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This story was originally published on February 14, 2019, and has been updated to reflectAnoras Oscar win.
After all, they have an Academy Award, and we dont.
So here it is: our ranking of all 97 Best Picture winners.
Youll probably disagree with us.
Thats what the Academy Awards are all about.
97.The Broadway Melody(1928)
97.
Its only real appeal at the time (look, theres dancing and singing … in a movie!)
has, uh, lost a considerable amount of its novelty today.
Were not even sure it would make a list of the top 200 musicals of all time.
Think of it sort of like basketball before they replaced the peach baskets with actual hoops.
96.Cimarron(1930)
96.
(Even worse, the movie thinks its on the good side!)
Somehow, this was the last Western to win Best Picture untilDances With Wolves.
Fair to say the Academy missed a few over those 60 years.
95.Crash(2005)
95.
J. Michael Muros cinematography is quite beautiful, and Mark Ishams score can be effective.
The expertness of the disastrous execution remains astonishing.
94.The Great Ziegfeld(1936)
94.
What might have seemed epic at the time is mindlessly bloated today; youll find yourselfverrrysleepy.
93.The Greatest Show on Earth(1952)
93.
This is the movie where Jimmy Stewart plays a clown with a dark past.
This is also the movie where DeMille recruited actual members of Ringling Bros. to give this ensemble drama authenticity.
Not surprisingly, the king of blunt showmanship loved the circus.
There are 20 languages spoken under that big top, he once said.
Like a League of Nations in operation.
The movie is not very good, but the trailer sure is.
92.The Artist(2011)
92.
91.Cavalcade(1932)
91.
This is very classy and straightforward and rather dull and defanged.
90.Driving Miss Daisy(1989)
90.
Also, never forget that this film got Dan Aykroyd a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
89.A Beautiful Mind(2001)
89.
What a damp, dull slogA Beautiful Mindis.
88.Wings(1927)
88.
87.Dances With Wolves(1990)
87.
Forever known now as the movie that beatGoodfellas,Dances With Wolvesaches with good intentions.
The worst you’re able to say is that it begotThe Postman oh, and thatGoodfellasgot robbed.
86.Green Book(2018)
86.
85.The Life of Emile Zola(1937)
85.
(1968)
84.
Oliver!isnt that bad, we suppose.
(It just wants to be vast, accessible entertainment for all ages.)
But none of that really matters.
As well they should.
83.SlumdogMillionaire(2008)
83.
In films likeShallow Graveand28 Days Later, Danny Boylehas often focused on humanitys darker tendencies.
But well confess that we prefer Boyle when hes ornerier.
82.American Beauty(1999)
82.
Its a perfectly solid, overly ponderous slab of suburban misery peddling profundity it doesnt possess.
TakeAmerican Beautyas seriously as it takes itself and youll be disappointed.
81.Mutiny on the Bounty(1935)
81.
Still, itsMutiny on the Bounty, you know?
You cant go too wrong.
80.Braveheart(1995)
80.
Who says Oscar movies dont come out during the summer?
On one level, its easy to admireBravehearts chest-beating, rah-rah gusto.
79.Argo(2012)
79.
The crown jewel of the Ben Affleck renaissance the Benaissance?
78.Gentlemans Agreement(1947)
78.
77.Out of Africa(1985)
77.
This is a film the term handsomely mounted was invented for.
Its all a bit much, but you could do a lot worse, all told.
We bet it made your mom cry.
76.The Kings Speech(2010)
76.
Still, its impossible to deny the unlikely chemistry between these two mismatched men.
75.A Man for All Seasons(1966)
75.
Still, you respect the effort that went intoA Man for All Seasonsmore than you love it.
74.Gandhi(1982)
74.
73.Chariots of Fire(1981)
73.
This is a basic, well-done sports film, but the song made it into something epic.
72.Rain Man(1988)
72.
71.In the Heat of the Night(1967)
71.
This topic would be tackled a lot better in the years to come.
70.Forrest Gump(1994)
70.
Cockeyed parable about life in America since World War II?
An insufferably reactionary and conservative view of the counterculture?
A movie that made millions and millions of viewers bawl their eyes out?
(The Watergate break-in?
Forrest was the guy who called it in to the cops!)
Soft and sentimental,Forrest Gumpwas, happily, out in the world before social media.
If it were released now, wed never stop arguing about it.
69.You Cant Take It With You(1938)
69.
No one will ever confuse this with Frank Capras best film or maybe even one of his ten best?
but it nonetheless won him the final of his three Oscars.
But even lesser Capra from this era is better than just about anything else you might be watching.
68.Gigi(1958)
68.
But, likeMy Fair Lady,its still a blast, even if not quite asmuchof a blast.
Its minor, but giddy minor.
67.Around the World in 80 Days(1956)
67.
66.Going My Way(1944)
66.
