Best of the Best Picture Races

In the spirit of Oscar season (which is past, yes), I did some research on Oscar seasons past. I wanted to see which of the Best Picture Races were pretty contentious in the past. There were several very competitive years. I compiled a list of what I think are the top five Best of the Best Picture Races. ( ) denotes position in the American Film Institutes Top 100 American Movies.

5. 1962 – 35^th Academy Awards

Winner – Lawrence of Arabia (7)

The Longest Day

The Music Man

Mutiny on the Bounty

To Kill a Mockingbird (25)

1961 and 1962 are both very good years. Both have films which are good and worth watching up and down the list. But 1962 has the edge. The Longest Day is one of those great, old, ensemble war movies. It is so much fun to just watch the multitude of famous faces; John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, and Sean Connery. Mutiny on the Bounty is a great Marlon Brando vehicle. The Music Man is a beloved musical that has yet to be replaced by a Disney remake. It’s the top two films of this race that shine. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great American film. Atticus Finch is one of the best heroes ever, and the movie stays quite true to the spirit of the book. Lawrence of Arabia speaks for itself. It is an epic of the highest rank. One of the best made movies of all time.

4. 1976 – 49^th Academy Awards

Winner – Rocky (57)

All the President’s Men (77)

Bound for Glory

Network (64)

Taxi Driver (52)

The only Best Picture race among these five to contain four movies among the American Film Institute’s top 100 American movies made, the 1976 Best Picture race. All five are very solid, well made movies. The only one that has not made it is Bound for Glory. The only reason being that it is a Woody Guthrie biopic, and generally if the subject has faded then so will his mark on the world. Each and every movie is worth checking out. Most are still very well-watched and have fared the years well. I would not be surprised if some of them continued to thrive twenty years from now.

3. 1994 – 67^th Academy Awards

Winner – Forrest Gump (76)

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Pulp Fiction (94)

Quiz Show

The Shawshank Redemption (72)

The most recent year of the top rankings, the 67^th Academy Awards contained some of the top films from the past 25 years. Both Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction are cultural staples. They were influential both represented great advances for cinema, in their own way. The Shawshank Redemption is a very well made movie as well, but in the years to pass it may fall off below the eyes of the general audience. Quiz Show and Four Weddings and a Funeral are no slouches for nominees, but they have not made enough of an impact to even be recalled by most even ten years later. But the sheer size of the competition for Best Picture in this year makes it a very important Best Picture Race to note.

2. 1967 – 40^th Academy Awards

Winner – In the Heat of the Night (75)

Bonnie and Clyde (42)

Doctor Doolittle

The Graduate (17)

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

This is one of the most influential, and culturally relevant Best Picture races. This is one of the years where a turning point is clearly visible. Most of these movies contain biting and culturally relevant themes. Marking the change among American society in a very poignant way. Whether it is the racial defiance of In the Heat of the Night, the racial acceptance of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, or the youthful rebellion of The Graduate. Hollywood, along with the rest of America, was changing. New styles of directing, acting, and writing had finally won over the old ways. Represented in this race by Doctor Doolittle. Mark Harris’ book Pictures at a Revolution details this race and the way it impacted cinema and America.

1. 1939 – 12^th Academy Awards

Winner – Gone with the Wind (6)

Dark Victory

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Love Affair

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (26)

Ninotchka

Of Mice and Men

Stagecoach

The Wizard of Oz (10)

Wuthering Heights

This was the first of about five years in American cinema that is revolutionary. It shaped the way that movies are made and the way we view ourselves as a country and a society. Not enough can be said about this year. Several of the films are very well-made classic stories based on novels, some of which have been remade; Wuthering Heights, Of Mice and Men. Dark Victory secures Bette Davis as an actress of extraordinary grit and power. Stagecoach marked a major turning point in the career of John Ford, one of America’s greatest directors. It also launched the career of John Wayne. Frank Capra turned in one of the finest statements about American politics in film with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved children’s movies of all time. It has withstood the test of time, and I know that I’ll be showing it to my kids. And of course Gone with the Wind is a classic. It remains as one of the most well-made movies of all time. It set the bar very high for cinematic epics. It is still a very effective tool for comparison when it comes to that caliber of cinema. Of course it also has one of the most famous lines in any movie; “Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn.” For all these reasons and more, 1939 had the greatest race in American Cinema for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.