value or relevance here.
73. Annie Hall (1975): Another wtf. Somehow, after years of rightfully ignoring Woody Allen, the Academy somehow got it into its collective head to prematurely honor him for this incomprehensible, joyless, soul sucking, pretentious turd. While I have never been much of a fan of Woody, everyone would have been better off if the Academy had passed on Annie and waited to honor him for Hannah and her Sisters a decade later. Diane’s done much better since too, this entire year needs to be forgotten.
72. The Broadway Melody (1929): The second Best Picture winner and first sound picture to win (although wouldn’t it be more fair to say that Wings was the only silent movie to win?), the academy set artistic achievement back about 10 years by holding this one up as something to aspire to. While talkies were still a fad and obviously a period of adjustment was needed to figure out how to adapt, The Broadway Melody suffers from a chronic inability to decide whether it wanted to be silent or sound and seems to have settled on taking the worst aspects of both and combining them into one dull snoozefest.
71. The English Patient (1996): Better than Fargo? Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t even get me started on Juliette Binoche. Dull and pointless, this is another premature trophy-ation by the Academy; director Anthony Minghella did so much better with The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain, neither of which got respect from the Academy.
70. Cimarron (1931): Basically a live action Looney Toons meets the Old West, only Irene Dunne’s superb performance in the midst of clueless silent stars in the death throes of their careers as sound was proving more than a fad, and a surprisingly pro-social message keep this one from besting Titanic for the title of worst Best Picture.
69. Hamlet (1948): Yet another case (are we sensing a theme here) of right players, wrong picture. You’d think that the combination of Shakespeare, Laurence Olivier (who did/went on to do much better work in Rebecca, and Marathon Man, plus countless of non-nominated roles), and “To Be or not To Be” would be electrifying, yet Larry managed to find every dull moment and stretch it out to an interminable 2 and a half hours. Uninspired camera work and a stagebound adaptation don’t help.
68. The Godfather, Part II (1974): I’ve never understood the fascination with these movies, and while purists claim that this one is superior, the truth is they both suck, but at least things happened in the first one. This one is stupifyingly dull, bogged down with pointless flashback scenes that do nothing to illuminate the present story or move it forward. This is over 3 hours of absolutely nothing happening, and the kicker is that both Chinatown and Lenny were nominees that year. Apparently they split the vote, there’s no other explaining how this one took the prize.
67. Braveheart (1995): A first rate comedy. Too bad it wasn’t intended as one.
66. Dances With Wolves (1990): Beautiful cinematography and art direction can’t make up for an inconsequential story stretched out way too long.
65. You Can’t Take It With You (1938): These kinds of slapstick movies in which intelligent, successful, eloquent people suddenly find themselves unable to respond in an intelligible manner to an authority figure (sometimes a boss or a policeman, usually a judge as in this case) really piss me off. Completely unfunny, all the business is just a house of cards that comes crashing down by the time the obligatory indoor fireworks scene rolls around.
64. Gladiator (2000): Just like Dances, it’s way too long for interest level of a fairly perfunctory story. Way too much CGI completely ruins any human interest. How did Ridley Scott go from the fabulous effects combined with interesting storytelling of Alien and Bladerunner to this color-by-numbers unoriginal, uninteresting dreck?
63. A Beautiful Mind (2001): Written by the man responsible for Batman & Robin and executed by Opie. Need I say more? The story is supposed to be about a genius overcoming mental illness, a potentially interesting story, but nothing in the movie establishes his genius, his theory that won him the Nobel prize is a footnote to the story, no justification for his greatness is given, and the movie comes off as a Lifetime movie of the week.
62. Rain Man (1988): As with Mind, there’s a kernel of a good story here, but it takes the easy road and cheap shot at every opportunity.
61. Platoon (1986): Another beautifully shot non-story. There’s no emotional connection to any of the characters and so no engaging story. As I mentioned earlier, this should have been Woody’s year for Hannah and her Sisters and Oliver Stone could have waited. Given his output since then, he should still be waiting.
60. A Man For All Seasons (1966): Despite Paul Scofield’s commanding presence, gorgeous art direction, and a message more relevant now than ever, this movie unfortunately can’t overcome its stage origin. As we’ll see later on, there are ways to adapt a play into a brilliant movie, but simply adding exterior shots and background movement only enhance a sense of shallowness that can’t be overcome. Fred Zinneman’s relentless attempts at it though only serve to further beat the viewer into a comatose state.