Hes so good, in fact, that he wasalsonominated for Best Actor, which he lost to Crosby.
(Theyd change the rules so that didnt happen again.)
65.Grand Hotel(1932)
65.
The movies worth it for Garbo alone, though its episodic nature gives the film a natural ceiling.
64.CODA(2021)
64.
Who says good things dont happen to nice movies?
Ever since it premiered at Sundance, where it won the U.S. And although it beat out better pictures, its a perfectly solid movie in its own right.
In other words, a very typical Best Picture champion.
63.The Sound of Music(1965)
63.
Total malarkey, and you probably know every word to every song anyway.
Its very easy to mock this movie.
Its very, very hard to get those damn tunes out of your head.
62.Everything Everywhere All at Once(2022)
62.
Movies that launch at South by Southwest dont win Best Picture.
Movies that open in March dont win Best Picture.
Its something defiantly different than business as usual.
61.Gladiator(2000)
61.
It would have been very easy forGladiatorto be another dumb summer spectacle.
But Scott and his budding star gave it soul.
60.The Shape of Water(2017)
60.
If I told you about her, what would I say?
59.Shakespeare in Love(1998)
59.
(We turned out to have a lot to learn on both counts.)
Its a good little movie!
Its just notSaving Private Ryan.
58.The Sting(1973)
58.
The Marvin Hamlisch score (adapting Scott Joplin tunes) is still great, though.
57.Chicago(2002)
57.
Rob Marshalls big-screen version is an unapologetic litany of razzle-dazzle set pieces paired with brassy tunes and big performances.
56.Patton(1970)
56.
Scott is magnificent in the role, but this is no simple rah-rah portrait of a true American hero.
And Pattons memorable opening speech hints at the films hesitancy about turning men into myths.
55.The English Patient(1996)
55.
But any non-cynic cant help but be swept up in its doomed ardor.
54.The Hurt Locker(2009)
54.
53.Midnight Cowboy(1969)
53.
The characters linger, even if the New York of the film no longer does.
52.Million Dollar Baby(2004)
52.
The film succumbs to saccharine, but for the most part the tears it wrings are earned.
51.Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)(2014)
51.
The movie is an actors paradise has Edward Norton ever been this light on his feet and fun?
and weve grown to appreciate rather than resent its excesses.
Haters to the back.
50.Ordinary People(1980)
50.
49.Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
49.
48.Spotlight(2015)
48.
Of all the fine actors inSpotlight, Rachel McAdams is the one to whom we keep returning.
47.Terms of Endearment(1983)
47.
James L. Brooks was a master of television thanks to his work onThe Mary Tyler Moore ShowandTaxi.
(And now well add that we still prefer Brookss next film, the incomparableBroadcast News.)
46.Rocky(1976)
46.
Weirdly,Rockynever gets mentioned.
Thats not very generous to this scrappy sports movie, whose genuine feeling cant be discounted.
45.Platoon(1986)
45.
Charlie Sheen plays a soldier whose loyalty is divided between Tom Berengers caustic Barnes and Willem Dafoes kindly Elias.
44.All the Kings Men(1949)
44.
It not only holds up … it holds up a ton better thanthe Sean Penn remake from 2006.
43.Ben-Hur(1959)
43.
(Timur Bekmambetovs 2016 remakecan pound sand.)
(If you havent seenBen-Hurbut have seenGladiator, the latter film basically swiped the formers plotline.)
42.Tom Jones(1963)
42.
Its rather strange thatTom Joneswon Best Picture.
But all told: We should probably talk aboutTom Jonesmore today than we do.
41.Marty(1955)
41.
(Yep, that conversation has been going on for a long time.)
Itll put a sweet smile on your face still today.
40.How Green Was My Valley(1941)
40.
(Supposedly, extras from this film voted in blocs to denyCitizen Kaneits expected win.)
Its not as good asCitizen Kane,but most movies arent.
It still packs a wallop.
It is also famously Clint Eastwoods favorite film of all time.
39.Rebecca(1940)
39.
The lessons he learned from it led to the greatest of careers … and it somehowstartedwith an Oscar.
38.The Lost Weekend(1944)
38.
(Heck, that shot still works today onBetter Call Saul.)
Miniver(1942)
37.
Miniverwas rewritten in a way that made the film better propaganda and, in fact, better cinema.
36.The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003)
36.
The postscript with the hobbits is still dull, but everything else in this still knocks you over.
35.Anora(2024)
35.
Oh, and you know what else helps: The movies a blast.
34.Titanic(1997)
34.
A new generationsGone With the Wind,Titanicis as mighty and unwieldy as the boat its named after.
33.An American in Paris(1951)
33.
The 17-minute ballet sequence is still tops although, yes, Kelly was even better inSingin in the Rain.
32.No Country for Old Men(2007)
32.
A crime gone wrong.
A closely observed regional American ecosystem.
