The 49th Academy Awards were absolutely loaded with great films and exceptional performances. In fact, 1976 was a year that could now be viewed as the 'peak' of the New Hollywood era - there were consistently great films being made and released throughout the entire decade, but never was the competition so fierce as it was in '76. All The President's Men, Network, Rocky, Carrie, Marathon Man and Taxi Driver were all up for awards. Many assumed that the truly astonishing Taxi Driver, one of the greatest films ever made, would win Best Picture and that director Martin Scorsese was a lock to win for Best Director. Guess what happened. The film didn't win Best Picture and Scorsese didn't win Best Director? No, it goes worse - Scorsese wasn't even nominated for Best Director. As incredible as it seems now, it's true. Scorsese wasn't even nominated for helming the first of his many masterpieces. Instead it was Rocky that won Best Picture. Best Director went to John G. Alvidsden for, you guessed it, Rocky and Taxi Driver didn't receive a single Academy Award. Although the competition was, admittedly, rather fierce you would have thought that it would have gotten something. It had to be a blow to Scorsese, who fought tooth and nail to get the film made the way that he wanted. Unfortunately for him, it wouldn't be the last time he would be overlooked by the Academy.