59. Out Of Africa (1985): Do I have to say it again? Beautiful cinematography and art direction cannot overcome a weak and irrelevant story. A woman arranges a marriage to her friend for mutual financial gain on the condition that they not act like man and wife, and the instant he lives by that agreement she turns needy and vengeful, how are we supposed to care? Director Sydney Pollack did a much better job at plumbing a complex unusual relationship over a decade earlier in The Way We Were, also with star Robert Redford. If they had put just a fraction of that effort to use here, this could have been something. Instead it’s a National Geographic Channel special.
58. The Godfather (1972): While Bob Fosse at least managed to steal some of the thunder that night, it’s a shame that Cabaret couldn’t have gone the distance. For three hours I kept waiting to see what the big deal was with this movie. I’m still waiting.
57. Mrs. Miniver (1942): Maybe if I hadn’t watched this in early 2003 as Bush was trying to recycle the same pro-war message William Wyler was attempting to impart to justify the United States’s impending entry into WWII, I might like this one better. Instead, it comes off as a pro-war propaganda piece worthy of Stalin-era Soviet filmmaking. Anything else Wyler did is more deserving.
56. My Fair Lady (1964): A terrific score and excellent camerawork can’t make up for an inconsistent story and a horrible ending (seriously, just what is her reasoning for going back to him, the movie gives us no explanation, she storms off in a huff, he sees the light which she would have no way of knowing given that she’s not there, and then suddenly she shows up with all forgiven). This one is really more of a lifetime achievement award for director George Cuckor (The Women, The Philadelphia Story), it’s too bad that this is the one that served as that symbol.
55. Schindler’s List (1993): Alright, we see another theme here, stretching an interesting story that could have been tight at an hour and 40 minutes out to 3+ hours is not artistic achievement. It’s an important story, but it feels too much like eating your vegetables.
54. The Apartment (1960): In the year of Psycho? Really? Of course, it wasn’t even nominated, but it signaled an impending shift in the way movies were thought of and how stories could be told, and this conventional, lightweight rom com is supposed to be the best of the year? They really dropped the ball on this one.
53. Chariots of Fire (1981): A solid movie ruined by a laugh inducing score that shrieks out electronic claptrap at the most inappropriate moments. Reds was by far a better choice, but was way too liberal for the early 80’s Regan Revolution and had to settled for Best Director for Warren Beatty as its consolation prize while this simplistic ode to unwavering belief in yourself and the rightness of your cause (thus meshing perfectly with Reagan-era politics) won the day.
52. The Deer Hunter (1978): Tom Jones notwithstanding, this is probably the most curious entry in the 80 year history of the Oscars. The story can’t figure out what it really wants to be about and despite its epic length, it felt like the story was rushed because not enough time is spend on any strand, and we’re left wondering what the purpose of it all was supposed to be. None of the other nominees that year were any stronger so it was the best choice, but it’s still an odd moment in Academy history.
51. From Here To Eternity (1953): Similar to Deer Hunter, it tries to pack in way too much in an attempt to please everyone and ends up giving short shrift to every story line. Still, I’ll take Burt Lancaster in a swimsuit over a Pennsylvania coal-town miner in the water any day.
50. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947): Yes, I know, the now-anachronistic anti-Semitism really stands for any type of discrimination and prejudice, but it’s still hard to take it seriously, and the way the movie treats Celeste Holm’s character, it sends the message that a person who spends their entire life fighting prejudice is not as important as a pretentious closet hater who realizes the error of her ways and makes a small gesture with the cover intention of winning a man.
49. Driving Miss Daisy (1989): Unoffensively pleasant, but that’s about it.
48. Gigi (1958): Another one that I just can’t understand what the deal is. I find it cold and distant with an undistinguished score and pedestrian story. As with Cuckor, this is really Vincente Minnelli’s lifetime achievement award and it’s also too bad that he couldn’t have gotten it for something more deserving.
47. Rocky (1976): Not really good, not too bad either, just bland, and what’s with that horribly 70’s hat Sly wears in one of his first scenes? Since he hadn’t yet become the caricature that he is now, Rocky is really only bad in comparison to the greatness of the other nominees that year.
46. It Happened One Night (1934): And we now cross the line from less deserving to more deserving. While insignificant in story, it’s a rollicking good time with a superb cast. What I wouldn’t give to trade places with Claudette Colbert.
45. All The King’s Men (1949): Another one I watched in early 2003 and this one sat much better with me. Still, it’s a little frustrating that the only solution to a seemingly inevitable despot about to be elected president is assassination. It doesn’t really give us a solution to the problem it presents, but maybe that’s the point? Still, commanding performances and a riveting story made this a very unlikely winner.
44. All Quiet On The Western Front (1930): It takes a while to get going, partially because, like most movies of the early Hollywood era, all the characters look exactly the same and it’s hard to tell what’s going on. But, once everything gets established, it’s a powerful and unfortunately still incredibly relevant story.
43. On The Waterfront (1954): Another unlikely winner, it often feels more like a big budget weekly Playhouse production, but hearfelt performances and a responsible message combine with the relatively short running time to keep the viewer’s interest.
42. The Lost Weekend (1945): Sometimes a little too earnest and preachy, it nevertheless tells a too often untold story. While director/writier Wilder would continue great achievements, it was unfortunately star Ray Milland’s only brush with greatness.
41. An American In Paris (1951): Similar to Gigi in that I can’t understand what the fascination is, it at least features Gene Kelly and a sparkling Gershwin score. The only problem is that the storytelling is a mess. The movie spends about 2 hours building up a confrontation between Leslie Carron’s character and Gene Kelly’s benefactress, only to whiff with the improbably graceful bow-out by said benefactress, which was quite a let down. Still, it’s the music that makes the movie.
40. Unforgiven (1992): After the damage of Cimarron, it took the Academy a long time to finally reward another western, but this time they got it oh so right. It was the night’s long-shot winner, but in the subsequent almost 17 years, it’s stood the test of time far better than any of the other nominees.
39. In The Heat Of The Night (1967): Okay, so this one hasn’t stood the test of time as well as The Graduate or Bonnie and Clyde, two other nominees, but it’s a fuck of a lot better than Dr. Doolittle, and is a surprisingly candid look at race relations, especially considering that despite it’s unwarranted liberal reputation, Hollywood is always two steps behind when it comes to telling socially responsible stories at the time they’re needed.
38. The Great Ziegfeld (1936): Truly spectacular if somewhat narratively slight, it’s filled with commanding performances and gorgeous set pieces. I’m truly surprised that it hasn’t been remade or adapted for Broadway. If not really the best movie of 1936, it was at least the most entertaining.
37. The Greatest Show On Earth (1952): Much maligned as the worst winner ever, Show deserves a lot more credit than it gets. Yes, it’s indulgent and overly long, but it’s a surprisingly accurate allegory of life in post WWII America. Plus, Jimmy Stewart as a clown just can’t be topped.
36. The Last Emporer (1987): Ok, my head says The Last Emperor but my heart says Moonstruck. Still, ignoring the fact that it was not the best of the nominees that year, it is still a phenomenally impressive achievement no less worthy by virtues of Moonstruck’s being more worthy.
35. Patton (1970): Honestly, I did not expect to like this one as much as I did. While the first hour is a little too GI Joe: Sergeant Slaughter, the remaining 2 hours are a riveting Shakespearian character study of a man who knows he is about to be obsolete yet carries out his obligations, often unthanked, anyways. Truly fascinating, great camerawork, and a picture perfect ending.
34. The Sting (1973): 1973 was a great year for movies, with the previously mentioned The Way We Were, which was not nominated, and the now classic The Exorcist, plus the unjustly forgotten A Touch of Class, which both were. This was a tough call and another one of Oscar’s oddities. Of course Exorcist should have been the big winner, but a movie this fun with Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Eileen Brennan (who should have gotten her Oscar nomination here instead of the dreadful Private Benjamin) can’t be ignored.
33. Crash (2005): Ok, here it is. Yes, it was a spoiler and yes, Brokeback was more deserving, but if people didn’t like it, they wouldn’t have voted for it, and it’s a lot better than the backlash would lead you to believe. Plus, the best movie of that year was A History Of Violence which was not even nominated, so the controversy is rather moot.
32. No Country for Old Men (2007): A shockingly bold choice by Oscar, although There Will Be Blood would have been bolder.
