Best Picture Checklist

[Boom]

In my quest to become a professional film critic, and as an film fan in general, I've decided to watch every single Best Picture winner. After looking over the complete list, I am genuinely shocked at how few of these films I've actually seen.

The purpose of this thread is to see which films you've seen from the list, what you thought of them, and whether or not you think they deserved the award. If not, what tell us what film you think should have won.

Also, what would you say was the best Best Picture winner of each decade (1920's, 1930's, etc. etc.)?

Here is the list:

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I've seen the ones in red.

I know. I'm pathetic.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

It doesn't surprise me that I haven't seen many of them, as my taste in movies isn't particularly mainstream.

I have seen:

One flew over the cuckoos nest
Forrest gump
Braveheart
Titanic
American beauty
Gladiator
A beautiful mind
Lord of the rings
Slumdog millionaire

Bolded ones are ones I actually love. Italic ones I think deserved to win.

Can you tell i'm not a fan of Russel Crowe? lol

 

[Boom]

Films I think should have won in their respective years:

1998 - Saving Private Ryan
2000 - Traffic
2002 - Gangs of New York
2005 - Brokeback Mountain
2008 - Milk
2009 - Inglourious Basterds

 

[DACrowe]

I'm doing what you did, because I'm lazy.

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia[/i]
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky[/COLOR]
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I'll make a separate post about what I thought of the decades. I don't know what the nominees were every year, but for truly great films that were ignored, I'll make a point.

And the answer to how I could see all those? The answer for half of them is easy: Turner Classic Movies. Best cable channel you could have.

 

[Kane52630]

same lol


The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker

 

[Homer J. Fong]

The 1920s
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930s
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940s
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950s
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960s
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970s
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980s
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990s
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000s
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker

Okay, so the ones I've seen are, of course, in red, 29 of the 82 (or 30 of the 83 if you count Sunrise, the great 1927 winner of the "Best Picture: Unique and Artistic Production" prize - Wings won "Best Picture: Production"). Most of these movies I really love, some I enjoy but don't consider worthy of such high acclaim as an Academy Award (An American in Paris and My Fair Lady, for example), and The Sting I just haven't seen in a long time; I don't remember it all that well, but I recall being pretty underwhelmed, especially with Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid being among my favorite films. I need to see it again, though.

 

[Speedball]

1939 - Gone with the Wind
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959 - Ben-Hur
1961 - West Side Story
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1968 - Oliver!
1988 - Rain Man
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I want to see see a lot more, but I either don't have the time (a lot of the ones I haven't seen are like 4 hours), or I have no interest in seeing (The Godfather films I find VERY boring)

 

[DACrowe]

1920s:
I can't really comment because I've seen less than 10 movies from that decade. And since one of them won the second Oscar is a coincidence. It was on in the background a month ago after TCM had a documentary on Hollywood in the 1920s. And it was bad, IMO. Nothing but spectacle and overproduced dance numbers because HOllywood was still reeling on what to do with sound. Musicals wouldn't find their full potential until Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared over half a decade later.

1930s
The Golden Age of Hollywood. This was the time that Breen took over the real censorship powers of the Hayes Office and things like sex and criminals who aren't punished became wishful thinking on producers' part. Ingenuity and clever writing and innovation (as well as the birth of the in-your-face sexual innuendo) was born. Also so was pure escapism during The Great Depression.

Ironically most of the great films for the 1930s did not win Best Picture. While I haven't seen most of the winners, I know the reputations of some and saw the movies they defeated.

Examples:

1933: Who remembers Cavaclade over King Kong?
1934: What About Last Night? deserved the win. It was the birth of the screwball comedy, made Clark Gable a star overnight and made Columbia Pictures a real studio.
1935: Mutiny on the Bounty is remembered with some form of snickering. You know what isn't? Top Hat, the first Fred and Ginger movie. It was only surpassed in 1936 by their Swing Time.

