Hat tip, ROS
The list, after the cut. Most are “pretty good” but what you notice about them is that they are, surprise surprise, actor driven. They are about people audiences care about and can relate to. How visionary they are, how memorable, how pivotal, how brilliant is the least important thing about them. Remember that if you ever want to win Best Picture. The history of the Oscars is the history of the internal worlds of the voters as they age over time.
I put the ones I think are genuinely great films in red.
- 2011 – The Artist
- 2010 – The King’s Speech
- 2009 – The Hurt Locker
- 2008 – Slumdog Millionaire
- 2007 – No Country for Old Men
- 2006 – The Departed
- 2005 – Crash
- 2004 – Million Dollar Baby
- 2003 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- 2002 – Chicago
- 2001 – A Beautiful Mind
- 2000 – Gladiator
- 1999 – American Beauty
- 1998 – Shakespeare in Love
- 1997 – Titanic
- 1996 – The English Patient
- 1995 – Braveheart
- 1994 – Forrest Gump
- 1993 – Schindler’s List
- 1992 – Unforgiven
- 1991 – The Silence of the Lambs
- 1990 – Dances With Wolves
- 1989 – Driving Miss Daisy
- 1988 – Rain Man
- 1987 – The Last Emperor
- 1986 – Platoon
- 1985 – Out of Africa
- 1984 – Amadeus
- 1983 – Terms of Endearment
- 1982 – Gandhi
- 1981 – Chariots of Fire
- 1980 – Ordinary People
- 1979 – Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1978 – The Deer Hunter
- 1977 – Annie Hall
- 1976 – Rocky
- 1975 – One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
- 1974 – The Godfather Part II
- 1973 – The Sting
- 1972 – The Godfather
- 1971 – The French Connection
- 1970 – Patton
- 1969 – Midnight Cowboy
- 1968 – Oliver!
- 1967 – In the Heat of the Night
- 1966 – A Man for All Seasons
- 1965 – The Sound of Music
- 1964 – My Fair Lady
- 1963 – Tom Jones
- 1962 – Lawrence of Arabia
- 1961 – West Side Story
- 1960 – The Apartment
- 1959 – Ben-Hur
- 1958 – Gigi
- 1957 – The Bridge on the River Kwai
- 1956 – Around the World in 80 Days
- 1955 – Marty
- 1954 – On the Waterfront
- 1953 – From Here to Eternity
- 1952 – The Greatest Show on Earth
- 1951 – An American in Paris
- 1950 – All About Eve
- 1949 – All the Kings Men
- 1948 – Hamlet
- 1947 – Gentleman’s Agreement
- 1946 – The Best Years of Our Lives
- 1945 – The Lost Weekend
- 1944 – Going My Way
- 1943 – Casablanca
- 1942 – Mrs. Miniver
- 1941 – How Green Was My Valley
- 1940 – Rebecca
- 1939 – Gone with the Wind
- 1938 – You Can’t Take It with You
- 1937 – The Life of Emile Zola
- 1936 – The Great Ziegfeld
- 1935 – Mutiny on the Bounty
- 1934 – It Happened One Night
- 1932/1933 – Cavalcade
- 1931/1932 – Grand Hotel
- 1930/1931 – Cimarron
- 1929/1930 – All Quiet on the Western Front
- 1928/1929 – The Broadway Melody
- 1927/1928 – Wings
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