Oscars: Every Best Picture Winner Ever Ranked From Worst To Best

55. The English Patient (1996)

For many, The English Patient is what they think of when they consider "Oscar bait" movies: it's long, "boring" and set amid a portentous historical backdrop.

Anthony Minghella's drama may ultimately be best remembered for that legendary Seinfeld episode mocking its "worthiness", but if you can cope with it unjustly defeating both Fargo and Secrets and Lies for Best Picture, it is a grand, affecting melodrama with excellent work from Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche.

It's not an easy sit due to the aforementioned beefy runtime and the often plodding pace, but when it aims for the gut, it hits hard.