1938: You Can't Take it With You is an interesting choice. It was probably the most successful of the Frank Capra oddball films. However I feel he and other directors have done better in the genre before and after--Howard Hawks's Bringing Up Baby (1938), Hawks's His Girl Friday (1940), George Cukor's The Philadelphia Story (1940) and Capra's own Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

For my money, The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn should have won Best Picture in 1938 (a technicolor, swashbuckling triumph). But You Can't Take It With You marked the first collaboration (I believe) between Capra and Jimmy Stewart. They would work together on several classics, including It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and the very next year's umpteenth masterpiece, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Mr. Smith should have won Best Picture any other year...if it did not come out in--

1939. This was the masterstroke year of the 1930s. This is why it is remembered as THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD. There were a number of movies worthy of being called Best Picture. Almost every studio put out a great film (unfortunately Universal had lost the Lemmles and James Whale at this point so instead of producing something as quality as Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein or Show Boat, they had already slid into making cash-in horror sequels, with 1939's ubiquitous Son of Frankenstein.

However, the rest of 1939 saw some great films released:

-The Wizard of Oz
-Gunga Din
-Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
-Stagecoach (the movie that gave us John Ford and John Wayne)
-Goodbye, Mr. Chips
-Ninotchka
-Wuthering Heights
-Of Mice and Men (Lon Chaney Jr. is amazing in this!)

And many more that I am forgetting. However, the greatest of these was, Gone With the Wind. Despite its historical inaccuracy and some racial undertones (though it is no Birth of a Nation), this is one of the greatest achievements in Hollywood history. A 4-HOUR EPIC THAT ACTUALLY DROPS THE JAW OF VIEWERS 70 YEARS LATER. This was a huge achievement that gave us one of the best female performances in film history (Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara) and a movie that encompasses how great cinema can be as a sheer entertainment with an enthralling, moving story (of grandiose proportions).

Best Film of the 1930s: Gone With the Wind

1940s

I will try to be more succinct.

1940: Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock's first American film (and produced by GWTW's David O. Selzneck). So, I get why it won. It was deserving, but John Ford's startlingly realistic and unendingly dreary The Grapes of Wrath was probably the more important film. It crystalized the last decade of the Dust Bowl, western migration, and the hopeful optimism of The New Deal into a wonderfully bittersweet package.

1941: How Green is My Valley beats CITIZEN KANE?!?!?! 'Nuff said. One tidbit to add was that could this be the birth of the make-up Oscar? John Ford's great work on Stagecoach and The Grapes of Wrath lost the two previous years and he now wins for this? Hmph.

1943: What can I say? Casablanca is the best movie of the decade. Possibly of all time. However, I want to recommend Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. It was Hitch's favorite of his films and it is a masterpiece.

1944: Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (the birth of true film noir, the great American counter-movement of the 1940s) > Going My Way.

Other noirs to recommend: Laura (1944), Detour (1945), Out of the Past (1947), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Key Largo (1948), The Big Sleep (1946), In a Lonely Place (1950), Sunset Blvd. (1950)

1946: This is one of those years where you have two perfectly great choices. Like Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction. Or Lawrence of Arabia and To Kill a Mockingbird. The Best Years of Our Lives was the timely, topical film that centered on a realistic portrait of soldiers returning home from WWII and having lost their innocence (and almost everything else)--including a real GI who has hooks for hands. It was so important in 1946 and the vet population responded so positively towards it, I understand why it won Best Picture. But, I thought It's A Wonderful Life was better. It is not only the best Christmas movie ever made, but the best feel-good movie ever. After WWII, Capra made this film like a sigh of relief. The exhilarating joy of being alive (post-WWII) and home in America is tangible. This has the most sincerely moving happy ending I've ever seen.

My Best Film of the 1940s: Casablanca

I'll do more decades later. But that's a good stopping place for now.

 

[C. Lee]

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I've seen all the ones in red. Apparently I'm better at watching older movies than newer ones.

 

[Tron Bonne]

In my quest to become a professional film critic, and as an film fan in general, I've decided to watch every single Best Picture winner. After looking over the complete list, I am genuinely shocked at how few of these films I've actually seen.

