7 Times The Oscars Gave The Best Picture Award To The Wrong Movie

The Academy Awards season is formally upon us, bringing audiences’ sense of anticipation to an all time excessive.

As viewers furiously atone for probably the most notable releases of the previous yr, most viewers members can’t assist however marvel which film will take house the distinguished award for Greatest Image. Whereas it’s typically thought-about the final word honor throughout the movie trade, it’s additionally value noting that the Academy Award doesn’t all the time bestow their grand award on the best film. Simply as vital evaluations over a particular movie can change drastically over time, so can also audiences’ appreciation for previous motion pictures awarded the Oscar for Greatest Image. (For instance, everybody has heard of Raiders of the Misplaced Ark, 2001, and Citizen Kane, none of which earned the Greatest Image award from the Academy; can we are saying the identical for earlier Academy Award winners like How Inexperienced Was My Valley, Chariots of Hearth, or The King’s Speech?) 

“Birdman” Over “Boyhood”

We’re not going to go as far as to explain Birdman as an altogether horrible movie. In reality, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s satirical comedy brilliantly lampoons trendy popular culture, as seen by the film’s in-depth research of fame, expertise, and artistry throughout the modern movie trade. As nice as Birdman is, although, it’s nowhere close to the extent of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, the approaching of age drama Birdman shockingly beat out for Greatest Image on the 87th Academy Awards. Using a prolonged real-time filmmaking strategy that befell over 12 years of capturing, Boyhood’s one-of-a-kind manufacturing offers sufficient proof as to why it ought to have gained Greatest Image. Not solely that, however the film’s heartrending narrative does a outstanding job showcasing the budding maturity a younger boy experiences over the course of his complete childhood.

“Oliver!” Over “2001: A Area Odyssey”

The truth that Stanley Kubrick’s career-defining masterpiece 2001: A Area Odyssey wasn’t even nominated for Greatest Image is nothing wanting a cinematic tragedy. As an alternative, the Academy noticed match to contest the forty first Academy Award for Greatest Image between such predictable Oscar bait movies as Humorous Woman, Romeo and Juliet, The Lion in Winter, and Oliver! (the latter of which wound up taking house the distinguished award). A sweeping musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Oliver! delivers a usually rousing drama movie characterised by some sturdy musical dance sequences. However on the finish of the day, 2001 is the movie that ceaselessly modified the character of science fiction, pioneering new filmmaking methods nonetheless practiced by filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, and Ridley Scott to this very day.

“Chariots of Hearth” Over “Raiders of the Misplaced Ark”

It’s not an exaggeration to say that everybody and their mom has possible seen Raiders of the Misplaced Ark in some unspecified time in the future of their lives. Alternatively, simply how many individuals have really sat down and seen Chariots of Hearth? Although little question an inspirational historic drama, it’s additionally clear that Raiders’ endearing recognition has solely improved over time, kicking off successful motion franchise that’s spanned sequels, TV exhibits, comedian books, and subsequent online game sequels adventures. In distinction, most viewers solely not directly know Chariots of Hearth for its oft-parodied slow-motion seaside run ending sequence, as parodied in every little thing from Madagascar to 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

“How Inexperienced Was My Valley” Over “Citizen Kane”

In an ironic accident, Citizen Kane – generally credited as one of many biggest motion pictures of all time – opened to considerably polarizing opinions upon its launch in 1941. Enduring a frosty vital response from moviegoers and an excellent cooler response from media persona William Randolph Hearst (the inspiration for the title character), Citizen Kane rapidly light from the general public consciousness till its eventual reappraisal within the late Nineteen Fifties. Since then, Orson Welles’ magnum opus has come to be regarded among the many most influential movies ever made, inspiring dozens of subsequent filmmakers within the course of. Compared, How Inexperienced Was My Valley has turn into a mere blurb in previous Academy Award celebrations, in addition to a comparatively minor addition to director John Ford’s expansive filmography.

“The King’s Speech” Over “The Social Community”

Like many different Oscar winners on this listing, The King’s Speech isn’t a unhealthy movie per se, serving as a chic portrayal of King George VI’s unorthodox speech remedy classes by the hands of Australian language knowledgeable, Lionel Logue. When evaluating the rising affect of social media in modern mass tradition, nonetheless, it quickly turns into clear that The King’s Speech lacks the identical resonating longevity as its fellow 2010 launch, The Social Community. Whereas The King’s Speech does a fantastic job depicting an odd episode within the British monarchy’s previous, The Social Community focuses on the previous, current, and future state of display screen use, zeroing in on Fb’s eventful creation, and the eventual impression it will have on billions of individuals throughout the globe.

“Crash” Over “Brokeback Mountain”

When Brokeback Mountain arrived within the winter of 2005, most audiences had by no means seen a movie fairly prefer it. Pushing the boundaries of LGBTQ+ themes ahead in mainstream cinema, Brokeback Mountain broke by the glass barrier when it got here to its illustration of non-heterosexual relationships, laying the groundwork for numerous equally veined movies that adopted. Given its immensely constructive reception, then, it got here as a shock when Brokceback Mountain misplaced the 78th Academy Award for Greatest Image to the ensemble crime drama Crash. In a choice that earned the Academy important media backlash, most detractors justifiably felt Crash remained the “secure selection” for the Greatest Image, even when its dealing with of race relations wasn’t practically as advanced as Brokeback Mountain’s remedy of homsexuality within the Nineteen Sixties Western U.S.

“Shakespeare in Love” Over “Saving Non-public Ryan”

Maybe probably the most controversial upset in Academy Award historical past, not even Saving Non-public Ryan’s overwhelmingly constructive reception helped it beat out Shakespeare in Love on the 71st Academy Awards. Typically hailed as one of many biggest conflict dramas to ever come out of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg showcased the nightmarish actuality of World Struggle II along with his startling path on Saving Non-public Ryan, crafting D-Day sequences so plausible, precise navy veterans needed to stroll out of the theater in sheer discomfort. Whereas at present’s viewers solely proceed to reward Saving Non-public Ryan as top-of-the-line efforts from Spielberg but, Shakespeare in Love has lengthy fallen by the wayside, vanishing into vital obscurity like so many different forgettable Oscar winners earlier than it.