31. The French Connection (1971): A very tough year as A Clockwork Orange and The Last Picture Show were both nominated and have come to represent the very best of 70’s filmmaking. Still, Connection is a terrific movie on its own merits with that car chase, Gene Hackman, and a lovely gritty, almost bankrupt, NYC. If atmosphere trumps story, it’s still a great atmosphere.
30. Around the World in 80 Days (1956): Another unjustly maligned winner, this time for being the second worst winner, World is nevertheless a pure delight. David Niven is perfectly in character, and unlike Out of Africa, the locations serve to further the story, moving the picture from beyond a run of the mill travelogue to a truly engaging story. This is why movies were made.
29. How Green Was My Valley (1941): Also much maligned given the magnitude of the competition that year (The Maltese Falcon, Citizen Kane, as well as Suspicion and The Little Foxes), Valley can sometimes come across as cloyingly precocious, but it still has a lot to say, and says it very well.
28. American Beauty (1999): While my personal favorite that year was The Sixth Sense, which went home empty handed, Beauty had been such a steamroller at all the pre-Oscar awards that its win was pretty much pre-ordained, which makes the magnitutde of the backlash somewhat incomprehensible. It’s a smart, wickedly subversive and funny movie that was surprisingly prescient of the 8 years of American nightmare about to come. Too bad it represents the career peak of both director Sam Mendes as well as Best Actor Kevin Spacey. Neither of them has had a real hit since.
27. Grand Hotel (1932): Now we’re getting it. The first Best Picture winner to actually be really good, it was also one of the first all-star extravaganzas (of course it was only by this time that Hollywood actually had enough stars to make an all-star extravaganza). Of course, it’s the basis for the 1990 musical of the same name, which I would LOVE to see get the big screen adaptation (Gary Marshall needs a hit. . .). Fabulous in every possible way.
26. Ordinary People (1980): A surprising winner given that Raging Bull was expected to dominate, but voters were won over by the intimate and touching story. A very important story that shows that special effects, larger than life characters, and an epic length are not necessary to make your point.
25. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979): Ditto my last sentence. Obviously Robert Redford learned from the previous year’s winner. The only drawback with KvK’s win is that All That Jazz, one of the top 10 movies ever, was also one of the nominees, but this is one of those society-changing movies that had a lasting impact beyond that year’s Oscar ceremony.
24. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935): Fantastic effects for any year, much less 1935. Bounty suffers from a similar problem as All Quiet in that many of the young men on board look exactly the same, so it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys (of course, good guys vs. bad guys is the theme of the movie, but this just complicates comprehension). Still, there’s no confusing Charleton Heston and Clark Gable.
23. The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Oscar’s boldest choice. Period. Of course, I’m partial to The Prince of Tides, but Silence is riveting, shocking, electrifying, and every other superlative you can think of. Despite a crappy sequel and an ok remake of the prequel, Silence was another one of those fundamentally genre changing, not to mention industry changing movies.
22. Million Dollar Baby (2004): Clint’s real masterpiece and proof that Hilary Swank was not a one hit wonder. Now, if she could chose a movie like this every year and not once every 5.
21. The Departed (2006): While it may be a little premature ranking such a recent movie so high, The Departed has held up well over repeated viewings. It’s intelligent without being unintelligible and entertaining without being condescending. It’s much much more than just an excuse to finally give Scorcese the Oscar.
20. Casablanca (1943): Epic, heartbreaking, and important, but within a manageable running time, this is what all directors should aspire too. Of course having the best actors/actresses in Hollywood doesn’t hurt either.
19. Shakespeare in Love (1998): Yes, it’s better than Saving Private Ryan and Gwyneth Paltrow was better than Cate Blanchett. Just because she hasn’t done anything as good since, don’t hold this one against her.
18. Marty (1955): A totally improbable winner, just like its title character.
17. The Life of Emile Zola (1937): Initially unassuming, this paean to standing up for the little guy no matter what the personal cost is ultimately inspiriing on many levels. The prototypic bio-pic that every film biography should aspire to.
16. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975): While it’s always the cliché’s that the movie has since fostered that stick in your mind, watching this movie is always a riveting experience every time, reminding one of just how truly great it really is. While Jack and Louise give textbook worthy performances, the movie is more than just an acting showcase, it’s an experience.