The purpose of this thread is to see which films you've seen from the list, what you thought of them, and whether or not you think they deserved the award. If not, what tell us what film you think should have won.

Also, what would you say was the best Best Picture winner of each decade (1920's, 1930's, etc. etc.)?

Here is the list:

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I've seen the ones in red.

I know. I'm pathetic.

Think that's about right. Not seen a lot of the older films, but have seen a pretty good decent amount of them. Don't have a huge thing to say, but I think 1991 should've went to Beauty and the Beast, 1979 to All That Jazz, and 2008 to something besides Slumdog Millionaire (I don't remember what else was nominated, but that one just wasn't that good). 1989 probably about the same, don't remember liking Driving Miss Daisy all that much, either. And, hell, might has well go all the way and say Cabaret should've taken it for 1972.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind (Don't remember it though)

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur (Only remember the chariot race)

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver! (Seen too many versions, I can't remember which was the original...)
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love (THIS won an Oscar!? WTF!?)
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I'll catch up... I swear.

 

[flickchick85]

Here is the list:

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting

1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker


I've seen the ones in red.

I know. I'm pathetic.

So those are the ones I've seen, which makes me about as pathetic as you. So from what I HAVE seen from the various decades where I've at least seen more-than-one of the Best Picture winners:

1930's: I'm not a fan of either of those two I've seen, tbh, but if I had to choose, I'd go with All Quiet on the Western Front.

1950's: I definitely preferred Marty over Ben-Hur. I just don't think I can take the Hollywood big-budget historical epics from any time before 1960 seriously. The Elia Kazan and Tennessee Williams stuff of that era, on the other hand? LOVED those. Which reminds me, I do still need to see On the Waterfront.

1960's: Lawrence of Arabia. Easy. And I love musicals, but those other two I've seen can't even compete there.

1970's: This is a tough one. It's a toss-up between The Godfather (yes, I prefer Part 1) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

1980's: Eh, I wasn't a fan of any of those BP winners, tbh. I'm a big fan of 80's cinema, but mostly the genre cinema of that time (Brazil, Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc), which wasn't really the Academy's cup o' tea. If I had to choose one of those, I'd probably choose Amadeus.

1990's: Schindler's List. But I do want to voice my minority opinion that the Best Picture of '98 was neither Shakespeare in Love nor Saving Private Ryan, but rather The Thin Red Line. I can't get enough of that film.

2000's: No Country for Old Men. That's the only winner that I unabashedly love from this decade, but I did really like several of them, including The Hurt Locker, The Departed, Gladiator and LotR:RotK (although I wish Master and Commander had gotten more recognition that year, as it got the 2nd-most nominations and lost almost all of them to RotK. But I realize they were actually rewarding LotR as one gigantic cinematic achievement, so it's understandable).

 

[Tron Bonne]

I can't help but feel like I'm in the minority for thinking that Shakespeare in Love actually deserved Best Picture. It's been awhile, but I remember loving that film a lot.

 

[flickchick85]

I can't help but feel like I'm in the minority for thinking that Shakespeare in Love actually deserved Best Picture. It's been awhile, but I remember loving that film a lot.

Honestly, I preferred it over Saving Private Ryan, no joke. I also know my fave The Thin Red Line never had any chance of winning, so I'm kind of glad that if something had to beat it, it was Shakespeare in Love. Because I do agree that movie is incredibly underrated now (it's so clever, well-acted and shot, and such a joy of a love-letter to Shakespeare), and it was particularly nice to see a comedy win Best Picture for once (yeah, it was more of a dramedy, but the 1st two acts were mostly comedic), as that's such a rare occurrence these days. However, what I do NOT approve of? Gwyneth Paltrow winning Best Actress for it over Cate Blanchett. That was just ridiculous, imo.

 

[CBGB]

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker

 

[Asteroid-Man]

I forgot about In the Heat of the Night. List updated!

 

[jmc]

This list makes me realize just how many films I've yet to see, and I've watched a hell of a lot.

 

[Dark Victory]

Copying your idea...

