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

7. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

Lawrence Of Arabia Peter O Toole Omar Sharif
Columbia Pictures

The crowning cinematic epic and the towering achievement of David Lean and Peter O'Toole's careers, Lawrence of Arabia is a sumptuous historical drama dripping with beauty from its every frame, and incredibly sees out its 222-minute runtime with the absolute minimum viewer anguish.

In any other year, To Kill a Mockingbird would've barrelled its way through the competition for an easy Best Picture win, but the Academy loves its epics, and this remains cinema's very best: technically audacious, brilliantly acted and crucially not sacrificing substance for style. It was a lunatic undertaking by Lean and co., but the end product remains utterly mind-boggling over 50 years later.

Also, check out the life-changing 4K restoration for the ultimate testament to how well the film has aged.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.