The mystery of evil.
The films ending remains hauntingly elliptical.
And were still terrified of cattle guns.
31.The Last Emperor(1987)
31.
Its quite an investment for a viewer to make, but it pays off extravagantly.
30.The Departed(2006)
30.
You would have rather given him an Oscar forRaging BullorGoodfellas, sure.
29.Annie Hall(1977)
29.
It is impossible to overstate how muchAnnie Hallrewrote American comedy and romance … for better and for worse.
28.Nomadland(2020)
28.
Her story is heartbreaking in its unresolved nature, but Fern doesnt want your pity.
Shell know where shes going when she gets there.
27.All Quiet on the Western Front(1929)
27.
There have been better, more powerful antiwar films.
But theyre all still a bit in this films shadow.
26.West Side Story(1961)
26.
Still a shining example of just how much a great musical can do.
25.Hamlet(1948)
25.
But watching Olivier in this movie, why would you want him to concentrate on anything else?
Kenneth Branaghs version might be the most definitiveHamlet, but this is the most powerful.
24.Unforgiven(1992)
24.
It sat unmade for years, as Clint Eastwood pursued other films.
Eastwood looked back in anger, which probably explains whyUnforgivens ending feels so bitter.
23.12 Years A Slave(2013)
23.
22.Parasite(2019)
22.
Bong made a film about South Koreas class system that, wouldnt you know it, echoes across nationalities.
(Little surprise that theres already talk of anEnglish-language TV adaptation happening over at HBO.)
21.From Here to Eternity(1953)
21.
Burt Lancasters officer is having an affair with his captains wife (Deborah Kerr).
Frank Sinatras Private Angelo Maggio is at odds with Ernest Borgnines bullying sergeant.
20.One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest(1975)
20.
19.The Bridge on the River Kwai(1957)
19.
Rarely has one mans misplaced sense of pride blown up so spectacularly in cinema.
18.My Fair Lady(1964)
18.
It still sings, and lasts, today.
17.The French Connection(1971)
17.
The ultimate flawed protagonist, he wins, but at what cost to the rest of us?
But watch this again, and over and over.
16.The Deer Hunter(1978)
16.
She cries because the men cant.
15.The Silence of the Lambs(1991)
15.
Im going to send you a book.
See what you think of it.
Its calledSilence of the Lambs.
It made Anthony Hopkins a superstar and Hannibal Lecter one of cinemas greatest dark masterminds.
14.Oppenheimer(2024)
14.
In my kind of work,Oppenheimer[is] pretty lean,Christopher Nolan has said.
In terms of budget, it [is] a lot smaller than some of my other films.
Nolan famously said the movie is about the most important thing that ever happened.
One of its greatest accomplishments is that when its over, you believe him.
13.The Best Years of Our Lives(1946)
13.
Whengreatest war movie listsare published, the rankings tend to favor films about combat.
(A few of those are on this Oscar-winner list.)
(One of them, played by Harold Russell, lost both hands and now has mechanical hooks.)
12.The Apartment (1960)
12.
11.Moonlight(2016)
11.
The rawness ofMoonlights pain and the thrill of its redemptive power are undiminished.
But we all underestimatedMoonlight: The world was ready for it, and happy to embrace it.
10.Amadeus(1984)
10.
9.Gone With the Wind(1939)
9.
Raise all the rightful objections you have about this films racism, length, or soap-opera-y story.
Sure, the narrative is creaky, and its attitudes are not exactly modern.
And yet, its hard not to be a bit awed byGone With the Winds swagger.
To love it is to be in love with a kind of long-gone Hollywood studio picture.
If anything, that fact gives the film extra poignancy.
8.It Happened One Night(1934)
8.
Smith Goes to Washington.
Peter (Clark Gable) is a crusty, unemployed journalist.
7.Schindlers List(1993)
7.
A landscape of suffering and cruelty permeates the film, and thats where its power lies.
6.Lawrence of Arabia(1962)
6.
Still, David Leans absorbing, ambivalent portrait of T.E.
Legitimately, theydontmake films like this anymore.
5.On the Waterfront(1954)
5.
Its very possible to enjoy Elia Kazans stripped-down drama on its own considerable merits.
This is a film driven by moral anger, and that rage cuts through every scene.
4.The Godfather: Part II(1974)
4.
3.All About Eve(1950)
3.
Which meant they were also darkly, piercingly funny.
2.The Godfather(1972)
2.
The look on Diane Keatons face at the films end was a symbol of innocence forever shattered.
No one could look at movies, the mob, or America the same afterward.
1.Casablanca(1943)
1.
No one, not least of all its cast, thought much ofCasablancawhen it was made.
While critics praised it, audiences mostly yawned.
You close your eyes and that perfect ending plays out in memory.
Every movie is trying to beCasablanca, in one way or another.
But only one was.
