This week I took my missus to see a re-run of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) as a Valentine’s treat. As far as romance films go it’s thoroughly engaging and exquisitely shot. Beautiful cinematography blends with exceptional casting and the whole film stands as a piece of sentimentality that even blokes can stomach. It’s hard to believe then, that it was overlooked in the Best Picture Academy Award nominations back in 1962. Surely the stunning combination of all the cinematic elements was noteworthy enough to garner at least a nomination, right? Well, apparently not in this case…

This isn’t the only time that the Academy has made a mistake either… Below are ten films that were nominated, but lost out on winning the gong. Read on to discover the ten films that I believe should have won on their respective Oscar Night!

10. THE AVIATOR (2004)

Films that were directed by Martin Scorsese could have totally dominated this Top 10 – although, I have limited it to two that I feel passionately deserved the accolade…probably to your relief! – as the Academy has criminally overlooked this brilliant director’s filmography on a number of occasions. Whilst Eastwood’s winner, Million Dollar Baby (2004) was a very accomplished film, The Aviator combined exceptional performances from an all-star cast, beautiful cinematography, awe-inspiring special effects and a narrative that remained engaging throughout. Eastwood certainly pulled a gripping performance out of Hilary Swank (who deservedly won the Best Actress Award), but in comparison the more accomplished film is undoubtedly Scorsese’s masterpiece on Hollywood’s Golden Era and its key players.

Going to be interesting to see how Chris Nolan plans to top it, if indeed his biopic begins production after The Dark Knight Rises.

09. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

It’s interesting to think that a commercially successful, blockbuster film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar – it’s something that we don’t often see these days (before the 10 Picture expansion anyway), instead the nominations consist of stuffy, overblown productions that have been made specifically for the Academy’s members to praise. The winner of the 54th Oscars Best Picture, Chariots of Fire, falls firmly into the latter category. In comparison to Raiders it is far less entertaining and has the one redeeming feature of an iconic soundtrack. Whilst Raiders won a quadrant of consolation awards (Best Sound, Editing, Visual Effects and Art Direction) its enduring popularity leads me to believe that it is more deserving of the Best Picture gong than the relatively dull Chariots. With performances perhaps the only exception, Raiders is quite simply a more accomplished film on all levels.

08. CITIZEN KANE (1940)

It’s gone on to arguably become the most influential and important film in cinema history and whilst the benefit of hindsight is a beautiful thing, back in 1940, Citizen Kane was still like nothing ever seen before. With an aesthetic that remains unrivalled, Welles’s opus was so extravagant that his vast set pieces were built with ceilings (then uncommon in Hollywood set builds) and his deep-focus photography lovingly lingered on its director’s creation. Combining breathtaking cinematography from Gregg Toland with unparalleled performances and a mysterious narrative that gradually reveals snippets of information before its dramatic climax, Citizen Kane is rightly considered a quintessential example of Hollywood’s epic productions. The fact that How Green Was My Valley (1941) won the Award remains baffling! Yes, it’s a well-made film that brilliantly captures the gritty nature of the narrative, but in comparison to Citizen Kane it fails to impress anywhere near as much.

07. THE DEFIANT ONES (1958)

Tackling the then thoroughly taboo subject of grassroots racism, The Defiant Ones packs a weighty punch in its depiction of the racial prejudice between its two main characters. John ‘Joker’ Jackson (Tony Curtis) and Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) are two convicts from a chain gang that hate each other passionately. When a prison truck accident gives them an opportunity to escape, they quickly flee with the police in hot pursuit. Still chained together, the two find that they are dependent on each other whilst they attempt to evade the police. When they finally rid themselves of their chains will their hostility and hate have transformed into friendship and respect?

Combining a thoroughly suspenseful narrative with touching moments of camaraderie between men who put aside their racial differences, the film is a tremendously consummate piece of cinema. In contrast, Gigi (1958), that year’s winner, falls remarkably short. One of the less fondly (if at all) remembered musicals of Hollywood’s extensive 50s output, it portrays its controversial subject manner – elderly relatives prepare young girl to become a Parisian courtesan – in what is generally considered distasteful way. In a drastic contrast, The Defiant Ones never even verges on the edge of distaste, instead offering a remarkable and moving depiction of friendship overcoming racial prejudice.

06. FARGO (1996)

A brilliant offering from the Coen Brothers that wonderfully merges black comedy with elements of suspense and humorous horror, Fargo is one of those films that you can’t help but revisit. The English Patient (1996), which beat Fargo to the Best Pic gong, happens to be the polar opposite. Released to a plethora of accolades, the film screamed of Oscar: lavish cinematography of epic scale and a grand, overstated narrative. Whilst The English Patient isn’t an entirely awful picture, Fargo offers a unique edge to its narrative that allows it to leave a firm impression on viewers: something that the former doesn’t. With a win for No Country for Old Men in 2008, the Coen Brothers finally won a Best Picture Academy Award, but the fact that Fargo was overlooked all those years ago is sure to leave a bitter taste in many fans mouths for a long time.

05. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1955)

The classic biblical tale of Moses (Charlton Heston), Prince of Egypt, who learns that his true heritage as a Hebrew demands he undertake a divine mission as the deliverer of his people. His rejection of Egypt pits him further against his brother Rameses (Yul Brynner) and the rest of his adopted family.

This lavish and visually striking masterpiece was Cecil B. Demille’s remake of his own silent epic production from 1923. Loosing to a film of equally epic scope – Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) – Demille’s opus stands out as the more impressive production. With a host of extraordinary special effects (particularly the scene depicting Moses’s parting of the Red Sea), solid performances from its extensive cast and a narrative that keeps you gripped throughout the four hour running time, it is a symbol remarkable filmmaking craftsmanship on Demille’s part. Winner of 5 awards, Around the World is also a thoroughly entertaining romp, but doesn’t exhibit craftsmanship of the same scale as Commandments.

04. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

Similar to Citizen Kane, it’s perhaps the benefit of hindsight that suggests It’s a Wonderful Life should have won the Best Picture award over The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Unlike many of the other entries on this list, both of these films are extremely well made and are real accomplishments within cinema history. However, the powerful endearment of It’s a Wonderful Life and its subsequent ability to endure 65 years of other phenomenal productions and countless advancements within the technical aspects of the industry, remaining just as relevant and popular as ever is truly remarkable. Whilst The Best Years of Our Lives is a touching film, it has slipped far from the public conscience and is probably only regularly viewed on film courses (as was my first introduction to it). Bearing this in mind I would argue that Frank Capra’s Wonderful Life should have won the accolade, furthered by the fact that it remains one of the few films that still appeals to audiences today.

03. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)

A Place in the Sun is one of those rare films where a perfect blend of melodrama and suspense is achieved. Combined with excellent casting – Montgomery Clitft excels as the angst ridden Eastman, Elizabeth Taylor simply sizzles as the socialite who captures his rapacious heart and Shelley Winters is never better as the heartbroken working class factory girl – the film is highly stylised and beautifully directed by George Stevens. With a narrative that was very bold for an early 50s production – Alice’s illegitimate pregnancy predominantly – the film makes a strong social statement.

When compared to that years winner, Vincente Minnelli’s An American in Paris, in my eyes there is no doubt that A Place in the Sun was robbed! Whilst Minnelli’s film is entertaining and Gene Kelly is his usual charming self in the starring role, it just doesn’t quite cut it as a piece of truly memorable cinema. An American in Paris seems like a piece of inconsequential nonsense when compared to the tragic doomed love story and subsequent descent into darkness at the heart of A Place in the Sun. Whilst Oscar winning pictures don’t always have to be gloomy or overly serious, here, I just can’t fathom why the Academy would have voted for a film so trivial over one with a remarkable (if gloomy) comment on society.

02. TAXI DRIVER (1976)

How Taxi Driver didn’t win the Best Picture Academy Award is a mystery we’ll never solve! Don’t get me wrong, I love Rocky (1976) as much as the next film lover, but can anyone honestly say that it’s a better film than Scorsese’s gritty, disturbing portrait of mental instability? With a narrative that undertakes the issue of loneliness and isolation within the big city and the droves of scum that inhabit it, Taxi Driver is both emotive and disturbing on many levels. Rocky may be entertaining, but it fails to demonstrate the same skills in both direction and performance as Taxi Driver does.

Plus, if my fellow OWF scribe Laurent Kelly’s recent 50 Reasons Why Taxi Driver Might Just Be the Greatest Film Ever doesn’t convince you of its deservedness of the Best Picture honour, I’m afraid nothing will!

01. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

Saving Private Ryan is one of those films that had such an impact upon its release that it will forever remain one of the most significant pieces of 20th century cinema. The graphic nature of the narrative lends a horrific sense of realism to the film, an achievement that has only been afforded to a few equally remarkable war films. The fact that Steven Spielberg’s incredibly moving magnum opus was denied the accolade for the dull-fest that is Shakespeare in Love (1998) is surely the Academy’s greatest mistake. Ryan remains one of the best war films around and continues to speak to audiences over a decade later. The same cannot be said about Shakespeare in Love!

An overstated rom com in period costume, it’s a piece of forgettable fluff that made far fewer waves than Ryan and lends itself less well to repeat viewings. Both obviously have historically set narratives, but where Shakespeare in Love is an entirely fabricated piece of near nonsense, Ryan bases itself in a lot of fact and builds fiction upon this. Allowing contemporary audiences to actually feel something of what their relatives were put through the war is uncomfortably realistic here, but the film is all the better for this uncompromising sense of realism. In all aspects, Saving Private Ryan is by far the superior production and infinitely more deserving of the Best Picture Academy Award…I’m just glad that it was rightfully voted the accolade in OWF’s 1999 Oscars retrospective!

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