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker

I need to rewatch a lot of these. I saw most of them at a really young age, so I didn't catch on to most of their characteristics, or even the basic plot.

 

[lime]

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker

I have seen pretty mutch all of them from the 70's on...

 

[DACrowe]

Honestly, I preferred it over Saving Private Ryan, no joke. I also know my fave The Thin Red Line never had any chance of winning, so I'm kind of glad that if something had to beat it, it was Shakespeare in Love. Because I do agree that movie is incredibly underrated now (it's so clever, well-acted and shot, and such a joy of a love-letter to Shakespeare), and it was particularly nice to see a comedy win Best Picture for once (yeah, it was more of a dramedy, but the 1st two acts were mostly comedic), as that's such a rare occurrence these days. However, what I do NOT approve of? Gwyneth Paltrow winning Best Actress for it over Cate Blanchett. That was just ridiculous, imo.

I too actually like Shakespeare in Love. It's a very funny movie with a great screenplay. The chemistry between Finnes and Paltrow is palatable and the supporting cast was great--standouts being Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench as Queen Bess, and, shockingly, Ben Affleck.

The problem is it is just a light dramedy period piece and it won because Harvey Weinstein was signaling he and Miramax had the Academy bought and paid for (and would continue to until Cold Mountain got snubbed in 2003).

I can understand a preference for Malick's film to Saving Private Ryan, but SPR is such an important work. It changed the entire war film--of any type. Black Hawk Down, TROY!!, the new Robin Hood...they all ape what Speilberg did. It was so culturally iconic that it led to an even greater miniseries (Band of Brothers) which has led to another. It is the cultural image of WWII. And the first half hour on the beaches of Normandy and the last half hour with the "skirmish" over the bridge are probably the most harrowing war scenes, I've ever seen in a movie.

 

[Fenrir]

Boom, if you haven't seen The Sting and American Beauty, you're seriously missing out on two of the most enjoyable movies ever made, man. Get off your silly butt and put these two flicks on your Netflix que. And if you've got the patience for it, Gandhi should be on your immediate list of films to watch as well.

 

[Drizzle]

The 1920's
1928 - Wings
1929 - The Broadway Melody

The 1930's
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - Cimarron
1932 - Grand Hotel
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You
1939 - Gone with the Wind

The 1940's
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca
1944 - Going My Way
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet
1949 - All the King's Men

The 1950's
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 - From Here to Eternity
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in 80 Days
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 - Gigi
1959 - Ben-Hur

The 1960's
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - A Man for All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver!
1969 - Midnight Cowboy

The 1970's
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1980's
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire
1982 - Gandhi
1983 - Terms of Endearment
1984 - Amadeus
1985 - Out of Africa
1986 - Platoon
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy

The 1990's
1990 - Dances with Wolves
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump
1995 - Braveheart
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty

The 2000's
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2002 - Chicago
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men
2008 - Slumdog Millionaire
2009 - The Hurt Locker

 

[Tron Bonne]

Honestly, I preferred it over Saving Private Ryan, no joke. I also know my fave The Thin Red Line never had any chance of winning, so I'm kind of glad that if something had to beat it, it was Shakespeare in Love. Because I do agree that movie is incredibly underrated now (it's so clever, well-acted and shot, and such a joy of a love-letter to Shakespeare), and it was particularly nice to see a comedy win Best Picture for once (yeah, it was more of a dramedy, but the 1st two acts were mostly comedic), as that's such a rare occurrence these days. However, what I do NOT approve of? Gwyneth Paltrow winning Best Actress for it over Cate Blanchett. That was just ridiculous, imo.

Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. Can't believe Blanchett hasn't got an Oscar for Best Actress, yet.

 

[Speedball]

Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. Can't believe Blanchett hasn't got an Oscar for Best Actress, yet.

She won Best Supporting for the Aviator as Katharine Hepburn, and for that role I consider it just as good as a best actress.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Yeah, I was meaning Best Actress. I knew she won for that, but she should have one of both, at least (though she should have won Best Supporting Actress again for I'm Not There).