It’s a popular pastime for movie buffs to gripe about the Oscars. In the 80-odd years that the little golden guy has been given out, it seems that he often ends up in the wrong hands. Citizen Kane didn’t win Best Picture. Hitchcock and Kubrick never won Best Director. Chaplin’s City Lights was completely snubbed in 1931: no nominations for the Tramp as either actor, director, or producer of that masterpiece.
And so it goes. But we always watch, don’t we? And some years make the whole ordeal worthwhile. With the Academy Awards scheduled for this weekend, I thought it’d be fun to cite some instances where deserving films actually did end up winning the big prize.
1943: Casablanca. When talking about classic movies, Casablanca is always one of the usual suspects. With good reason: it does everything well. It’s like a blueprint for how to make a movie. Great script, great story, great acting, great directing. Bogie at his world-weary best, Bergman is heartbreaking, and Claude Rains is hysterically funny. Everyone has their favorite line.
1957: Bridge on the River Kwai. One of the best war movies ever made, showcasing a brilliant performance by Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson, a British officer who matches wills with Japanese Colonel Saito in a southeastern Asian prison camp. Along with Hitchcock and Kurosawa, David Lean is one of the masters of film form.
1959: Ben-Hur. Sure it’s dated in parts and Chuck Heston never met a piece of scenery he wouldn’t like to chew, but Ben-Hur is epic filmmaking, par excellence: the chariot race alone is worth the price of admission. Plus, it’s a moving story and features a powerful performance by Stephen Boyd as Judah Ben-Hur’s boyhood friend turned bitter enemy.
1962: Lawrence of Arabia. Speaking of epic, this is one takes the cake. Quite possibly the greatest film yet made. Consummate craftsmanship, consummate artistry. David Lean’s masterpiece and the movie that inspired both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg to become filmmakers. See it on the big screen.
1966: A Man for All Seasons. Robert Bolt (who wrote Lawrence of Arabia) adapted his stage play about Sir Thomas More, later canonized, Chancellor of England who held fast to his Catholic principles against the pressures of King Henry VIII. Beautifully written screenplay, and Academy-Award winner Paul Scofield could not have been better as the martyred saint.
1972: The Godfather. Brando and Pacino as father and son. A movie of mythic proportions. Absorbing, compelling, operatic. Caravaggio-inspired lighting. Drenched in the drama of sin and salvation. Of course you already know all this, so go watch it again! (Godfather II is its equal in form and content, but I just love Brando in this movie. )
1981: Chariots of Fire. Now known mostly for its famous theme composed by Vangelis, Chariots of Fire is a stirring story about British runners competing against the better-trained, better-financed, better-equipped Americans in the 1924 Olympics. One of the main characters, Eric Liddell — a gifted runner who refuses to race on the Sabbath — is a great movie hero. Genuinely inspiring film.
1984: Amadeus. Read our review here. Fascinating exploration into the nature of artistic creativity and cancerous human jealousy. Antonio Salieri, court composer in Vienna during Mozart’s tenure, becomes consumed by envy for Mozart’s talent. He decides to take revenge on God for bestowing musical gifts to an “unworthy creature.” F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce as Salieri and Mozart, respectively, both give wonderful, nuanced performances.
1993: Schindler’s List. A harrowing, haunting film from a master director. Though we miss the childlike Spielberg, this is probably the movie he was born to make. Many of its images are sure to become indelible in the canon of film history. I only have the stomach to watch it every few years, but the achievement is stunning. An unforgettable masterpiece.
2003: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. A clean-sweep reminded us that the Oscars could occasionally hit the nail-on-the-head. Return of the King was the capstone to a truly monumental trilogy. All hail Peter Jackson!
Special Mention:
We have a weak spot for big, bold, epic movies (as the list above indicates) and so does Oscar, apparently. Here are two other old-fashioned epics that film snobs hated to see win the Big Prize, but we loved it:
