1. 1967: In the Heat Of the Night vs. Mike Nichols & The Graduate
1967 was a hell of a year for movies. Look at the lineup for Best Picture that year: In the Heat of the Night, Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and Doctor Doolittle. This was such a strong year that a book entitled Pictures At A Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood was written about the influence these films had on the cinematic zeitgeist of the time. Ultimately winning Best Picture that year was In the Heat of the Night, a murder mystery with racial undertones. With a memorable and moving performance by Poitier, it's hard to find any blame on the Academy here. Similarly, Mike Nichols' The Graduate deserved some attention, portraying the lost and idle youth Benjamin Braddock, a perfect stand-in for the generation of youth headed to Vietnam. And while it's a shame that Bonnie and Clyde couldn't also have shared in some of the major gold that year, the real shame is that Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Doctor Doolittle have spawned such godawful remakes.
Your thoughts on Best Director this year? Vote in the poll below or find out how to get at me in my bio at the bottom of the page.