15. Going My Way (1944): Another oddity, this gentle movie is incredibly uplifting and moving. Bing Crosby is something of an anti-Chigurh (the type of character now favored by Academy voters in acting categories), bringing goodness wherever he goes. It’s fallen by the wayside somewhat in movie history, but is worth discovering.
14. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): Everything a movie should be. Massive in scope yet intimate in scale, this movie has everything going for it and succeeds tremendously. Director David Lean surpases himself a few years later (see #12) but after that never again came close.
13. Rebecca (1940): Mrs. DeWinter bin ich!!!! No, it’s not a musical, but it is Hitchcock’s only movie to win Best Picture, although sadly he lost Best Director that year to John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath) and despite several additional nominations, never came as close to winning as he did here. Creepy and atmospheric, it’s not a “typical” Hitchcock picture (he didn’t truly settle on his personal style until about 5 years later), you can see what he would become. Unfortunately, that greatness has now somewhat overshadowed Rebecca, but as with Going My Way, it’s worth seeking out.
12. Lawrence of Arabia (1962): What Patton was trying to be. While Best Actor winner Gregory Peck was good in To Kill A Mockingbird, Peter O’Toole’s loss is still incomprehensible.
11. Midnight Cowboy (1969): Another shockingly bold choice by Oscar, this one is still mindboggling. This really presaged the upcoming golden era of independent cinema in the 70’s before everything got acquired by larger studios. The sense of depression is palpable but essential. It’s shocking that Cowboy only won director and picture given how groundbreaking it was.
10. Ben-Hur (1959): As shocking as Cowboy was 10 years later, Ben-Hur is as extreme in its conservative conventionalness, but nevertheless manages to be a truly terrific movie. In over 3 hours it never wears out its welcome, and while the overall message is somewhat noxious on the heels of the Bush years, that doesn’t lessen its overall impact.
9. Gone with the Wind (1939). What remains to be said? Simply a phenomenal achievement on all levels.
8. Oliver! (1968): Another one lost in history, possibly since Funny Girl was its main competition and as Barbra became a force to be reckoned with, voters may have regretted not being prescient and awarding her picture top prize. Plus, Oscar decided it didn’t want more, waiting almost 35 years before selecting another musical as Best Picture. However, Oliver! is a joy to watch and a triumph of artistic skill.
7. Chicago (2002): More than just razzle dazzle, this is the movie that after those 35 years, finally broke the musical losing streak. Seeing as how Chicago is my favorite Broadway musical, I was rather worried that the movie would suck, but it so does not.
6. Gandhi (1982): Simply inspiring, proof that CGI is not necessary to make an epic movie (and I’m talking to you Ridley Scott).
5. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946): William Wyler made up for Mrs. Miniver with this still relevant story of returning war veterans trying to pick up their lives. It’s sad how relevant this movie still is, but proof that this really is one of the best movies ever.
4. West Side Story (1961): A revolution in storytelling techniques, WSS used every aspect of visual artistry to tell its story. What Hamlet got wrong in its Shakespearian adaptation, WSS get exactly right.
3. All About Eve (1950): It feels like I’ve used every possible superlative up to this point, but they still all apply to Eve. A tremendous joy to watch, it makes me miss a New York I never had a chance to know.
2. Amadeus (1984): As I mentioned with Man for all Seasons, there are ways to adapt a play into a terrific movie, and Amadeus is it. I’ve seen the stage version and it is amazing how close the movie sticks to it yet manages to fill in the blanks to become a fully living breathing movie instead of just a filmed stage production like Man. A sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears, it’s too bad that no one involved has really done anything of note since, although Tom Hulce has become the Broadway producer du jour, which counts for something. If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one movie with me, this would be the one (but only because it’s longer than the #1 Best Picure winner, thus keeping me occupied for a slightly longer period of time before getting bored again).
1. The Sound of Music (1965): It’s not just the hills, it’s the entire silver screen that’s alive. Not just the best Best Picture winner, Music is one of the best movies period with its gorgeous score, genuine performances, and inspiring (and sadly, still relevant) story. If only we could all sing evil away, the last 8 years might never have happened.
So there we go, the Best Picture winners that deserved it, didn’t deserve it, were good, and truly sucked. While it’s rare that the best movie of the year actually wins Best Picture, it happens just enough to keep us tuning in every year. So, with that, next year you can see my take on the directors.
posted by Greg @ 9:32 PM
